How to Measure for Foot Rests on a Wheel Chair

A wheelchair can help you regain your independence and live a fuller life. With the help of a wheelchair, you can go shopping, enjoy the great outdoors or get around your home more easily. When deciding which wheelchair is right for you and your needs, you need to take all of the different aspects of the wheelchair into consideration. Among the things you need to consider is one that's often overlooked: Make sure you measure the footrests on the wheelchair.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure

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Instructions

• 1

  Put on shoes. These shoes should be similar to the ones you'll be wearing when in your wheelchair.

• 2

  Place the tape measure behind the back of your knee, and measure from there to the bottom of your heel in inches. This is the measurement for the height of the footrest.

• 3

  Measure from the base of your heel to the tip of your big toe in inches. Remember, your shoes should be on at this point.

• 4

  Use the measurements you took to check the footrests of the wheelchair you're considering purchasing. You should be able to adjust the footrests up or down to accommodate the height measurement you came up with. The footrest should be long enough to accommodate the length of your foot. If the wheelchair you're considering will not accommodate either the length of your foot or the length from knee to heel, drop the wheelchair from consideration.