More than half of wheelchair users with SCI needed repairs in past 6 months

For many people with spinal cord injury, wheelchairs are a lifeline. They enable mobility, which in turn facilitates independence and community engagement. In addition, wheelchairs help people manage pain and discomfort by enabling them to change position and manage pressure. It cannot be overstated how critical it is for this population to have a working wheelchair. Yet research shows that up to 88 percent of wheelchair users experience a failure, leaving them without a means to get to work, attend medical appointments or educational classes, or maintain a social life outside the home.

In some cases, wheelchair failure can result in injury, with breakdowns making people with SCI almost twice as likely to be re-hospitalized than those with a working wheelchair. Among wheelchair users with SCI, 42 percent reported adverse consequences related to needing wheelchair repair, according to a team of experts in SCI rehabilitation. The research team, comprised of investigators from the Spinal Cord Injury Model System, determined that this ongoing problem requires action such as higher standards of wheelchair performance, access to faster repair service, and enhanced user training on wheelchair maintenance and repair.

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