Help Me Find Back Support!

[wanttolive]

I have a Jazzy 600 power chair, and a regular Invacare EX2 w/c. At first I thought it was because the wounds were still healing following my spinal surgery, but I am completely healed now and I still have a lot of back pain after sitting a long time.

I need to find some kind of back support! When I'm in the regular w/c, I stuff a pillow behind my back (which helps for a while), but that does not work on the Jazzy. I sit on a 2" ROHO seat cushion.

Are there cushions made for your back? Which ones are the best? What factors are important in making a choice?

Thanks!

WTL

[SCI-Nurse]

We use the Jay Back a lot for lumbar support or other posture issues. You can use a lumbar pillow like those designed for use in desk chairs to see if this helps.

Here are some examples:

http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=150

(KLD)

[Broknwing]

I use a Roho Jetstream Pro back, it is very comfy and give lots of back support as well. It is also very lightweight. I see that KLD referred to the Jay back, but a recent thread showed that a lot of people have probs with it bothering them...I tried one for a while, but I really hated how much weight it added to my chair. This wouldn't be a major concern for your power chair, but it would be for your manual.

[wanttolive]

Can I choose one for myself, or do I have to be fitted for one? Also, how do I know how much support I need (lumbar only, or thoracic also)?

Thanks!

WTL

[Broknwing]

You can choose whatever back support suits you best. No one should be making the final decision on that for you w/out your input anyway. The big deciding factor really would be wether or not it has the brackets for your chair. Sportaid.com has a pretty decent return policy, so you could try it out for about 2 weeks before sending it back. I personally use the low profile of the Jetstream Pro, but they have a higher height back if you need the extra support. I guess the biggest question on that would be how good is your upper body balance? If you have a local DME shop, they should be able to get a demo of either the reg height or the low profile one for you as well.