Wheelchair Seat Width

Striking a balance between keeping the chair narrow, and being comfortable. And safe.

Your wheelchair should be as narrow as possible for your body size without creating contact points that could cause pressure sores.

A seat that is too wide limits mobility. A quarter of an inch in the width of the wheelchair can make the difference between being able to get down an aisle in a store or past a couch at the home of a friend. You don't want to squeeze yourself into the seat—if you wear a heavy coat in the winter, or typically work in a business suit with a jacket, the width of the seat should take this into account—but you also don't need the wasted space or mobility limitations of a chair that is too wide. A wider wheelchair is also heavier, given the extra metal in the frame.

A seat that is too wide will promote poor posture. If you have extra space, you are more likely to slump to one side or the other. You might think that because you would have more room to shift your position, extra seat width would be helpful in the prevention of pressure sores, but this is not a good strategy for skin management. You don't want to protect your skin by damaging your spine with twisted sitting postures. Limit your skin management program to pushups while you are in the chair, proper cushioning, and diet. Put a high priority on good postural habits.

A wider wheelchair also means that the wheels will be wider apart, making it necessary for a manual chair wheeler to reach farther, extending arms out to the side. Wheeling with arms extended is a less efficient way to wheel and will be more fatiguing. If the chair has armrests, they might further interfere with the process of wheeling if the chair is too wide for you, or rub against your arms as you wheel.

A wider wheelchair does provide better lateral stability, which will help prevent a manual chair from tipping over sideways, but stability can be similarly achieved by properly placing the adjustable axles and plates that are typical on most wheelchairs today. The wheels can be moved out and camber added for stability without having to incur the disadvantages and risks of a wider frame.

If weight management is difficult for you, you will want to take the possibility of weight gain into consideration when determining the seat width. You don’t want to find yourself ultimately squeezed into a wheelchair purchased when you were lighter. If you become heavy and truly need a new wheelchair, you might have to fight with your funding source for approval, or be forced to dip into your own savings or credit limit to buy new wheels. But do you want to purchase a wider wheelchair on the assumption that you will gain weight? Is that risking a self-fulfilling prophesy, inviting weight gain? The best solution is to reach a stable weight, whatever is normal for you, and then specify a wheelchair that will remain appropriate to your needs while you practice the best weight control habits you can.