Occupational therapy at TheraCure
Is your wheelchair actually doing its job?
A seating and positioning assessment establishes whether your chair supports your posture, comfort, pressure relief and daily function. Where it falls short, we adjust it or make seating modification recommendations that fit your circumstances.
About the service
Seating and positioning are closely related but they are not the same thing. Seating refers to the chair itself. Positioning describes how you are aligned within that chair. An occupational therapist evaluates both, because fixing one while ignoring the other rarely produces a result that lasts.
You might need this assessment after a new diagnosis or when you receive a new wheelchair. Equally, you might need it when a change in your condition brings on skin problems, discomfort or a drop in what you can manage day to day.
Where the chair falls short, we make the necessary adjustments or put forward seating modification recommendations. If any of this sounds familiar, book an assessment so a therapist can look at your particular circumstances.
Why it matters
A well-contoured, well-positioned wheelchair affects far more than comfort. Results differ from person to person depending on diagnosis, and we confirm them through testing rather than assumption, but good positioning commonly delivers the following.
The assessment
A wheelchair positioning assessment covers several areas, usually examined together. The particular combination we focus on depends on you.
We assess how your head, trunk, pelvis and limbs sit in relation to each other — whether the pelvis is centred and neutral, whether the trunk needs extra support, and how the headrest contributes. What we find determines the backrest angle, trunk supports and headrest.
If you cannot feel pressure building, or cannot shift your own weight because of a spinal cord injury or another cause, we concentrate on pressure distribution. Uneven pressure causes ulcers, so this determines the cushion, any tilt-in-space or recline function, and your repositioning schedule.
Persistent discomfort is worth taking seriously, because it can lead to losing the ability to sit or to deforming postures. We work through the sources of pressure and pain — clothing included — to judge whether the seating system genuinely suits you.
We check that the seating system lets you transfer to other surfaces safely and lowers your risk of falls, while protecting your independent mobility. Over-supporting the upper body can quietly cost you the ability to propel your own chair.
Where caregivers help with positioning, transfers or skin inspection, we train them too — how to spot problems early, how to reposition safely, and how to manage the things that come up between visits. See family education and training.
Reference
These are the checkpoints we work through, body region by body region. Use them as a reference between appointments — they are also what caregivers learn to check.
Triggers
Request an assessment if any of the following apply to you or the person you care for.
Difficulty reaching the brakes, propelling the chair, or managing daily activities because of how you are positioned.
Growth is hard to predict. A chair that fitted six months ago may already be restricting your child. See cerebral palsy & muscular dystrophy.
When the person helping you reports difficulty with transfers or positioning, that is a signal worth acting on.
Skin safety
Pressure ulcers form fastest on skin that has lost sensation or mobility. Preventing them takes far less time and effort than treating them, which is why we build pressure management into the assessment rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Act early rather than waiting. If you notice redness that does not fade when you change position, or a sore or rash near a pressure area, contact your doctor or therapist straight away. Do not wait for your next scheduled visit.
Good positioning and pressure-relieving equipment reduce risk considerably. They do not remove it. Regular skin inspection and a repositioning schedule you actually follow matter just as much as the cushion you sit on.
Who performs your assessment
Founder, TheraCure — Consultant Occupational Therapist & Physiotherapist
At TheraCure, wheelchair positioning and seating assessments are carried out by Dr. Pooja Mehta together with our team of qualified occupational therapists, based at Opera House, Charni Road.
Every assessment is individual, and where it helps we work alongside your own physician. We also repeat the assessment over time, because the fit has to keep pace as your condition and your equipment change.
Related care
Seating rarely sits on its own. These are the services that most often run alongside it.
The full range of occupational therapy services we offer.
For adults managing injury, illness or age-related changes in mobility.
Home and environment adaptations that often go hand in hand with a new seating setup.
Support for caregivers involved in daily positioning and care.
Common reasons for long-term wheelchair positioning support.
Often the starting point for a wheelchair positioning assessment.
For patients resuming daily routines after a hospital stay or major injury.
Common questions
It depends on your circumstances. If you are growing, recovering from an injury, or going through any physical change that affects how you sit, you will need reassessment more often than once a year. Your therapist will help you set a schedule that suits your situation.
Good positioning and pressure-relieving equipment reduce the risk considerably, particularly for people with reduced sensation or limited ability to shift their own weight. They are not foolproof. Regular skin inspection and a proper repositioning schedule matter just as much as the equipment itself.
Yes. A chair that fitted your child perfectly six months ago may already be too tight, and growth is difficult to predict. Children need their seating recalculated periodically to keep posture, comfort and safety where they should be.
A cushion addresses one part of a much larger picture, which is pressure distribution. Posture, alignment and how well the chair fits you matter just as much. Only a full assessment can tell you whether a cushion alone will solve the problem or whether other changes are needed.
A qualified occupational therapist, usually working alongside your own physician and, where relevant, your equipment provider. At TheraCure, Dr. Pooja Mehta and the occupational therapy team carry out these assessments.
Contact your doctor or therapist straight away rather than waiting for your next scheduled visit. If you see redness that does not fade when you change position, or any sore or rash over a pressure area, it is far easier to deal with early than once a sore has formed.
TheraCure — Mumbai
Whether you are fitting a new wheelchair, dealing with discomfort, or noticing early skin changes, an individual assessment is the safest way to get it right.