Wheelchair castor wheels advice

Invasion

Hi,

I'm looking for a bit of advice relating to the front castor wheels for my wheelchair, my current ones are solid, and I mean completely solid, there's no tread or anything, and they're got some kind of angled bit that sticks out further than the rest of the wheel, it's fine on smooth floors, but I just went for a "walk" down the road and it was hell, really bumpy and shaky, and it's causing problems for me, and whoever's pushing me- the vibrations go up their arms and it causes problems with pain and tingling. I've had a quick look at some different castor wheels online, but there's so many different ones it's confusing! My last chair had- presumably- non-filled wheels, as they had tread and didn't cause this problem.

I'd preferably like to spend less than £100 on the pair, thanks in advance for any help!

Bart

Hi I find that with puncture proof "solid" rear tyres the ride is too harsh, so I changed to pump up tyres but I run them at low pressure this softens the ride a lot. For the front ones you could try " I think they are called" Frog leg? Might be worth looking at them to see if they do what you want. I hope this helps.

sunnyone

Invasion wrote: »

Hi,

I'm looking for a bit of advice relating to the front castor wheels for my wheelchair, my current ones are solid, and I mean completely solid, there's no tread or anything, and they're got some kind of angled bit that sticks out further than the rest of the wheel, it's fine on smooth floors, but I just went for a "walk" down the road and it was hell, really bumpy and shaky, and it's causing problems for me, and whoever's pushing me- the vibrations go up their arms and it causes problems with pain and tingling. I've had a quick look at some different castor wheels online, but there's so many different ones it's confusing! My last chair had- presumably- non-filled wheels, as they had tread and didn't cause this problem.

I'd preferably like to spend less than £100 on the pair, thanks in advance for any help!

Manual wheelchair?

And Ive given my opinion before on a powerchair for you to use and what the NHS should provide for you, both manual and powerchair with support.

Invasion

I have both, but I'm not able to use my electric wheelchair all the time, this is a problem with my manual chair yes.

Thanks for the advice, apparently the size of my wheels could be a problem in finding replacement tyres that don't cause this problem, I emailed one of the companies that sell replacements.. Unfortunately my OT's just going on maternity leave so I'm a little stuck with regards to NHS support, I've not found them too useful before now, I was expected to buy my manual chair etc, and wasn't familiar with the referral service.

justlikethat_2

Hi Invasion. My daughter has an NHS chair which is all solid tyres! We only use it for shopping, hospital visits and at school in the classroom. We raised the money needed for a sports chair for her which has all inflatable tyres and is much more comfortable to sit in and / or push on rough ground (ie not shopping centres). It doesn't fold down however and you need a van to transport it!

I have never seen inflatable castor wheels but you may be able to get solid ones which are softer than standard.

Look into getting a good seat cushion, if you have to pay for it yourself try getting some memory foam which you can cut to size and make a cover for. 'Wheelchair' cushions although very good are often vastly overpriced as suppliers usually charge whatever they can get away with.

Although this doesn't help you whoever is pushing might benefit from getting some bicycle handlebar grips to help cut down on tingling etc. In the same vein padded cycle gloves could help also. As these are sold for mountain bikes you will probably get both fairly cheap as opposed to anything sold specifically for wheelchairs which will usually be four times the price!

Invasion

Thanks I have a very good gel and air wheelchair cushion as I can't control my temperature and memory foam isn't practical in warmer weather, I have possible fibro as well so I struggle with having pressure on my skin anywhere, let alone my whole weight on my bum, and my cushion is fab for that.

My back wheels are inflatable, and my front caster wheels on my electric chair are inflatable... It just seems to be my manual chair, I may email the people who I got it from and see if they can help... Normally I use my mobility scooter on the roads around home it's just I'm not well enough to sit up enough to use that at the moment. Thanks again

sunnyone

Invasion wrote: »

I have both, but I'm not able to use my electric wheelchair all the time, this is a problem with my manual chair yes.

Thanks for the advice, apparently the size of my wheels could be a problem in finding replacement tyres that don't cause this problem, I emailed one of the companies that sell replacements.. Unfortunately my OT's just going on maternity leave so I'm a little stuck with regards to NHS support, I've not found them too useful before now, I was expected to buy my manual chair etc, and wasn't familiar with the referral service.

As ive said, you need a proper NHS service, it should be there for everyone with mobility problems. I prefer my powerchair but sometimes we just cant transport it and I have to rely on someone to push me, I lose what little independance I have.

What have you tried?

Frog hoppers are no good for me, I actually like smaller castors, the ride suits me, can you visit a mobility showroom and try a fewdiffrent types?

No matter what wheels people like us will never have comfort, its about getting as good as we can get and that takes a while, good luck with your search.