Overall Length with Legrest

A manual wheelchair with a long total length requires a large space for movement and turning. Transportation vehicles and elevators also need to have enough space to accommodate it. The key to the overall length is the type of chassis and radius.

Overall Width

The door width of general front door is about 90 cm wide, and the bedroom or kitchen door is about 80 cm wide. Usually the smallest door will be the bathroom door, at only 70-75 cm wide. In order to avoid the problem of not being able to turn, pay attention to the wheelchair width when choosing a manual wheelchair.

Overall Height

A manual wheelchair that is too tall will limit the choice of transportation means. When necessary, changing the seat posture can to be used to reduce the total height. The key to the total height is the sitting height.

Folded Length

The longer the length of the folded wheelchair, the more storage space it takes up, which affects the convenience of transportation. The wheelchair’s foldable (or removable) components, such as footrests and anti-tipper, can affect the folded length.

Folded Width

The wider width of the folded wheelchair, the more storage space it takes up, which will affect the convenience of handling. The wheelchair’s overall frame design will affect its folded width.

Folded Height

The higher the total height of the collapsed wheelchair, the higher the storage space need, which in turn affects the convenience of transportation. The wheelchair’s foldable (or removable) components, such as headrest, foldable backrest, detachable armrests, can affect the folded height.

Total Mass

For lightweight manual wheelchairs, it is the total weight for reference for human handling. For chassis-type manual wheelchairs, is the total weight for reference for transportation.

Mass of the Heaviest Part

Dismantle all parts of the wheelchair by hand, regardless of the total volume or weight, so that the lightweight power wheelchair can be transported and make it easier to go out; or reduce the total volume of the wheelchair for convenient storage.

Ground Clearance

Avoid obstacles higher than this range during wheelchair travel to avoid damage to the wheelchair body or accidents during driving.

Turning Radius 

Minimum Turning Radius, defines the smallest radius for a user to turn around on a wheelchair 360°. Before buying a wheelchair, it is important to check if the wheelchair can be navigated through all the confine places in one’s living environment, such as the elevator in apartments. All else equal, the mid-wheel drive electric wheelchair offers the smallest turning radius, followed by the front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive.

Reversing Width

Reversing a manual wheelchair requires some practices. If there are only small turning spaces or small walkways, a smaller reverse turning width is essential.

Wheelbase

The length of the wheelbase is related to the total length of the wheelchair. The shorter wheelbase has the smallest minimum turning radius and good flexibility when turning, but the stability is reduced.

Front, Middle, and Rear Wheel Track

The greater the distance, the higher the stability of driving, but the smaller the distance the better the flexibility of turning.

Seat Plane Angle

A positive seat plane angle means the front edge of the seat is higher than the rear, which stabilizes the pelvis and make it harder for the users hips to slide forward. A negative seat plane angle can help the user to stand up from the front of the wheelchair.

Tilt Angle

Sitting in a wheelchair for a long time will cause pressure to concentrate on the hips after a long time. When you ‘Tilt-in-Space” over 30 degrees, the pressure originally concentrated on the hips will be fully transferred to the back. By “Tilting-in-Space” at a small angle, you can increase the stability of the users sitting position and avoid slipping.

Seat Depth

If the seat depth is shorter than user’s thigh length, the user is more likely to lean forward on the chair; If it is too deep, the legs will be blocked by the front edge of the seat, making it hard for the user to sit up straight, causing posterior pelvic tilt and other issues. General speaking, an appropriate wheelchair seat depth should be 2-3 cm shorter than the user’s length of thigh.

Seat Width

General speaking, an appropriate wheelchair seat width should be 2-3 cm wider than the user’s hip width. A chair that is too narrow in width is not comfortable. A chair that is too wide in width might results in scoliosis because the user will have to lean to one side to remain stable sitting posture.

Seat Surface Height at Front Edge

When the seat height is too high, it is more difficult for the user onto move to the wheelchair by themselves. If the seat height is low it is easier for the user to move but make sure that the distance between the seat surface and the footrests can still accomodate the calf length. Seat height also affects the accessibility of the environment, such as eating at a table, driving by yourself, etc.

Seat to Back Angle

Functional-wise, if the seat to back angle is less than 90°, the stability of the pelvis increases and the user has more control. When the angle is greater than 90°, the occupant can release any pressure on the hips and abdomen. Physically, the adjustment of the seat to back angle can be adapted to users with hip contractures or limited angles to stabilize their sitting posture.

Backrest Angle

The reference value is the same as the angle of the seat to back angle, but the measurement standard is different.

Backrest Height

If the height of the back is too high, the degree of support is good, but the trunk is easily pushed forward to cause instability. If the back is too low then the trunk lacks support, and it is easy for the body to slide forward and harder to maintain overall body stability.

Headrest Height Above Seat

If the height of the headrest is too high it can increase the risk of neck injury. The user is likely to move away from the headrest due to discomfort; on the contrary, if the headrest is too low, it will lack head support, and the head and neck will be prone to being excessively stretched.

Calf Length (Footrest to Seat Distance)

Everyone has different calf lengths. If the foot support to seat setting is shorter than the user’s calf length, it will raise the user’s knees, increase the angle of the thigh, and therefore concentrate more pressure on the hip-bone area. If the foot support to seat setting is longer than the user’s needs, it will cause the user to slide forward and use their feet for support. This can increase the risk of posterior pelvic tilt or scoliosis in the long term.

Leg to Seat Surface Angle

This angle is related to the angle of the knee joint. For users with knee contracture, a smaller angle can increase the stability of the ride. The wheelchair with adjustable foot angle can provide knee joint mobility, and can comfortably stretch the lower limbs when riding in a wheelchair.

Armrest Height

When an occupant rides in a wheelchair and their hands naturally hang down, the elbow is placed on the armrest. When the elbow is placed on the armrest and the user is in the “shrug” posture, it means that the height of the armrest is too high. If the elbow cannot fit the armrest pad or they hang in the air, it means that the position of the armrest is too low, which will reduce the support of the shoulders and increase the risk of joint deterioration or dislocation of user.

Front Location of Armrest Structure

The typical height of furniture table tops is usually 680mm. The height of the front end of the armrest will affect how close the wheelchair can be to the table. The closer the occupant’s body can be to the table, the better the efficiency of daily life functions such as eating and writing.