These are a type of support panel that insert into receivers on your wheelchair frame or mount directly to the frame. They may also be called skirt guards or hip guides. Side guards can provide a variety of advantages described below.
When deciding if side guards are right for you, know that they come in a range of sizes, are made of different materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber or cloth, padded and with designs that can ease application and removal from your wheelchair. They may be used with most armrest styles, or even without armrests.
Side guards or hip guides may be added to manual or power seat frames. Side guards may be integrated into a full panel flip-back or removable armrest eliminating additional hardware and parts while providing a rigid lateral support surface beneath the armrest pad.
Potential health benefits
Side guards may improve sitting tolerance and comfort by stabilizing a person’s hip position when rolling over bumps and curbs or during muscle spasms. This device will also protect skin from rubbing against wheels or tires.
Additionally, if you add side guards to the chair, you may prevent your hips from sliding side to side which may cause friction and shear injuries. This in turn protects the skin over the boney areas on the sitting surface.
Social engagement
With side guards, it’s possible to have more longevity from your cushion. They may protect a cushion from damage caused by interference with rear wheels on a manual wheelchair.
Side guards also provide a barrier from whatever your wheels encounter throughout the day – whether it is water, dirt, or any other substance. This may help you look and feel confident with your equipment.
Functional Activities
Stability is also a potential benefit of side guards, providing increased proximal stability and pelvic alignment. This can result in propulsion efficiency and the ability to maneuver your manual wheelchair easier.
As an individual transitions to a different seating position, such as from sitting to anterior tilt/ActiveReach or standing in a power mobility base, side guards may provide pelvic alignment and proximal stability. This overall improved pelvic stability and alignment may translate into greater independence when completing Mobility Related Activities of Living (MRADLs) from your wheeled mobility base.
Heather Cianciolo, OTR/L, ATP/SMS
Regional Clinical Education Manager
Heather has been a practicing Occupational Therapist for 29 years specializing in the treatment of SCI, neuro, and orthopedic populations primarily in the acute and outpatient settings. Her specialization in seating and mobility began at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in NJ managing the Inpatient Wheelchair Clinic. After settling in RI, she established the Wheelchair Seating and Mobility Clinic at Southern New England Rehabilitation Center (SNERC) in Providence which has now been servicing adult inpatients and outpatients for over 25 years. Heather has served as an Adjunct Professor at the New England Institute of Technology in RI fabricating and teaching a course on Wheelchair Seating and Mobility. Heather has been a speaker and guest lecturer on seating and mobility technology including presentations at Providence College, Johnson and Wales University, TechACCESS of Rhode island, and SNERC. Heather joined the Permobil education team in 2020.