Strengthened wheel chair foot rest
The patient has Cerebral Palsy and enjoys ‘dancing’ to music.
He has broken two wheelchair foot plates.
This project was to strenghten the footplate.
The Challenge
The patient has Cerebral Palsy which affects his ability to walk and talk.
He has a strong pattern of movement and he pushes through his feet.
He enjoys ‘dancing’ to his music.
He has broken two wheelchair foot plates
The solution
Solution 1
I took a broken foot plate and added a steel plate under it with a right angled steel bracket welded to the steel plate and the box section upright that connected to the wheel chair.
This image shows the plate and the bracket welded to it
I returned the modified foot rest to the patient.
Within two weeks I got a call to say that the footrest had bent again!
Solution 2
I had to put the bent footrest in a vice and hit it repeatedly with a lump hammer to bend the steel bracket back to 90 degrees.
I then cut out and welded steel webs around the bracket to try to stop it bending again.
The foot rest is now quite heavy but so far I have not been called back to straighten the foot rest!
The benefit
Hopefully the footrest will now not bend when the patient dances to his music.
- Skills involved:
- Issues Addresses:
- Activities Helped:
- Location:
- Solution:
