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spinal research centre
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Survey
of Wheelchair Use
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| In the UK today about 60,000 people are affected with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Many suffer the inury when in their twenties or thirties. The treatment and prevention of complications that arise from SCI has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few decades, affording close to a full life-expectancy. With the desire for as high a quality of life as possible, there is now considerable and growing interest in standing or upright wheelchairs within the SCI community. |
| However, up to 60% of those injured (particularly if a high SCI and if complete) are affected by symptoms of low blood pressure when becoming upright. Symptoms could be light-headedness, dizziness, headache, feeling sick, blurring of vision, ringing in the ears, neck ache, tiredness or even fainting. We in the Spinal Research Centre in Stanmore are carrying out experiments to evaluate novel methods to control the low blood pressure. |
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We are very interested in those who have had use of a standing wheelchair and have become affected by these symptoms as a consequence of getting upright; this may or may not have led you to abandon its use. Likewise, we would like to hear from those who do use these chairs successfully with or without symptoms. Also, if you are presently suffering low blood pressure which is putting you off using or acquiring a standing wheelchair, please do reply. Finally, this questionnaire is applicable to ALL spinal cord injured persons in the UK (even if you don't have these symptoms nor use this type of wheelchair). The more responses we get, the better. |
