What is an active wheelchair?

There are major differences between wheelchairs, which are mainly due to the purpose of the wheelchair. An active wheelchair requires the patient to be “active” in that they can move the wheelchair themselves using their arm strength. An active posture of the patient’s trunk (trunk stability) is also required in order to use an active wheelchair. It is a lightweight and foldable wheelchair that is designed to be driven by the patient’s own muscle power (arm strength).

Active wheelchairs can be recognized by their special ergonomics, the use of weight-saving materials and wheel positions that are optimized for driving under one’s own power. This wheelchair is to be distinguished from the widely used “push wheelchairs”, which are primarily intended for pushing a patient by a third party. Active wheelchairs are much more expensive to manufacture than the aforementioned push wheelchairs.

Active wheelchairs are rarely used in ALS, as restrictions in arm function and torso instability are to be expected during the course of the disease, making long-term use unrealistic. They are mostly used for other diseases in which the symptoms are limited to the lower extremities (e.g. spastic spinal paralysis).