Top Nine Benefits Of Standing Wheelchairs

Over the years, medical experts have opined that standing has a lot of health benefits. Prolonged sitting poses some health risk including pressure ulcers and skeletal deformities. With the introduction of the standing wheelchairs, users can now gain the health advantages of standing. The standing wheelchair can be operated mechanically or with powered controls to shift between a comfortable sitting position and a secure standing position.

Consider the HEALTH BENEFITS of standing wheelchairs:

1. Circulation

Changing positions allow blood to properly circulate the body while staying in a particular position all day causes the blood to stagnate and prevents blood from flowing to other areas of the body. It is advisable to regularly change your posture to prevent blotting of your body parts such as the legs.

2. Spasticity

Continuous sitting can cause muscle spasticity. Many wheelchair users report that switching position helps them to experience less spasm as standing loosen up the muscles and decrease spasticity.

3. Urinary Health

Sitting in a wheelchair does not make wheelchair users sick, rather the secondary diseases that come as a result of sitting down continuously such as Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) does. According to recent research, being on a standing wheelchair helps prevent UTI’s which are prevalent with regular wheelchair users.

4. Bowel Function

Wheelchair users often suffer from inadequate bowel performance. Medical experts have suggested that standing up exercises can improve bowel performance. The outcome is similar when using a standing machine or standing wheelchair.

5. Pressure Ulcers

Pressure ulcers which is one of the secondary diseases caused by prolonged sitting occur when there is too much pressure on one spot of the body. It can, however, be avoided by standing and allowing blood to circulate the body. Standing wheelchairs aids in the distribution of your body weight and allows bed sores to heal faster.

6. Contractures

Continuous sitting can cause the joints and muscles to tense up. The best way to relief your muscles is by exercising them. Standing helps you to reduce the level of tightness you feel in your muscles and joints.

7. Better Cognition

A major psychological benefit of standing wheelchairs is improved blood circulation which in turn brings about greater cognition. The cognitive abilities of wheelchair users increase significantly with the use of standing wheelchairs helping to remember and concentrate better.

8. Fatigue

Lying or sitting down for long hours causes severe tiredness. The muscles tissues, joints, and bones easily become weak once there is no movement. Standing allows you to stretch out your muscles and minimizes fatigue.

9. Well-Being

A standing wheelchair helps to improve your well-being and boost your self-confidence. You can hug in a standing position, make eye contact, collect items from the cupboard and even pose for photos using a standing wheelchair!

You can locate Upzy’s collection of wheelchairs (power/electric, standing, manual) by clicking HERE.