title: Wheelchair appropriateness in children with cerebral palsy: A single center experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although wheelchair appropriateness has been studied in general wheelchair users and spinal cord injury patients, it has not been studied in children with cerebral palsy yet.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the wheelchair appropriateness in children with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty children with cerebral palsy were included. Demographical and clinical features of the children were noted. All wheelchair parts were evaluated by the same rehabilitation physician who has attended a wheelchair-training course. Overall, the wheelchair was accepted as inappropriate if at least three parts were inappropriate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 30 children (15 M, 15 F) with a mean age of 10.8 ± 3.5 years. Seat depth (n= 21, 70%), cushion (n= 17, 56.7%), seat height (n= 16, 53.3%), and footrest (n= 16, 53.3%) were the most common inappropriate parts. Overall, 24 (80%) of the children use inappropriate wheelchair. Two (6.7%) children obtained wheelchairs by prescription, 28 (93.3%) obtained without prescription. Twenty-nine wheelchairs were manual and one wheelchair was motorized. Among 30 children, five (16.7%) experienced at least one wheelchair-related fall.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the light of our results, 80% of the children with cerebral palsy seem to use inappropriate wheelchair. Individually designed wheelchairs should be maintained for these children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Elbistan State Hospital, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.
authors.forename: Timur
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ekiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sibel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Özbudak Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice Gözde
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Sümer
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Neşe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Özgirgin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy; D002648:Child; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Wheelchair ergonomics; cerebral palsy; wheelchair appropriateness; wheelchair-related fall