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Self propelling a wheelchair

Wibbles

I am unable to move myself more than a few feet in my wheelchair despite being reasonably strong
I need someone to push me (my wife)
I don't seem to be able to get the coordination right - and wonder how others manage it?
I tend to just sit there moving back and forwards a few feet

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Comments

L_Volunteer

This sounds really difficult for you @Wibbles. I can hear you are hoping to hear other people's lived experiences.

Unfortunately, I don't have any lived experience I can share with you. I hope someone can share their experience with you soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to respond to say I hear you and have seen your post. If there's anything else we can do to support you please don't hesitate to let us know.

We are all here for you and listening to you. Take care for now and we will look forward to, hopefully, hearing from you again soon

Poppy_

Hi @Wibbles,
how are you?

What is it specifically about the coordination that you struggle with? Is it pushing forwards, turning,etc?

I have self propelled for as long as I can remember and i struggled when I first started.

Wibbles

Poppy_ said:

Hi @Wibbles,
how are you?
What is it specifically about the coordination that you struggle with? Is it pushing forwards, turning,etc?
I have self propelled for as long as I can remember and i struggled when I first started.

I find that I freeze or cannot move forwards
It is not down to strength - it is down to my brain

newborn

Hallo Wibbles Actually that sounds perfectly reasonable of your brain- it thinks it needs to keep you safe! It's just doing it's job. But it is acting like an enormous nightclub bouncer, who is protecting the club a bit too extremely, by deciding not to let anyone in.

Could you have a think about what would be the worst thing to happen?
It does not need to make sense to a sensible Wibbles, but it has to cover the way an overprotective brain might be picturing to itself. Might the chair run away at increasing speed and throw you on the ground? Might it throw you off a cliff or under a bus? Might it have a mind of it's own and go out of control?

You do trust it when your trusted wife is pushing it. Do you trust anyone else? Everyone else? Nobody else?

Have you found a safe wheelchair training ground such as an empty car park, so you could really tackle this the way you would any other driving practice? A few feet forward and back is the start. A push on the right wheel alone will turn you left, just a few feet, slowly, then stop. Gradually you will figure it out and the nightclub bouncer in your brain will relax.

(You say you are strong, so you will be perfect for self-propelling. Post again when you have joined a wheelchair sports team, won't you?)

Don't be hard on yourself, or on your brain's club- bouncer. Walking or riding a bike or swimming are all impossible the first time a human tries. And really, the baby brain is quite right, that crawling is safe but this standing on one leg stuff is dangerous nonsense. As to sitting on a bike, the human brain is even more correct to realise that can only work while at least one foot is on the ground, so no wonder it takes ages to learn. Of course most people never do learn to swim, and why should their brains ever permit them to try to drown themselves by lying down on water?

Wibbles

newborn said:

Hallo Wibbles Actually that sounds perfectly reasonable of your brain- it thinks it needs to keep you safe! It's just doing it's job. But it is acting like an enormous nightclub bouncer, who is protecting the club a bit too extremely, by deciding not to let anyone in.

Could you have a think about what would be the worst thing to happen?
It does not need to make sense to a sensible Wibbles, but it has to cover the way an overprotective brain might be picturing to itself. Might the chair run away at increasing speed and throw you on the ground? Might it throw you off a cliff or under a bus? Might it have a mind of it's own and go out of control?

You do trust it when your trusted wife is pushing it. Do you trust anyone else? Everyone else? Nobody else?

Have you found a safe wheelchair training ground such as an empty car park, so you could really tackle this the way you would any other driving practice? A few feet forward and back is the start. A push on the right wheel alone will turn you left, just a few feet, slowly, then stop. Gradually you will figure it out and the nightclub bouncer in your brain will relax.

(You say you are strong, so you will be perfect for self-propelling. Post again when you have joined a wheelchair sports team, won't you?)

Don't be hard on yourself, or on your brain's club- bouncer. Walking or riding a bike or swimming are all impossible the first time a human tries. And really, the baby brain is quite right, that crawling is safe but this standing on one leg stuff is dangerous nonsense. As to sitting on a bike, the human brain is even more correct to realise that can only work while at least one foot is on the ground, so no wonder it takes ages to learn. Of course most people never do learn to swim, and why should their brains ever permit them to try to drown themselves by lying down on water?

I can, and do, use a bike - an excercise cycle and I could probably still swim (if I am still bouyant) but for some reason - I am unable to coordinate the wheelchair motion.....

I have even tried moving myself when at the gym - my personal trainer has tried to get me to move numerous times

I cannot use a walking stick, crutches or a zimmer frame for the same reason and end up carrying them....