Balancing on rear wheels

- essential for good wheelchair technique

Dela
Dela

The user tips the chair on the rear wheels by grasping the back of the push rim and quickly moving his hands forward. He balances on the rear wheel by focusing on a position directly above the center of the drive wheel. By moving the drive wheel back and forth with small movements he corrects the center of gravity so that it is always in line over the center of the drive wheel.
Moving his upper body forward increases the distance between the castors and the ground (needed when going up a high edge), while leaning his upper body backwards reduces the distance.

Description of technique according to the book ‘Drivkraft’ [Driving force] by Ake Norsten, see below. The book is available in Swedish.

Users comments
The center of gravity in relation to the center of the drive wheel affects how easy it is to reach a balanced position.

For a description of more driving techniques, see the book ‘Drivkraft körergononmi, rullstolsteknik & metodik’ [Driving force driving ergonomics, wheelchair techniques and methods] by Åke Norsten. The book is available in Swedish and may be ordered from Spinalis, spinalis.se/?lang=en or Aleris Rehabstation Stockholm, aleris.se/rehabstation (last checked December 2020).