~T6 - back type and height?

[nikki-k]

Hi!
Yet another attempt to collect some data for a future purchase....

I have an A4 with the regular cloth back, not the tension adj. even. It is "caving in" quite a bit, and the back poles jab me in the side/back all the time now. Have marks from it (no breakdown, just marks, luckily enough). I am a T6 complete, and my seat back is adjusted to 15 1/2" right now (I think; I measured from the seat sling (no cushion on) to the top of the seat back).

I want to keep things light weight.

I have seen people with higher injury levels with lower seat back heights (I could swear I saw a T1 on here using a 12" back, Jetstream or Matrx I think). Did I measure mine wrong? Or should I be able to go lower? Last time I tried, I felt VERY unstable, like I would flip out of the chair backward. I do suffer from light dysreflexia, so I would worry about those good old spasms. Posture was VERY important to me pre-SCI. I always loved to have great lumbar support, like when seated in a seat in a car for instance. I have never felt comfy in my chair. No lumbar support at all, I feel like my butt constantly slides forward (2" dump, Jay2 that is 5 years of wear). I have read so much on here, and am a bit worried that I am hurting myself by not being properly "seated."

Suggestons for a seat back? Sling? Tension adj? Rigid?
I am in a major city that unfortunately has only one decent DME for rigid chairs, I dont drive, and the place is about 90 minutes of public transportation fun to get to, so demo'ing will probably be unlikely at best.

(I might also be getting a very early birthday present form my Dad...an offer of a new chair of reasonable cost; he almost cried when he saw how badly this chair was "created" for me)

[wheeliecoach]

My friend who is T-7 complete and TBI uses the Roho Jetstream pro 16 inch back. He does not use a lower one because he said he is not stable in a lower one. The back is very lightweight and he can fold his backrest without having to worry about taking off the back first.

I use a Matrix pro...but my disease is the equivalent of T-12 incomplete right now, so I cannot be much help.

[Herco16]

I'm a T-2 and have a pretty high back on my A4 (14" ?) Anyway, if the sides are leaning in, slide the cross brace up a little bit in the back. An inch or two makes a heck of a difference.

Dave

[sjean423]

I have a quickie gt with an adjustable backrest. I just lowered it to 14" and really like it there. I am glad I have the adjustablilty, and I needed the higher back when I first got the chair for trunk stability. The back is a sling tyoe, but has velcro straps to loosen and tighten. I especially like the lower bqack on steep ramps/downhills, and it changes my center of gravity.

[joshstevens7]

im T6 complete. i have the zra with the cloth tension adjust. back. i worry alot about my posture and hate it when my belly sticks out. the better my posture the less the belly shows. anyways, i keep my back as straight up as possible, the tighter the straps at the top the better, then i have the bottom straps a lil looser.

i have another chair with the roho jetstream pro on it and i cant seem to get use to it. at least with the cloth backs i get some side to side stability due to the bars, but with the roho jetstream pro, i dont. i think i have my backs set around 14-15 give or take.

I too am wanting to find the best back with the best lateral and lumbar support, and the shortest possible.

[Andy]

If youre looking for light and nothing to stick yourself with...stick with a sling back. On mine, I have the TiLite "tension adjustable by straps" back, ~15" above to the top of the seat cushion. I'm 6'3" with a longish torso for reference. In I think 3.5 years of use, I have 0 problems with it. I think I readjusted it once to compensate for initial stretch, but since then it's been great. Cant say for comfort, as I cant feel where it's at, but I dont seen any weirdness happening in my spine from what I can tell. I'm fused to T12 though, so YMMV. Keep in mind that really short backs are really short, especially when leaning back and not having abdominals at T6 level.

[sjean423]

I probably should add that although I am t7/8 I am fused to t12 as well. It probably makes a difference the way I sit. I do have some abs as well. WHen I lowered the seat I expected my back to complain, but it didn't.

[sjean423]

I probably should add that although I am t7/8 I am fused to t12 as well. It probably makes a difference the way I sit. I do have some abs as well. WHen I lowered the seat I expected my back to complain, but it didn't. I think you should go with as low a back as you are comfortable with,

[Sugarcube]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have a Quickie 2 with a 15" adjustable back. I tried it at lower levels, and it just didn't feel comfortable to me at all either. So I decided to keep it at the higher level. I have rods in from L1-T3, so that probably has something to do with it ..... I think so, anyways.

T6 para complete

[nikki-k]

Hi!
Wow- thx for all the replies and info!

I am waiting for a call back from a local DME (All In One Mobility of Portland, Oregon) after they contact their Tilite rep to arrange a demo ZRA. I will try the adjustable tension back and see if it does better than the A-4's non-adjustable tension.

My biggest issue has been going from a life of proper posture and martial arts and stuff to a slouched posture with no abdominal control/support. I broke C1, C4, T1, and then T6-9. T6-9 were pulverized, and they did bone grafts from my pelvis and shoulder blades to try and rebuild them a bit, and then I got Harrington rods. I was told they would need to remain for life. Not exactly sure how long they are, but the scar on my back goes from about C3 all the way down to my lower lumbar...sorta like a big zipper! I can feel the screws and stuff if I run my hand down my spine, and have had lots of fun having others see how far they can run their hand down my spine before it freaks them out too much- lol!!!

My cushion and chair setup could be a big part of things...<sigh>

thx again!

[Andy]

Ok, I gotta ask, how did you break all of that?

[nikki-k]

Ok, I gotta ask, how did you break all of that?

Oh, 2001...what a bad year for decision making...

I was into motorcycle racing, ya know, the little crotch-rockets (Yamaha R1, Suzuki GSXR1000). First up was January 2001 when I was out riding on the regular roads, not doing anything "wrong," just going thru a wide, sweeping turn known for being dangerous, and i was going about 65 (yeah, about 10 mph over limit). Lady came thru other way, going about 55-60mph, and was going to turn across my path to another road. She went into panic mode, could not decide what to do, and decided to return to the curved road path instead of turning. She hit the gas tho, and swerved toward a ditch, freaked again and swerved back toward me, accelrating still. I stayed my course, no other choice really. She hit me head on. Crotch meets gas tank, right hand dislocates at wrist (only tendons and skin and such holding it on), left hand broken in 3 places, right leg bent sideways at knee, vault into windshield of her car (her look was almost funny due to the number of emotions she was experiencing), and C5 decides to compact into C6, chipping it forward toward my windpipe. All fixed, 17 weeks of healing and...back on the bikes! (yes, I was told I was being an idiot)

Fast forward, and I leave Florida to go to Viriginia for the final races of the season, last week of Sept. All goes well, and then it is time to hit North Carolina for some nice twisties, eventually hitting Deal's Gap. Never made it. Seems low blood pressure, low blood sugar and high altitude with my stupidity (once again!) and not stopping for lunch had me pass out while doing about 75 down a straight-away, and instead of turning right with the rest of them, I simply went forward. Into the side of a mountain. Ooops.

In a coma for 3 1/2 days, wake up and think I am an X-Files experiment, and try to escape in the middle of the night. Found out I could not walk, and then the doctors came running due to the EKG sensors and such being pulled off.

Turns out I broke those 7 vertabrae, along with ribs in front and back, both right and left, which punctured my lungs and deflated them. So, I had tubes in for my lungs, tubes in for drainage for my back, and then a couple IVs and all the sensor stuff. Only other injury was my tongue- bit it in half (stick your tongue out, and bite down- that's what I evidently did as I crashed or after or something). They re-attached it, but doubted it would "take." Pfft on them, cause it is almost 100% like new, and takes a really good exam to see any injury ever happened.

As bad (and stupid) as all that sounds, I feel very lucky to have a great family and friends...and to have survived. Compare that to a 10-year old kid that wont be seeing 11, and I consider myself more than lucky. Even so, I still realize I need to let those tears flow once in awhile. I think we all do...

What ticks me off is the company that got me the wheelchair took advantage of me, knowing it would be unlikely I would discover anything for at least a couple years. I moved out to Oregon before I did. Ah well...

[Andy]

Wow, and I thought I went through the wringer, those are some crashes. My ride of choice was a 954RR, but the R1 and Gixxer 1K were right up there on the list. Funny how you think titanium as an exhaust pipe, now it's as a wheelchair, eh? Deal's Gap, I wanted to check that out sometime, but heard some scary stories of semis trying to go through there and car squids playing ricky racer on there going out of their lanes and messing things up for bikes. Seems like a great place to crash, but still, a great place to play too. Well, best of luck on the wheelchair hunt, all I gotta say is research and research more, and use the chair you got to get baseline measurements and add to and subtract from for what you really want. Also, check the order forms from each company, I think measurements and how they are derived are different between them. I think you said you are paying out of pocket for the chair somewhere, if you are, skip the local vendor and go with sportaid or spinlife, that is maybe 2/3 the price or less and you dont have to deal with idiot DME vendors. My brand of choice is TiLite, seems to the the best designed brand along with decent factory direct support should issues arise, after seeing some of the things that pass as wheelchairs and service from other companies. Of course some may disagree, but YMMV, lol.