Standing Wheelchair Gives New Perspective on Life
January 8, 2009 by Luc
Filed under Daily Living
After 18 years of sitting in a wheelchair all day long, a standing wheelchair has given me a new perspective on life. As a quadriplegic unable to move my legs, I stand up 5 to 6 hours on a typical day. This has lifted my spirits tremendously and it has improved my overall health. It feels good to talk again to another person at the same eye level, and what I like the most is that I can hug my wife now while we both stand at the same height.
Practicing standing on a tilt table
I have known the benefits of standing for quite a while now, but it wasn’t until eight years ago that I started exploring how to make standing a reality. Before attempting any standing, I had my bone density tested to make sure it was still high enough to be able to tolerate standing without breaking any bones. At that time, standing wheelchairs hadn’t matured yet; my best standing option was using a tilt table. I did about 10 physical therapy sessions where I was closely monitored, all the while building up the endurance I would need to stand up for long periods of time. At first I got dizzy easily, which is understandable when you haven’t stood up in 13 years. But after a few sessions I was able to stand up for an hour straight.
At home I stood up on the tilt table about once every two weeks because the process of being transferred from my wheelchair to the tilt table wasn’t an easy one. Several months after I bought the table, however, I began using the table on a daily basis. I had developed a pressure sore, and discovered the benefits of regular standing to help heal it.
Healing a pressure sore while working from a tilt table
Typically, when someone who is paralyzed develops a pressure sore, that person is forced to stay in bed for several weeks until to pressure sore is completely healed. For me, that would have been problematic since I had just started a highly involving project at work. Having the tilt table was of huge benefit to me at the time, because with it I was able to continue to work while also allowing my pressure sore to heal. I am fortunate in that I am able to work remotely with my job, so I used the table to stand in front of my computer at home and work there. For six weeks I worked that way until my pressure sore was completely healed. I must admit, those were not the most fun weeks of my life as it was very constraining to be strapped on to a tilt table all day long. It was also very stressful for my wife because she had to tilt me back flat every 45 minutes to allow my body to rest. But it was still much better than spending six weeks in bed. I was able to heal my pressure sore without missing a single day of work.
Even though the tilt table allowed me to remain productive while my pressure sore was healing, once I was healed I didn’t use the table very often. Mostly, that was just because it was such an involved process to transfer from my chair to the table. For me, it just wasn’t practical to do very frequently.
A few years later, however, a new piece of equipment made it possible for me to easily stand on a regular basis, and I began to experience the real benefits of incorporating that into my daily life.
A standing chair as a more flexible solution
It was in 2006 that I began to look into getting a new wheelchair, and I decided to evaluate a few models of standing wheelchairs. My research paid off, as I found one that is perfect for my needs. I sit in it just like a regular wheelchair, but with a touch of the controls it adjusts into a standing position.
I now have complete control over when and how long I want to stand up. I can even ride around while standing up and can reach things up high that I could never reach before. It has been an incredible boost to my self-esteem. What’s more, I love that the chair allows me to lay completely flat so I can enjoy some comfortable sunbathing.
Health benefits of a standing chair
My desk at work is now configured so that I can work on my computer both sitting and standing up without needing to make any adjustments. Half of the time I work standing up. I can feel my lungs able to open up a lot more when I stand, my blood circulation is improved, and it seems to be doing some good for moving my bowels too. My bone density is higher now and my muscle spasms have decreased. Sometimes I start a little sweating when my bladder is not emptying too well and the sweating goes away as soon as I stand up. But most of all, standing on a regular basis has prevented me from getting any new pressure sores. Now, if any redness starts to show because of pressure, I just start standing up more during the day and the redness goes away.
A standing wheelchair has changed my life for the better. My health has improved which allows me to remain productive and I can give my wife better hugs which makes me happy.
If you’d like to take a look at what a standing wheelchair looks like in action, we have a video up showing some of the great things a standing wheelchair can do: The Benefits of Using a Standing Wheelchair
Luc ~ you are an amazing man, and one that our entire family respects and honors. You should get in touch with our friend Andy Reach, at http://www.andrewreach.com ~ another inspirational VERY good friend of ours.
Wonderful website
Luc.
Karen
Karen, thanks for the comment – Luc really is amazing. I think he has already spoken to Andy Reach and hopefully we will do a story with him.
Hi Luc — what a wonderful website — thanks for sharing it with me…You are truly amazing! You have accomplished so much & are an inspiration to us all.
Rhonda
it was really great meeting u and your wife didnt get her name lol. u r an inspiration. i have looked at your webpage and it is so full of good ideas and info thanks for having it iot will save me some years.hope to c u again.
dave
Hi Dave,
Great to hear that you like the site and thanks for your kind comments! It was good to talk to you and your wife on the Alaska cruise. Let’s try to hook up again one of these days since we don’t live that far apart.
Luc
My nephew was recently injured in a near drowning and is a para. He is doing very well; however, we would love for him to have the opportunity of having a standing wheelchair. Could you give us an estimate on the cost?
Thank you and all the best.
Hi Lori,
The standing wheelchair I use is the Permobil C500 Stander. It costs around $30K.
http://www.usatechguide.org/itemreview.php?itemid=1267
Luc
Hi luc, i,m a quadriplegic from indonesia, i need the standing wheelchair, can you give information where i can get it?
thanks
affin
Hi Affin,
The standing wheelchair I use is the Permobil C500 Stander.
http://www.permobil.com/USA/Products/Rehab/C500-VS-/
You can find all info about the Permobil company at : http://www.permobil.com/
I hope there is a dealer in Indonesia and I hope you’ll like standing again as much as I do.
Luc
Hi luc, i dont find permobil dealer in Indonesia, my injury its same level with you about 5 years ago, after see you web every day i dream can standing and go to everywhere with the standing wheelchair, i hope i get it, can you help me luc.
thank you.
affin
Hi Affin,
I sent an inquiry to Permobil in Sweden regarding distributors in or around Jakarta. If they get back to me, I will post their response here.
Luc
Hi Affin,
Here is the response I received from their headquarters in Sweden:
We do not have any dealer/partner in Jakarta/Indonesia today, but I am sure that our distributor in Singapore will assist your friend to find the right Permobil product.
Feel free to contact our partner I Singapore.
Chang Nam Yuen ( Mobile : 65-96313050 )
Managing Director
Gslogo
Greenstyle Pte Ltd
Tel: 65-62500555 Fax: 65-62507576
23 Tagore Lane #04-19 Tagore 23 Warehouse Singapore 787601
Skype : changnamyuen
Website : http://www.rehabmart.sg
Email : mail@rehabmart.sg
How you were able to avail a standing transformer wheelchair like Hero ($4290), Levo USA ($9787), Karman ($8500), Redman, Bunder Plus Hframe (21st century specisalist) through Medi-Cal or medicare or madicaid?? or through any donor or sponsor organization?
James, I am not really that familiar with the Medi-Cal, Medicare or Medicaid policies as I have insurance through my work. But according to Wikipedia “Medicare may help fund some portion of a standing wheelchair, while Medicaid funding varies from state-to-state in the U.S. Many insurance companies, vocational rehabilitation organizations, and medical case managers are increasingly funding standing wheelchairs because of the long-term health and quality of life benefits that come from passive standing. Funding (government funding or insurance) for standing equipment is achievable, but usually requires medical justification and a letter of medical necessity (a detailed prescription) written by a physical therapist or medical professional.”
Of course, a donor or sponsorship is another avenue, but it will require some research and work on your end to procure that.
Mr Luc
im so exited and i almost cried when i saw u standing up! my mom had a car accident 4 years a go she is spinal cord injury, it breaks my heart see her in the wheelchair that i would anything for her to stand up again! when i saw u i saw my mom doing the same thing and i will like to know where i can buy this awesome wheelchair, im in the military and and my priorities are serve my country and make my mom walk again, ill do anything to see her happy again, even if i have to work 10 different jobs…. pls write me back with the info god bless you and thank you!! claudia.f.maydanachastain@us.army.mil
Hi Claudia,
The standing wheelchair I use is the Permobil C500 Stander.
http://www.permobil.com/USA/Products/Rehab/C500-VS-/
You can find all info about the Permobil company at : http://www.permobil.com/
But there are other brands out there too, such as http://www.levousa.com/ and http://www.redmanpowerchair.com/
Luc, I am interested in buying a standing chair and am concerned about its maneuverability in small spaces, such as a home, classroom, resturaunt, or shopping mall. I am also concerned about a standing chair’s ability to fit under standered tables. Is your standing chair the one you live most of the time or do you encounter difficuties with accessing tight spaces or tables that force you use another chair? If you could do a video showing how the chair negotiates the concerns of daily life it could be extremley helpful to many wheelchair user including myself. Thank you, Alicia