Health & Wellness Newsletter – Feb. 2025

This month: skin protection

I have several problematic areas with my skin. My shattered sweatshirt sleeves can corroborate the amount of holes I have used in my elbows. The interior of my forearms are constantly cured from the scratches inflicted during rugby sessions in a wheelchair. My pimples and ankles will find any sharp surface in a hand cycle and will gravitate there in each transfer.

Of course, being beaten while living an active lifestyle is not an exclusive phenomenon for wheelchair users. Ask any athlete, an outdoor gardener or any other person prone to physical work, and it is likely that their hands are as twisted as my elbows. The only thing that is unique for wheelchair users is that, due to poor circulation, wounds in paralyzed parts of our bodies often heal much more slowly than those in areas where we have a complete physical function. Learning to protect your typical problem areas is critical.

An equally critical concern is pressure injuries, which are often, although not always, caused by lack of movement. Most of those associated with rear and sitting bones, pressure injuries can appear anywhere where your skin press against another object, think about the framework of the spine, the hips to the bed or legs to the wheel cake, for long periods of time.

Let’s start with the most boring concern, because protecting from pressure injuries provides one of the mother’s rock for life as an active wheelchair user. If you cannot stay away from the wound care clinic or far from the headrest, you cannot reach fun things.

Cushions, backs and beds

One of the first things that have been discovered is what cushion is better for you. The relief of pressure is our main approach at this time, but stability, posture, weight and a variety of other factors are also important to consider. All other things are the same, the less physical function and ability to move your body that you have, the more important the pressure relief becomes when you choose a cushion. In general, custom cushions such as the Designs Custom 2 Ride or alternative air cushions such as Kalogon’s «intelligent» cushions show the most uniform pressure mapping, although simpler (and less expensive) air cushions such as Roho and Star are often staying well in pressure. To obtain a complete explanator, which includes how the different types of cushion write down for pressure relief, read «how to choose the best wheelchair cushion for you.»

What cushion best suits your needs will change over time depending on your strength, health, level of activity and a variety of other factors? Tim Gilmer, New Mobility editor, emeritus, offers an interesting case study. An active T11 T11, Gilmer spent years using Roho cushions, which served him well until, due to the elderly and decrease in force, he began using a sliding board for his transfers and had difficulties with the instability of his roho. Recently he tested the Cushion Med med cushion med de Kalogon, which provides alternating air for pressure relief, the ability to adjust inflation levels through an application and customizable positioning supports. Gilmer found the easiest cushion in transfers while providing the relief of the pressure he needed. The cushion also offered an unexpected benefit: reduction in neuropathic pain. You can read your complete review here [note that while Kalogon sponsored this newsletter, they provided Gilmer with a cushion in exchange for an honest, independent review].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehrlddemtd04

Backups and beds are other potential sources of pressure injuries. Remember that backup cushions degrade and can slide down over time, revealing a hard shell that can cause problems in its spine and other bone areas. Check your equipment and your skin regularly. Tired of the cheap and degrading foam that most backup manufacturers use, recently began to buy 1.5 inches sheets of latex foam -Del type used in some high quality mattresses, and cut them so that they adjust within the cover cover. It has been an economic and effective solution for a constant source of skin irritation.

For more information on how the choice of bed and mattress can affect your skin, keep our next team guide on mattresses.

Fun things

When you are away from home, a large part of staying healthy (and thus being active) is learning from your injuries. Now I use Mueller Pro strips -A super sticky fabric style tape: under a pair of arm sleeves to protect my forearms during wheelchair rugby games. The manual or mountain cycle sessions now always include pants and a pair of socks to the knee. My elbows are still a job in progress, but I have begun to regularly put a thick moisturizer in them, O’Kefe’s work hands It is my favorite, during the summer months. And I suspect a couple of Side guards of the defenders They are in my future.

Maintaining protected skin in areas that cannot feel, or have a deteriorated sensation, requires being an observer, a feature to which I am not naturally inclined, as my wife can attest, and diligent with the skin controls after the activity. The sunscreen and the moisturizer are your friends. The bare feet are not. You can read more tips for the protection of summer skin, including how to avoid burning through your swimsuit on a hot pool cover. Winter skin protection tips include layers of their limbs to avoid freezing, remembering that wheelchair frames are heated a lot when they are placed in front of a space heater and make sure they have available sunscreen when the snow hits the ground.

For anyone who regularly leaves their wheelchair, Bob Vogel offers an excellent guide for «beyond the protection of the chair skin», includes tips especially from cushions to use for showers, bathtubs and toilet seats, as well as long -distance car and sports car trips and recreation. One of the most interesting cushions we have seen to keep the butt and hips protected while outside your chair is the Vicair Allrounder, which strains your body to stay with you while moving. Tim Gilmer has a review.

Functional aptitude

Relieve the pressure, balances the shoulders and increases its energy

The relief of pressure does not have to be boring. Here is a minute training that can be done in your wheelchair without a team whenever you need a fast restart.

Nutrition suggestion

“Very often, the main reason for non -healing wounds is inappropriate protein. If you are doing everything else, but it is not healing yet, protein consumption must be taken seriously. In order for healing to begin and continue until the end, he must eat 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. «

– Tim Gilmer, new emeritus mobility editor and T11 for