Ramp Wheelchair Vs Step Wheelchair Dilemma: How to Decide

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Ramp Wheelchair Vs Step Wheelchair Dilemma: How to Decide

Maybe you’re searching for a new wheelchair because your current one has reached the end of its useful life. Perhaps you’ve gained additional weight or lost some due to a new exercise regime.

Maybe you’re just looking for something different and more convenient than what you have now.

Whatever the case, it’s not an easy decision when choosing between an adjustable or ramped wheelchair vs. a stepping wheelchair or vice versa. Step wheelchairs and ramp wheelchairs are both designed to Lose Belly Fat In A Wheelchair.

If you have particular accessibility requirements or live in a home with stairs, you’ll need to choose the right type of wheelchair. Both are excellent options with their upsides and downsides.

Check out the different models of ramp wheelchairs and stepwheelchairs

Why Get an Adjustable Wheelchair?

When deciding between a ramped or stepped wheelchair, the first thing you should be asking yourself is why you want an adjustable wheelchair in the first place.

Why Get an Adjustable Wheelchair?

If you’re choosing between an adjustable and a stepped wheelchair, you need to understand that it’s not a matter of one being better than the other – it’s a matter of which one meets your specific needs better.

The most common reasons people go with an adjustable wheelchair are as follows:

  1. Age: Physical abilities and mobility naturally decline with age.
  2. Dropping Extra Weight: Perhaps you’ve recently lost a significant amount of weight capacity but have a wheelchair that no longer fits you correctly.
  3. New Environment or Living Situation: Perhaps you’ve moved to a new home with different flooring and door openings.

What is a Ramp wheelchair?

A Ramp wheelchair is typically a high-duty model designed for someone who needs to traverse uneven or raised surfaces.

A ramp wheelchair typically has a fully- or partially-enclosed back, a larger wheel size, and a wider wheelbase than a standard wheelchair.

The ORFORD Non-Skid Wheelchair Ramp allows the user to roll the wheelchair up and over an elevated surface, such as a curb or threshold, or up and over any raised or uneven surface. The term “ramped” is sometimes used interchangeably with lift-equipped, or powered, wheelchairs.

A ramp wheelchair is designed to be used with various surfaces, including hardwood floors, carpets, and outdoor terrain. The added weight capacity of a ramp wheelchair is due to the larger wheel size used to traverse uneven and raised surfaces.

What is a Ramp wheelchair?

What Is A Step Wheelchair?

A step wheelchair is smaller, one designed that can use indoors and outdoors.

Step wheelchairs typically have only a small footrest or no footrest and a smaller wheel size.

What Is A Step Wheelchair?

In addition to hardwood floors, carpet, and outdoor terrain, step wheelchairs can use on any flooring. One person can fold and lift the step wheelchair because it is a lighter-duty model.

When choosing a step wheelchair, it’s important to note that there are two types of step wheelchairs, swivel-style, and pivot-style. The type you select depends entirely on your needs and personal preferences.

Usage Of Ramp Wheelchairs

Ramped wheelchairs are best suited for users who have difficulty lifting their legs and require a wheelchair with a higher seat height, like caregivers and people with illnesses or conditions that reduce their strength, like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, or back issues.

Usage Of Ramp Wheelchairs

If you have mobility issues in your arms or hands or problems with balance, you can also benefit from a ramped wheelchair because you won’t have to lift your leg over the edge of the threshold.

You can roll up the ramp or use the built-in footrest to push yourself up. Ramped wheelchairs are also the best option for caregivers helping someone with mobility device issues due to an illness or injury.

It’s much easier to roll a wheelchair up a curb or a ramp than to lift someone’s leg over a threshold.

Usage Of Step Wheelchairs

Step wheelchairs are best suited for users who have difficulty lifting their legs but don’t require a wheelchair with a higher seat height.

Usage Of Step Wheelchairs

If your home has low thresholds, like an indoor threshold of only 10″, you can use a step wheelchair to roll right in. You can also use a step wheelchair at the doctor’s office or in a public restroom, where the threshold is lower.

Step wheelchairs are also an excellent option for people with issues with their balance, as they have fewer moving parts than a ramp wheelchair, making it easier to get in and out of the chair and situate yourself at a table or desk.

Key Differences Between Step and Ramp Wheelchairs

Seat Width: A ramp wheelchair has a more prominent seat width than a step wheelchair, and the seat itself is often broader or thicker. The larger seat width makes for easier sitting and getting in and out of the wheelchair, whether you need assistance or not. Seat width is also crucial in how low your wheelchair will be to the ground. A ramp wheelchair is typically lower to the ground than a step wheelchair.
Weight: A ramp wheelchair is typically a heavier-duty wheelchair; therefore, it will be a bit heavier than a step wheelchair. The added weight of the ramp wheelchair makes it easier for the wheelchair to traverse uneven or raised surfaces.
Footrest: A ramp wheelchair has a larger footrest that makes it easier to get in and out of the wheelchair, whether you need assistance or not. The larger footrest makes it easier and more comfortable to sit in a wheelchair.
Seat Design: The seat design of a ramp wheelchair is typically more enclosed, providing more head and back support than the open design of a step wheelchair. A closed design makes the wheelchair more comfortable and helps keep dirt, dust, and debris out of your wheelchair. The ramp wheelchair can be used on any surface, including hardwood floors, carpet, and outdoor terrain. Step wheelchairs are suitable for any flooring thanks to their small footrests.

Why You Should Get A Ramp wheelchair?

If you have medical conditions like arthritis, joint pain, or aches that make it difficult to lift your leg over the edge of the threshold or even over a step stool, a ramp wheelchair may be the best choice.

A ramp wheelchair has a large, sturdy footrest that allows you to roll right into the chair, so you don’t have to worry about lifting your leg to get in or out of it.

When you’re ready to get up again, you can use the footrest to push yourself up and out of the chair.

Why Go With a Step Wheelchair?

If you are finding for a lightweight model, a step wheelchair may be the best option for you. A lighter-weight wheelchair makes it easier for one person to transport you from room to room or to transport you in and out of a car.

A lighter-weight wheelchair for quick release is also easier to push, so you may have more energy at the end of the day than if you have a heavier model.

A lighter-weight wheelchair may also be the best option if medical conditions make it difficult to lift your leg over the edge of the threshold or even over a ramp wheelchair.

Step wheelchairs have small footrests that allow you to roll right into the chair, so you don’t have to worry about lifting your leg to get in or out of the chair.

FAQS

What is the wheelchair step?

A wheelchair step is a ramp designed to provide access for people who use wheelchairs. Wheelchair steps can be made from various materials, including wood, metal, and plastic. They are typically placed at the entrance of a building or home and can be used to access multiple surfaces, including sidewalks, patios, and decks.

What is the meaning of a wheelchair for a ramp?

A wheelchair ramp is a sloped surface that allows people in wheelchairs to access a building or other area easily. Concrete, wood, and metal ramps can be either permanent or temporary and can be made of different materials. Wheelchair ramps must be wide enough to accommodate the width of a wheelchair, and they must have a smooth, firm surface to prevent the wheelchair from tipping over.

What is a wheelchair till cabin?

Wheelchair till cabin is a type of construction that allows wheelchair users easy access to their homes. This type of construction generally includes a ramp or series of ramps leading up to the home’s main door, as well as wider doorways and hallways to accommodate a wheelchair users. An elevator may also be included in the design of a wheelchair to the cabin in some cases.

Tiny Nair

Article by

Tiny Nair, MD, DM, FACC, FRCP, is a cardiologist and head of Dept of Cardiology at PRS Hospital in Trivandrum. He is also an author, fluent in Middle English and offers consultations on finding the best wheelchair according to individual needs.