There are many advantages of using a wheelchair to get around.
At one point or another, almost everyone will need some help getting around. Whether you have broken a leg, become paralyzed, or are recovering from a medical procedure, your quality of life will improve when you find a method to move around at will. One common method is to use a wheelchair, which offers many advantages.
Paralysis
Someone who is paralyzed and unable to use his legs for walking can sit in a wheelchair and use it to move around. There are manual wheelchairs for people who can use their hands and arms to push the wheels. Electric models provide the power at the touch of a button. In cases where the arms are also paralyzed, a person can use other methods to operate the wheelchair, such as a mouth-operated blow tube, chin controls or head-movement controls.
Fractures
When a person breaks her leg, knee or ankle, the doctor will advise against putting weight and stress on it while the bone mends. Sometimes she can get around on crutches, but using them for long periods may be too painful or exhausting. When both legs are broken, crutches are not an option. A wheelchair gives her the advantage of being able to move around for as long and as far as she likes.
Hospitalization
A patient recovering from surgery or illness in the hospital may be too weak to walk very far, and will benefit from using a wheelchair to move around. Until anesthesia wears off, a person may get dizzy and fall down if he attempts to walk, so he will use a wheelchair to go places. Another advantage of a wheelchair is to provide safety and comfort to a maternity patient arriving at the hospital during labor.
Balance
A person who can walk but has difficulty keeping balance might have to reduce the distance and amount of time spent walking, or risk injury from falling down. One advantage of using a wheelchair is that a person with balance issues can continue doing regular activities. He can go shopping or clear snow from the driveway without worrying about getting hurt.
