Michelle L. Lange, OTR/L, ABDA, ATP/SMS

In earlier blogs we have addressed key topics such as “What is Dynamic Seating” and “Dynamic Seating: Clinical Indicators.” Clinical indicators are actually clinical goals of Dynamic Seating, such as protecting the client from injury and the equipment from damage. In this blog series, we will take a look from the other side – what can you currently observe that indicates this person could benefit from Dynamic Seating? In this blog, we will focus on Dynamic Backs.

A client may benefit from a Dynamic Back if you are seeing any of the following:

• The back canes have bent or broken
• The back canes are moving when the client moves (indicating these could break soon!)
• The client has bent or broken lateral trunk pads or back mounting hardware
• The client has sustained injuries from colliding with the back or lateral trunk pads of the seating system with sudden force
• The client has sustained injuries from pushing against the seating system with sustained force
• The client is ‘standing up’ in the seating system
• The client has a friction rash on their back
• The client’s pelvis slides forward when returning to sitting after ‘standing up’ in the seating system
• The client actively seeks out movement, such as rocking
• The client is more alert and/or less agitated with movement

If you are seeing any of these concerns, contact your local seating and wheeled mobility evaluation team and ask whether a Dynamic Back may be appropriate. The Dynamic Back may be combined with Dynamic Footrests and/or Dynamic Head Support Hardware, as appropriate, to best meet an individual’s needs. You can also explore further resources on this website for more information. Finally, feel free to contact us for help. Let’s get clients moving!