Orthotic-style off-loading wheelchair seat cushion reduces interface pressure under ischial tuberosities and sacrococcygeal regions

Publication date: Available online 27 April 2016
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Barbara Crane, Michael Wininger, Evan Call
ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of an off-loading wheelchair seat cushion in removing pressure from high-risk ischial tuberosities and coccyx/sacrum in wheelchair sitting.DesignRepeated measures designSettingPrivate research laboratoryParticipantsManual wheelchair users with chronic spinal cord injuries (N=10)InterventionsThree configurations of an off-loading wheelchair seat cushion compared with a flotation style (4" air inflation) wheelchair seat cushion.Outcome MeasuresOutcome measures included peak pressure index (PPI), ischial tuberosity peak pressures and the "dispersion index" or ratio of pressures under the ischial and sacral regions to the total of all pressures recorded.ResultsPPI and IT Peak Pressure ranged from a low of 39 ± 18 and 68 ± 46 mmHg in the fully off loaded cushion to a high of 97 ± 30 and 106 ± 34 mmHg, respectively for the flotation style cushion (two-way ANOVA main effect across four conditions p < .001). Dispersion Index ranged from a low of 8 ± 3% in the fully off loaded cushion, to a high of 16 ± 3% in the flotation style cushion. Pair-wise comparisons yielded significance in all cushion-pair analyses (P<0.05 after multiple corrections).ConclusionsWe conclude that the force-removal approach of this orthotic off-loading cushion design effectively reduces a known extrinsic risk factor for pressure ulcers – interface pressure – in the high-risk ischial tuberosity and sacral/coccygeal regions of the buttocks.



from Rehabilitation via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1rleo86
via IFTTT