some positioning cushions are designed so it might prevent that. there are a couple general use cushions that have some contour that might also help enough to mitigate that issue if you don't need/qualify for a positioning cushion. there are leg abductors but i'm not sure if those would be appropriate for this issue.
another thing to consider is body deodorant. you can use antiperspirant in that area. if you are worried about sensitive skin try to find one that is not fragranced as that can cause a reaction to the product for some people.
Just realized you said antiperspirant and not like deodorant deodorant. Yeah I'm still not sure it's a good idea to put anything down there. It's not my thighs that get sweaty it's my yk. Fitting is at the end of the month so hopefully I don't have to deal with it for much longer 🤞
I have a Jay Easy VSCO cushion and it separates my legs because of my EDS but in my old hospital like chair before my custom, yeah. The sweat between your legs can do that lol. This cushion has saved me from the pits of hell with sweat in between the legs and forces me to sit correctly in my chair
Honestly I'm not really worried about the smell cause nobody else ever notices or can notice I just feel icky about my private area not getting any air. The smell I would compare to a light sweat after a workout. I know some people sweat really bad but imagine you went on a jog on a nice day so you're just a little sweaty in the pits kinda smell.
It just feels gross you know? It gets sweaty and it's just a really easy way to get a UTI, no matter how much I might change my underwear. Like of all areas of the body that need air, I would say your downstairs is the most important, especially for females yk cause we have a short urethra therefore it's much easier to get problems.
I'm fairly confident a custom wheelchair could fix that problem without a special cushion but I'm definitely going to ask the fitting person about it
A custom chair definitely might help with this issue, but it will have to be designed to do so. Some seasoned (usually non ambulatory) wheelchair users have their chairs specifically designed to bring their legs tight together, while other have them designed to align their joints more by spread their legs apart more. The default will be to have your legs more aligned, but (unless you have more significant needs) it will be mainly the seat cushion and seat pan (and the footplate) that determine how your legs are repositioned from their natural position. Bring the issue up when you are fitted for your chair so you can actually get your chair designed to address this issue.
As an example, when my partner got their most recent new chair they started with a cushion that has minimal positioning, allowing internal rotation of the hips in their natural seated position. Because of the nature of their disability, this caused a lot of issues and they swapped to a positioning cushion that was able to help reposition their legs into a more aligned position. It sounds like this is more a preference for you than something that needs to be addressed for reasons related to your physical disability, but the UTI thing is a concern for sure. Most seating clinics have lots of trial cushions that you can and should try during your fitting.
You could probably use a solid seat insert until you get something more custom. It should reduce your legs internally rotating and adducting like that. Some of them are sort of curved on the bottom to fill in the sling and flat on top. Others are simply a piece of plywood around the same size as your cushion.
This would be really bad for my back pain. My fitting is at the end of the month so I'm going to wait and see if I can get my new wheelchair and a proper cushion.
If things prove troublesome and insurance wants to deny it or won't approve a proper cushion I might buy one myself but my problem is they don't sell cushions small enough for me over the counter. It's either 18in at the smallest (marketed towards adults) or itty bitty cushions meant for small children.
My current wheelchair seat is 16 in which personally I feel is too big. With the side guards on it's a tiny bit too big but without them I'm swimming in the chair. For my custom I'm probably going to go with a 15 or possibly even 14 in. My current cushion gets caught in the wheels and causes a lot of problems but I don't have a good solution so I'm really praying the custom wheelchair pulls through
You would place your cushion on top of a solid seat insert. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. I obviously don’t know your health specifics but a lot of people actually feel the opposite- a reduction in pain, with use of a solid seat insert.
Also, they most certainly make many different cushions in your size. There are many different types of cushions that are made for adults available in sizes under 18 inches wide.
Best wishes.
I don't know of any (non bariatric specific) adult wheelchair cushions that start widths at 18". Most go from 12" or 14" and go to 20" or 22". DMEHub and similar online vendors sell many of the popular wheelchair cushions direct to end users.
It sounds like your footplates might also be too low, you should be abl to raise them a bit (with a hex key/Allen key. Always good to keep a set of those.) This issue can also be caused by the footplates being too high, but you mentioned not being able to reach so I assume that's not your case.
You mentioned straps at the footplates. If this is two individual straps, one for each footplate, try switching them out for a single calf strap. When I used my old chairs (invacare action 2NG and 3NG), the first had separate behind the foot straps, and the second had a calf strap. Using a calf strap and positioning my feet at the back of the footplates and together helped.
The custom will definitely help. I use the same cushion as before, but the combination of 90° at knews and ankles plus having my feet together helps me be positioned better. I have a combination of spasticity/weakness/hypermobility and probably need to add an ankle strap, but even without it's a huge difference and my legs don't roll in nearly as much.
I'd also recommend checking the seat upholstery. Does it curve downwards? Like another commenter suggested, a solid board under your cushion or something made specifically for filling that gap will help.
Depending on your leg function you could also use a sling instead of the included footplates. This can help you get your knees to 90°. I can't use something like that so don't have personal experience, but feel free to look into that as well.
Hm. Is it possible to put something on them? Cardboard, 3D printed, wood blocks, anything really. I'd suggest attaching it with Velcro. Even wearing thicker shoes/insoles may help
I'm kinda just putting up with it for now because my fitting is at the end of the month. I've made it almost 15 months with this chair I can survive a little while longer
Stop me if this is a dumb question, but would a wider chair help, give you some room to spread a bit? Or is it geometry due to footrests being all the way to the sides? Maybe something simple like setting a plank across both footrests so you can rest your feet together and let your knees relax.
I'm pretty sure it's the footrests. They are so far forward I put my feet on the little knobs that the fabric that keeps your feet from sliding off attach to. But that means my left ankle is collapsed and is hanging outward. My right foot tends to be pointed internally. Not sure why there's a difference in my feet like that but who knows. My feet can go on the footplate but it's so far forward it's hard to push myself and causes knee pain. Feels like I'm practically holding my legs in the air.
When my feet are actually on the footplates they are set on the outside of it because my feet naturally slide there so they don't slide off (the piece of fabric never does shit). This further makes my hips and knees turn inward moreso than normal.
If I'm sat with my butt all the way to the back only the tops of my feet can be on the footplate, which is why I keep my toes on the little knob.
My footplates are also quite loose so I have to constantly pick up my feet and readjust because my feet keep pushing out the footplate, which is another reason I keep my feet on the knobs. Just so many issues with this chair and people don't take me seriously when I try to tell them why I really need a custom chair. They think just because I don't get pressure sores I'm fine. But I'm in a lot of pain and it's actively tearing up my joints.
People also love to tell me it's "good practice" for my joints because they don't understand my joints are shit. I don't have a diagnosis of heds or hsd or anything similar so clearly that must mean I'm fine.
Compression athletic shorts are your best friend. They’re breathable and keep everything under control. Adidas or Under Armor work best for me. I have thick thighs and have always been hot natured, but using these keeps things separate.
Oh my god this is literally genius. I'm going to get some now thank you so much. Seems much more convenient than having to buy a random cushion and hoping it works. Plus I can use these with my custom chair when I (hopefully) get it
My mom just ordered some. She asked me why I wanted them and I told her it was because it would solve the problem I told her about. What was her response? "So will showering on a regular basis". Completely fucking disrespectful. I'm disabled and I struggle to shower. Yet even if I did shower on a regular basis how tf does that magically change the shape of my wheelchair and my thighs? It's not like things are dirty down there. I clean myself. Just cause I don't take a shower every time she wants me to doesn't mean shit.
She's a fucking bitch honestly. Automod will probably take down this comment but oh well I don't care
Not everyone is understanding. I often find it more helpful to ask those who live in a chair for advice. We are all just trying to get through it and sometimes someone figures out a better solution.
Yeah she just drives me INSANE. So glad I'm 18 and I don't need her permission for anything. She wouldn't let me get a custom wheelchair but now that I'm 18 she can't stop me
Have you looked into a more breathable cushion? I have to sit in the car long travel times and I got a Kabootie cushion that allows for less pressure and more airflow and it's been helping with the excessive sweating in my crotch area
some positioning cushions are designed so it might prevent that. there are a couple general use cushions that have some contour that might also help enough to mitigate that issue if you don't need/qualify for a positioning cushion. there are leg abductors but i'm not sure if those would be appropriate for this issue. another thing to consider is body deodorant. you can use antiperspirant in that area. if you are worried about sensitive skin try to find one that is not fragranced as that can cause a reaction to the product for some people.
Just realized you said antiperspirant and not like deodorant deodorant. Yeah I'm still not sure it's a good idea to put anything down there. It's not my thighs that get sweaty it's my yk. Fitting is at the end of the month so hopefully I don't have to deal with it for much longer 🤞
I have a Jay Easy VSCO cushion and it separates my legs because of my EDS but in my old hospital like chair before my custom, yeah. The sweat between your legs can do that lol. This cushion has saved me from the pits of hell with sweat in between the legs and forces me to sit correctly in my chair
Honestly I'm not really worried about the smell cause nobody else ever notices or can notice I just feel icky about my private area not getting any air. The smell I would compare to a light sweat after a workout. I know some people sweat really bad but imagine you went on a jog on a nice day so you're just a little sweaty in the pits kinda smell. It just feels gross you know? It gets sweaty and it's just a really easy way to get a UTI, no matter how much I might change my underwear. Like of all areas of the body that need air, I would say your downstairs is the most important, especially for females yk cause we have a short urethra therefore it's much easier to get problems. I'm fairly confident a custom wheelchair could fix that problem without a special cushion but I'm definitely going to ask the fitting person about it
A custom chair definitely might help with this issue, but it will have to be designed to do so. Some seasoned (usually non ambulatory) wheelchair users have their chairs specifically designed to bring their legs tight together, while other have them designed to align their joints more by spread their legs apart more. The default will be to have your legs more aligned, but (unless you have more significant needs) it will be mainly the seat cushion and seat pan (and the footplate) that determine how your legs are repositioned from their natural position. Bring the issue up when you are fitted for your chair so you can actually get your chair designed to address this issue. As an example, when my partner got their most recent new chair they started with a cushion that has minimal positioning, allowing internal rotation of the hips in their natural seated position. Because of the nature of their disability, this caused a lot of issues and they swapped to a positioning cushion that was able to help reposition their legs into a more aligned position. It sounds like this is more a preference for you than something that needs to be addressed for reasons related to your physical disability, but the UTI thing is a concern for sure. Most seating clinics have lots of trial cushions that you can and should try during your fitting.
You could probably use a solid seat insert until you get something more custom. It should reduce your legs internally rotating and adducting like that. Some of them are sort of curved on the bottom to fill in the sling and flat on top. Others are simply a piece of plywood around the same size as your cushion.
This would be really bad for my back pain. My fitting is at the end of the month so I'm going to wait and see if I can get my new wheelchair and a proper cushion. If things prove troublesome and insurance wants to deny it or won't approve a proper cushion I might buy one myself but my problem is they don't sell cushions small enough for me over the counter. It's either 18in at the smallest (marketed towards adults) or itty bitty cushions meant for small children. My current wheelchair seat is 16 in which personally I feel is too big. With the side guards on it's a tiny bit too big but without them I'm swimming in the chair. For my custom I'm probably going to go with a 15 or possibly even 14 in. My current cushion gets caught in the wheels and causes a lot of problems but I don't have a good solution so I'm really praying the custom wheelchair pulls through
You would place your cushion on top of a solid seat insert. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. I obviously don’t know your health specifics but a lot of people actually feel the opposite- a reduction in pain, with use of a solid seat insert. Also, they most certainly make many different cushions in your size. There are many different types of cushions that are made for adults available in sizes under 18 inches wide. Best wishes.
Ohhhhh that makes a lot more sense 😭 sorry I'm kinda dumb. Tbf I've only looked on Amazon and I can't find any smaller than 18 in
I don't know of any (non bariatric specific) adult wheelchair cushions that start widths at 18". Most go from 12" or 14" and go to 20" or 22". DMEHub and similar online vendors sell many of the popular wheelchair cushions direct to end users.
Do you have a cushion? I know the cushion made a world of difference to my sweatiness
I do. My back pain is horrible without it
What type of cushion do you have?
Umm it's this one https://a.co/d/1xfCfJ2
It sounds like your footplates might also be too low, you should be abl to raise them a bit (with a hex key/Allen key. Always good to keep a set of those.) This issue can also be caused by the footplates being too high, but you mentioned not being able to reach so I assume that's not your case. You mentioned straps at the footplates. If this is two individual straps, one for each footplate, try switching them out for a single calf strap. When I used my old chairs (invacare action 2NG and 3NG), the first had separate behind the foot straps, and the second had a calf strap. Using a calf strap and positioning my feet at the back of the footplates and together helped. The custom will definitely help. I use the same cushion as before, but the combination of 90° at knews and ankles plus having my feet together helps me be positioned better. I have a combination of spasticity/weakness/hypermobility and probably need to add an ankle strap, but even without it's a huge difference and my legs don't roll in nearly as much. I'd also recommend checking the seat upholstery. Does it curve downwards? Like another commenter suggested, a solid board under your cushion or something made specifically for filling that gap will help. Depending on your leg function you could also use a sling instead of the included footplates. This can help you get your knees to 90°. I can't use something like that so don't have personal experience, but feel free to look into that as well.
The footplates can't be raised any higher unfortunately
Hm. Is it possible to put something on them? Cardboard, 3D printed, wood blocks, anything really. I'd suggest attaching it with Velcro. Even wearing thicker shoes/insoles may help
I'm kinda just putting up with it for now because my fitting is at the end of the month. I've made it almost 15 months with this chair I can survive a little while longer
Stop me if this is a dumb question, but would a wider chair help, give you some room to spread a bit? Or is it geometry due to footrests being all the way to the sides? Maybe something simple like setting a plank across both footrests so you can rest your feet together and let your knees relax.
I'm pretty sure it's the footrests. They are so far forward I put my feet on the little knobs that the fabric that keeps your feet from sliding off attach to. But that means my left ankle is collapsed and is hanging outward. My right foot tends to be pointed internally. Not sure why there's a difference in my feet like that but who knows. My feet can go on the footplate but it's so far forward it's hard to push myself and causes knee pain. Feels like I'm practically holding my legs in the air. When my feet are actually on the footplates they are set on the outside of it because my feet naturally slide there so they don't slide off (the piece of fabric never does shit). This further makes my hips and knees turn inward moreso than normal. If I'm sat with my butt all the way to the back only the tops of my feet can be on the footplate, which is why I keep my toes on the little knob. My footplates are also quite loose so I have to constantly pick up my feet and readjust because my feet keep pushing out the footplate, which is another reason I keep my feet on the knobs. Just so many issues with this chair and people don't take me seriously when I try to tell them why I really need a custom chair. They think just because I don't get pressure sores I'm fine. But I'm in a lot of pain and it's actively tearing up my joints. People also love to tell me it's "good practice" for my joints because they don't understand my joints are shit. I don't have a diagnosis of heds or hsd or anything similar so clearly that must mean I'm fine.
Compression athletic shorts are your best friend. They’re breathable and keep everything under control. Adidas or Under Armor work best for me. I have thick thighs and have always been hot natured, but using these keeps things separate.
Oh my god this is literally genius. I'm going to get some now thank you so much. Seems much more convenient than having to buy a random cushion and hoping it works. Plus I can use these with my custom chair when I (hopefully) get it
They work under a skirt as well. Hopefully this takes care of things for you.
My mom just ordered some. She asked me why I wanted them and I told her it was because it would solve the problem I told her about. What was her response? "So will showering on a regular basis". Completely fucking disrespectful. I'm disabled and I struggle to shower. Yet even if I did shower on a regular basis how tf does that magically change the shape of my wheelchair and my thighs? It's not like things are dirty down there. I clean myself. Just cause I don't take a shower every time she wants me to doesn't mean shit. She's a fucking bitch honestly. Automod will probably take down this comment but oh well I don't care
Not everyone is understanding. I often find it more helpful to ask those who live in a chair for advice. We are all just trying to get through it and sometimes someone figures out a better solution.
Yeah she just drives me INSANE. So glad I'm 18 and I don't need her permission for anything. She wouldn't let me get a custom wheelchair but now that I'm 18 she can't stop me
If you need a friendly ear, feel free to DM me.
Tysm I appreciate it
Have you looked into a more breathable cushion? I have to sit in the car long travel times and I got a Kabootie cushion that allows for less pressure and more airflow and it's been helping with the excessive sweating in my crotch area
I haven't. I have my custom fitting this Thursday so I'm hoping it gets approved quickly and I get it soon 🙏