{"id":39078,"date":"2022-02-07T11:35:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T03:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/?p=39078"},"modified":"2023-03-14T14:48:46","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T06:48:46","slug":"most-common-secondary-injuries-experienced-by-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2022\/02\/most-common-secondary-injuries-experienced-by-caregivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Common Secondary Injuries Experienced by Caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caring for someone who is in a wheelchair long-term has been associated with musculoskeletal injuries to the caregiver. These injuries could be anything from the back, neck, shoulder, and wrist damage from assisting wheelchair users particularly from pushing, pulling, bending, and<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">overexertion<\/span><b>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wheelchair user has the wrong wheelchair<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a caregiver, you should have the right equipment to work with. If the wheelchair is not properly maintained, that could make your job as a caregiver more difficult. Here are some things to look out for to help you avoid secondary injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>The wheelchair is not properly maintained e.g. flat tires, faulty brakes, loose wheels, damaged upholstery\/frame<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Once per month,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> check the tires (especially if you find the wheelchair particularly hard to push, the tires could be flat).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you notice the brakes stop working, you should contact the wheelchair dealer as soon as possible as these faults could be putting not only the user but the caregiver at risk of unnecessary injury. KARMA pride itself on providing excellent aftercare service for our users. We require dealers to have basic knowledge about our products to sell them.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Modifications or repairs to the chair were not conducted by authorized personnel\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If modifications to the wheelchair were made to the wheelchair by unauthorized personnel e.g. to the frame, the user voids the warranty on that product from the manufacturer. This means if there are other problems in the future, the manufacturer will not fix them under the warranty.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>The user is in a wheelchair that is not suitable for them or their environment\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the user is suffering from <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/08\/what-are-pressure-sores\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pressure sores<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> then it\u2019s possible that they have been prescribed a wheelchair that is not suitable for them. KARMA has a wide range of wheelchairs to ensure that there is a chair to suit a wide range of users. We recommend that the wheelchair you have been prescribed to you by a doctor or therapist to avoid user injuries.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding a wheelchair that is suitable to a user\u2019s dimensions or condition is just as important as finding a wheelchair that suits their lifestyle and environment. For a caregiver, this is is particularly important as you hope the user will be prescribed a wheelchair that will not only make their life better but could potentially make the caregiver\u2019s life more convenient. For example, if the user is unable to regularly reposition themself, we would recommend a wheelchair with <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/vip2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tilt-in-Space<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/km-5000-2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recline<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> functions. These positioning wheelchairs can reposition the user with little effort from the caregiver.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KARMA has a philosophy called the KARMA FIT where we encourage wheelchair users to choose a wheelchair that meets their needs, body dimensions, budget, and lifestyle (aka their environment).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Failure to charge the wheelchair battery<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping the wheelchair battery healthy and fully charged will not only benefit the user but also the caregiver. KARMA wheelchairs will show red LED lights to indicate the battery level of the chair. To increase the lifespan of the wheelchair battery, we recommend not letting the battery die but charging it everyday to keep the battery levels up.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-391653678\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1825864444\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_606790380\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"328\" height=\"153\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-2.png 328w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-1-2-300x140.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_606790380 {\n  width: 99%;\n}\n@media (min-width:550px) {\n  #image_606790380 {\n    width: 35%;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When day to day tasks are difficult with a wheelchair\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>The effort that is involved to push the weight of the wheelchair and the user<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the caregiver has to push the user then we recommend choosing an ultra <span style=\"color: #008080;\">l<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/km-2501\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ightweight wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to lessen the burden on the carer. If there is no chance of the user propelling themselves, choosing an <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/km-2501\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">attendant or transit wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with smaller rear wheels will reduce the weight of the wheelchair even more.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In extreme circumstances, the user could consider getting a <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/power-wheelchair\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">power wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that eliminates the need to be pushed at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Pushing the wheelchair long distances<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it\u2019s a daily struggle to push the user long distances, similar to having to push the user weight as well as the weight of the wheelchair, a simple solution is to get a <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/power-wheelchair\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">power wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This takes all of the strain and pain away from the caregiver.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Helping to transfer in and out of wheelchairs<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some wheelchair users require to be transferred in and out of the wheelchair several times a day. If the user is heavy, this can cause musculoskeletal strain injuries to the caregiver from carrying out this repetitive action. We suggest getting a <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product\/vip2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tilt-in-Space<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product\/km-5000-2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reclining<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wheelchair (either <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/kp-31-2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">power<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or manual) so that the user can rest in the wheelchair which will reduce the amount of transfers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/manual\/#tab_positioning\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">positioning wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can also make tasks like changing diapers or administering medication easier. The <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/03\/how-to-move-the-elderly-with-complete-paralysis-from-bed-to-wheelchair\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reclining wheelchair can also make bed transfers<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> easier as it can be adjusted to be the same height\/ angle as the bed. Even a wheelchair with basic swing away footrests and armrests can make wheelchair transfers safer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the environment is not wheelchair friendly<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Soft floors e.g. carpet\/uneven surfaces<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the needs of the user, they could possibly choose a wheelchair with large, <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/km-1520-3\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self propelled rear wheels<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make pushing the wheelchair easier when on carpet. The larger wheels cover a larger surface area, making it easier for caregivers to navigate. The only downside is if there are limitations to the space, which brings us only our next problem;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Tight spaces to navigate<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing a <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/featured_item\/km-2501\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">small transit wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to use in the home is a great option but obviously not possible for everyone. The transit chair is narrow, with space saving armrests, and smaller rear wheels. Home adaptations can also be considered to accommodate larger wheelchairs e.g. widening doorways.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Struggling to push the wheelchair up and down ramps\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the combined weight of the user and wheelchair are the problem, we suggest choosing a lightweight wheelchair to lighten the load. If the carer struggles to frequently push the wheelchair up and down ramps, the user might consider a power wheelchair or installing a stairlift. An attendant control can even be added for the safety and convenience of the caregiver.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-11670704\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-953516334\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_11818297\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-3.gif\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"attendant control\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_11818297 {\n  width: 93%;\n}\n@media (min-width:550px) {\n  #image_11818297 {\n    width: 32%;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Not enough education\/information about wheelchair accessibility\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good wheelchair seller and\/or manufacturer should provide a user manual that not only explains the best practice of how to use their products to protect the safety of the user but also achieve the longest lifespan. These days, most wheelchair manufacturers will produce <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCu2nPvaLYG5FwmeWZIL_ELQ\/videos\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">videos<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/blog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blog posts<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with helpful information about how to use their products.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the caregiver is elderly<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>The wheelchair is too heavy<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KARMA therapists recommend that caregivers, especially elderly ones, should not repeatedly be carrying objects weighing more than 10KG, otherwise they risk suffering from back pain. Therefore we recommend choosing an ultra lightweight wheelchair like Ergo Lite that weighs just 8.5KG.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>The user has to go to frequent hospital visits<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the user is frequently visiting the hospital then the caregiver can choose a wheelchair that is easy to transport. Either a lightweight wheelchair with attendant wheels or a self propel wheelchair with removable rear wheels to make transporting the chair in and out of a car easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-1401879146\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1107976124\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_381419550\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-8.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-8.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-8-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_381419550 {\n  width: 96%;\n}\n@media (min-width:550px) {\n  #image_381419550 {\n    width: 57%;\n  }\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding the right wheelchair\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding the \u201cright\u201d wheelchair is not just exclusive to the user but also the caregiver. A caregivers job is not easy but if there are some wheelchair features and functions that can assist them then it is worth investigating. <b>You can check out the full range of KARMA wheelchairs on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">KARMA website<\/span>.<\/a><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Caring for someone who is in a wheelchair long-term has been associated with musculoskeletal injuries to the caregiver. These injuries could be anything from the back, neck, shoulder, and wrist damage from assisting wheelchair users particularly from pushing, pulling, bending, and overexertion.\u00a0 The wheelchair user has the wrong wheelchair As a caregiver, you should have [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":52647,"featured_media":46124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538,580],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39078"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46127,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39078\/revisions\/46127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}