People with many different types of medical conditions or diagnoses, such as spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy, can experience spasticity.
Spasticity can also contribute to other secondary complications such as pressure injury, infection and pain, or affect the ability to empty the bowel and bladder.
Clinical Recommendations
Treatment of spasticity is imperative to improve quality of life and minimise medical complications. When not monitored or managed, it can have a negative impact on posture, balance, comfort, coordination, range of motion, transfers and activities of daily living.
Power Standing Wheelchairs
Research indicates that power standing wheelchairs could decrease spasticity in lower extremities.
Systematic reviews on other standing devices have weak evidence but all in a positive direction McLean, Paleg, and Livingstone 2022; Paleg and Livingstone 2015; Newman and Barker 2012; Glickman, Geigle, and Paleg 2010
Compared to standing with other devices, power standing does not require an increase in the number of transfers and therefore may allow more frequent standing, which could provide more beneficial management of spasticity
User Benefits
Users could experience a decrease in spasticity in lower extremities when using standing devices, as well as improved comfort during transfers.
1. Decreased spasticity
Decreased spasticity as a result of using a power standing wheelchair could reduce medical complications, and reduce the impact on other medical conditions such as pressure injuries and the ability to empty the bowel and bladder
2. Improved comfort
Individualised standing enables more frequent standing and can enhance user comfort during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transfers
