Independence is an amazing thing. As small children we fight fiercely to be independent: to reach a glass of water, to brush our own teeth, or to move from the living room to the kitchen all on our own without someone carrying us. For most people, the fight for independence later in life is no less fierce.

In a month where we focus on independence, it’s appropriate to have a Reminder of the Month about increased independence with functional mobility.

One thing that makes seating and positioning priceless is that it can have a significant impact on independence with functional tasks and mobility. We remember from school that proximal stability means distal mobility. However, sometimes it’s tough – in real life, with a patient in a wheelchair – to determine the path to achieve the clinical outcome we want for our patient.

First, correlate the outcome of the mat eval with your cushion knowledge. For example, if the patient presents with a right lateral lean in the wheelchair, and the mat eval confirmed that the patient also has a pelvic obliquity, then the clinician would select a cushion to correct that deformity and thus correct the lateral lean. Once the patient is stabilized through the pelvis, she will be more mobile distally (i.e. able to perform functional tasks!).

The clinicians at The PostureWorks are passionate about patients functioning at their highest possible level. To honor and celebrate a month focused on independence, The PostureWorks is offering a buy 3 get 1 FREE promotion on our Engage APOD product line throughout the month of July .

Please call 866-860-5200 or email IndependenceMonth@ThePostureWorks.com if you would like to take advantage of this promotion.

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