Design and development of a lightweight durable adjustable composite backrest mounting

As prevalence of wheelchair usage has increased, wheelchair manufactures are required to provide more and better wheelchairs because of secondary injuries such as pressure sores and repetitive strain injuries. Better qualified wheelchairs provide more adjustment, so wheelchair components have been developed to provide that adjustment. Among the wheelchair components, a backrest is one of critical components of the wheelchair due to the importance of seating position and appropriate trunk support. The Lightweight Durable Adjustable Composite (LWDAC) Backrest Mounting project consisted of three design iterations, prototypes, durability testing, and user evaluation. The backrest mounting is adaptable to most ultralight manual wheelchairs. The backrest is designed with features including height, width and backrest angle adjustment. The angle adjustment adds adjustability and flexibility to a rigid backrest and can be operated with only one hand, without high strength or dexterous manipulation. The LWDAC was tested with ANSI/RESNA durability and fatigue test standards and passed impact test, static stability test and durability test, but not fatigue test. This study also included focus groups to gather user and clinician feedback regarding backrest characteristics. The backrest had overall positive response from participants. The participants agreed the backrest mounting can be operated with one hand, felt comfort when seated, and wheelchair users were interested in purchasing the backrest and clinicians indicated they would recommend the LWDAC backrest