
Leg Supports for Rollz Motion wheelchair
This client has a Rollz Motion wheelchair and, for medical reasons, needs to have her legs horizontal. However, this wheelchair does not have an option for leg supports to be attached.
I obtained some standard leg supports and designed and built a custom attachment mechanism to fit them to the wheelchair. These can readily be removed and fitted and now the client can use her wheelchair again to go into her garden or visit outside places.
The Challenge
The Rollz Motion wheelchair does not have accessories or fixings for leg supports, only foot rests. Rollz Motion customer service directed the client’s family to REMAP as they had done a conversion previously although, in that case, the client had some leg supports from a different wheelchair that could be used.
The modification needed to be strong and reliable and allow the supports to be removed and fitted easily, so the client could get into and out of the chair. I always try to make adaptations with minimal or preferably no cutting or drilling of the client’s equipment as this can compromise strength and value.
The solution
As usual with my projects, I started by making a 3D model of the various parts involved so I could explore possible solutions. After various attempts I came up with the final concept, this used standard 15 mm copper pipe and soldered fittings and a couple of 3D printed parts as well as some aluminium plates, screws and nuts etc. I used the metal brackets for the existing detachable footrests and removed the actual swivelling footrests from these as they were not required. One 3D printed part fixed to this and supported the bottom of the copper pipe, the aluminium plate was used to add strength. The top horizontal 15 mm tube drops into a second 3D printed part that is attached to the wheelchair, again with an aluminium plate for strength. This tube is locked in the correct position by a third 3D printed part plus a jubilee clip. By repositioning the part attached to the foot rest and this clip, the copper tube and hence the position of the leg rests can be adjusted.
The commercial leg rests were then attached to the vertical 15 mm pipe using the metal clamps provided but I added some self tapping screws to ensure these could not twist as the grip the copper pipe and its own pipe with rubber strips (actually poorly cut bits of bicycle inner tube!). The other side is a mirrored assembly.
Once assembled, the completed assemblies can simply be dropped into the fittings on the wheelchair after the client is seated and then the leg rests raised to support her legs. We removed the footrests that came with the leg supports as these did not seem to be necessary.
These pictures show the two assemblies removed, the complete wheelchair plus leg supports (the footrests were later removed) and the attachment details.
The benefit
The benefit is that the client can now join her family in their garden or on outings whilst keeping her legs straight which she had been unable to do for some time.
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I’m loke this lady I have mynlegsnon szmenposition for medical reasons too. I have an electric wheelchairbfrom wheelchair services withvtjisbbuiltnin problem I have is I love photography and I wanted point an action cam to arm rest but can’t find away you help?
Hi Malcolm, please complete our referral form with a bit more information, so we can if we can help you with something similar: http://www.remap.org.uk/help