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What is Dynamic Seating?
What is Dynamic Seating? A Definition. – An update of our most popular blog!
Our most-read blog is one that defines Dynamic Seating. That initial blog was posted about 4 years ago, so we wanted to revisit this foundational topic.
How do you know if Dynamic Seating is needed?
How Do I Know if a Client Needs Dynamic Seating?
In earlier blogs we have addressed key topics such as “What is Dynamic Seating” and “Dynamic Seating: Clinical Indicators.” 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?
Case Studies
Ashley – Dynamic Seating: Dystonia & Equipment Breakage
Ashley is a 35 year old woman with the diagnoses of cerebral palsy and dystonia. She exhibits large and forceful movements (dystonia) which have led to injury to her legs and damage to the wheelchair. She needs to move and her movements increase when she is agitated or excited.
Dyllie – Maintaining Position and Increasing Seating Tolerance Down Under
Dyllie is a 25 year old man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy who has been using Seating Dynamics Dynamic Footrests (telescoping, elevating, and plantar/dorsi flexion), Dynamic Rocker Back, and Dynamic Head Support Hardware for 8 months at the time of this case study.
Kristen – Extension and Equipment Breakage
Kristen is a 31 year old woman with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. She has involvement in both legs and one upper extremity, with more involvement in the lower extremities (Triplegia).
Darcy – Reducing Agitation and Providing Sensory Input through Movement
See how a Dynamic Rocker Back has not only satisfied Darcy’s need to rock in his wheelchair, but improved safety, sitting tolerance, function and decreased equipment breakage.
Carl – Maintaining Position through Dynamic Seating
Carl is a 44 year old man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. He drives a power wheelchair with a head array and has accessed a computer keyboard using a head pointer.
Joe – Maintaining Position and Reducing Extension
Joe is a teenager with very high muscle tone and strong patterns of movement due to brain injury as an infant. See how Dynamic Seating has helped him maintain position, reduce extension, and improve function.
Oliver – Increasing Strength and Decreasing Constipation
Oliver is an adorable 5 year old male born at 40 weeks with forceps delivery due to transverse presentation. Several weeks after birth, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, spastic quadriplegia, cortical vision impairment, and hypothyroidism.
Jacqueline – Decreased Pain and An Unexpected Improvement
Jacqueline has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and is now in her mid-30s. She has a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Speech Communication from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
John – Equipment Breakage and a Two-Pronged Approach
John was shaken as a baby and has a brain injury, hydrocephalus, and uncontrolled seizures (Lennox Gestaut syndrome). Learn how Dynamic Seating helps him move, stay safe and reduce equipment breakage to his wheelchair.
Tyler – When Tone Management Doesn’t Work
Tyler is a young man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy.He is extremely strong and has broken many parts on his wheelchair. When tone management didn’t work, dynamic seating did.
Amber – Providing Movement to Reduce Pain, Breakage, and Tone
Amber has developmental delays, cerebral palsy and choreoathetoid movements. In this case study see how Dynamic Seating helps her move with reduced pain and breakage.
Jonathan – Managing Extreme Extensor Tone
Jonathan is a 23 year old man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy with significant extensor tone. Learn how Dynamic Seating, when used in combination throughout the body can eliminate equipment breakage, relax the body and improve function.
Faith – Seeking Movement
Faith is a 9-year-old girl with diagnoses including brain injury, cerebral palsy, seizures and blindness. She loves sensory input, including rocking in her manual wheelchair.
Amanda – Providing Controlled and Safe Movement in a Wheelchair
Amanda has a diagnosis of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and loves to rock. Dynamic Seating allows her controlled and safe movement in a wheelchair.
Phillip – A Case Study of Dynamic Seating Used to Provide Movement
Phillip is an adult with developmental disabilities. He lives at the Mary Campbell Center in Wilmington, DE. He has increased muscle tone throughout his body. Phillip is non-ambulatory and nonverbal. He seeks out movement and tends to rock with his entire body in his manual wheelchair for much of the day.
Daniel – Managing High Tone Through Dynamic Seating
Daniel is a young man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and seizures. Daniel has high tone in his extremities and low tone in his trunk and neck. His tone is so extreme that he has broken components of his wheelchair frame in the past as well as dislocated both of his elbows and ruptured…
Kylie – Breakage, Pressure and Cute Shoes
Kylie is a young woman who lives in Wyoming and works in the theatre. Kylie has cerebral palsy and has used a power wheelchair and speech generating device since a young age. She has recently started using dynamic seating. On her power chair, Kylie uses a Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface (DRBi), Seating Dynamics…
Eddie – Diffuse Force and Prevent Equipment Breakage
Eddie is a 16 year old young man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He lives at home with his family in Illinois. He has increased muscle tone throughout his body and often exhibits very forceful and large movements. He frequently displays a rocking movement within his wheelchair, as well. Eddie is non-ambulatory…
Derrick – Meeting Multiple Needs through Dynamic Seating
Derrick is a 42 year old male who resides in a group home with 24 other non-ambulatory, yet socially active, adults. Derrick is primarily a power wheelchair user; however he relies on a manual mobility base for use in the community. His power wheelchair does not fit in the van’s tie down system and so…
Robert – Living Life Instead of Repairing a Wheelchair
Robert is a Dynamic Seating old-timer. This 27 year old man has been using Dynamic Seating for about 10 years now. He first began using Dynamic Seating when a change in funding prompted the order for a new manual wheelchair and his therapists at California Children’s Services (CCS) along with Betsy McKone (then of Rehab…
Videos of Clients Using Dynamic Seating
Ashley: Dynamic Seating, Dystonia & Equipment Breakage
Ashley exhibits large and forceful movements (dystonia) which have led to injury to her legs and damage to the wheelchair. Dynamic Seating, at the head, back and legs, allows her to move easily and safely.
Dyllie: Dynamic Seating Head, Back and Foot Components
Dyllie is a 25 year old man with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy who has been using Seating Dynamics Dynamic Footrests (telescoping, elevating, and plantar/dorsi flexion), Dynamic Rocker Back, and Dynamic Head Support Hardware for 8 months.
Kristen Extends and Maintains Position
Kristen is a young woman with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Kristen extends her body with force, particularly at her legs. She has a long history of breaking her wheelchair footrests secondary to this extension.
Darcy Rocks: Side by Side View of Before & After Dynamic Rocker Back
Before receiving a new tilt-in-space wheelchair with Dynamic Rocker Back, Darcy’s movement was met with resistance causing many wheelchair breaks, reduced seating tolerance and unsafe “walking of his chair” across the room.
Max’s New Dynamic Head Support Hardware
This video shows how the Dynamic Head Support absorbs and diffuses Max’s strong forces, reducing the level of active extension in his neck and facilitating a midline position.
Carl: A Side by Side View of Before and After Dynamic Back Installation
Before receiving a Dynamic Back, Carl was actually standing up in his power wheelchair due to unrelieved extensor tone. After receiving a Dynamic Back on his new power wheelchair, Carl is able to stay seated with his body in alignment with the support surfaces of the seating system.
The Impact of Dynamic Seating on Computer Access
Carl used to lay on his stomach on a mat on the floor in order to access a computer keyboard using a head stick. With Dynamic Seating, he can now access his computer while seated in his power wheelchair.
Joe’s Dynamic Footrests
Joe has cerebral palsy and dystonia. His Dynamic Rocker Back interface, in combination with his Dynamic Footrests, allow him to move, prevent breakage, and maintain his posture within the seating system.
The impact of Dynamic Seating on power wheelchair driving
Carl explains why it was difficult for him to drive his previous power wheelchair and how dynamic seating has improved his ability to drive his new power wheelchair.
Kylie’s Dynamic Footrests Diffuse Extension
When Kylie used to push on her footplates, her entire body extended and she moved out of position in relation to her seating system. With Dynamic Footrests, the footrests move in response to her force and so she remains in a seated position.
Carl before and after Dynamic Seating
Carl uses a molded seating systems with power wheelchair. See how Dynamic Seating improves both his positioning and function.
Inhibiting Max’s Strong Neck Extension with Dynamic Head Support Hardware
Max is an adult with cerebral palsy and significant extensor tone. His Baclofen pump was recently removed secondary to an infection. This has led to strong neck hyperextension and rotation.
Oliver Demonstrating Need for a Dynamic Back
Oliver is using the Dynamic Back on his Rifton Activity Chair in this video and loving it! As this was so successful for him, his team ordered a Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface on his new manual wheelchair.
Phillip – Before and After Dynamic Seating
On the left, Phillip had rocked so much in his static wheelchair that the frame was worn to the point of allowing excessive movement. On the right, he is enjoying the smooth rocking movement of the Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface which allows him to move and maintains frame integrity.
Seating Dynamics Close Up Dynamic Rocker Back In Movement
In this video, you will see the DRBi elastomer absorbing and diffusing force as the client rocks at the hips.
Daniel and Sustained Extension
In this video, Daniel is watching his favorite baseball team which is very exciting! He demonstrates increased extensor tone throughout which is diffused through his Dynamic Back and Dynamic Footrests.
Tyler – when tone management doesn’t work
Tyler is extremely strong and has broken numerous items on his manual wheelchair over the years. Tone management has not been successful however Dynamic Seating has been! A combination of Dynamic components at the hips, knees, and head have worked very well, decreasing both extension and dystonia.
Jonathan’s Dynamic Headrest in Action
Jonathan has significant extension throughout his body secondary to cerebral palsy. He had a long history of breaking head support hardware and so a Seating Dynamics Dynamic Head Support was recommended.
Kylie – don’t underestimate her small but strong movement
In this video, watch carefully as Kylie moves her Dynamic Footrests and Dynamic Back. Her movements don’t always look very strong, but she has broken numerous components on her manual and power wheelchairs.
Sarah – she loves to move!
In this video, Sarah is demonstrating her drive to move – and how the Dynamic Footrests on her wheelchair are providing that movement in her wheelchair.
Hannah – using the Dynamic Rocker Back to diffuse force and provide movement
Hannah has cerebral palsy and likes to move. The Dynamic Rocker Back she uses diffuses force and provides stimulating movement.
Dynamic Seating allows Rocking in a Wheelchair
Faith’ loves to rock. Rocking increases her alertness and function. If she cannot rock, she quickly becomes less engaged and agitated. The Dynamic Rocker Back interface allows this rocking movement which she seeks.
Phillip receives his Seating Dynamics components!
Phillip has a many Seating Dynamics dynamic seating elements as part of his wheelchair. Watch the video to see Phillip’s reaction!
Seating Dynamics Dynamic Footrests Diffuse Tone and Respond Individually
Spencer has cerebral palsy and very strong extensor tone. His Dynamic Footrests move in response to his extension and diffuse his tone. Without Dynamic Footrests, Spencer ‘stands’ in his wheelchair! He also does not move the same on both sides of his body. The Seating Dynamics Dynamic Footrests move in response to each leg, regardless of the degree of force or movement.
Amanda uses her Dynamic Back to rock and to help propel her wheelchair
Amanda loves to rock and the Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface (DRBi) allows her to do just that. The Dynamic Back also allows her to lean back, gathering more movement and force to help her self-propel her manual wheelchair. In this video, we can see Amanda pushing across a smooth floor and then really using the Dynamic Back to help her push over a grassy area.
Dynamic Back failure
Phillip rocks so much in his manual wheelchair that he has broken many backs, including his current dynamic back. He is waiting for his new Seating Dynamics dynamic rocker back which is durable enough to meet his needs. Case Study / Blog: https://www.seatingdynamics.com/2017/10/30/dynamic-stories-time-rock-not-roll/ Product Info: https://www.seatingdynamics.com/dynamic-rockerback/
Accommodating repeated banging against a wheelchair head support
In this video, Phillip does not yet have a dynamic head support and has a bald spot on the back of his head from repeatedly banging against his current static head support. The current hardware has been reinforced to stop breakage. Phillips received his new Seating Dynamics Dynamic Head Support Hardware which moves with him,…
Eddie loves to move with his Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface
Eddie loves to move and the Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface (DRBi) not only provides movement, but has prevented Eddie from breaking his wheelchair as he has in the past! Learn more about the Dynamic Rocker Back interface: https://www.seatingdynamics.com/dynam… More about Eddie: Dynamic Story | Full Case Study
Amber is excited to receive her new Dynamic Footrests!
Amber currently uses a Seating Dynamics Dynamic Rocker Back interface (DRBi) and has just added the Seating Dynamics Footrests. Learn more about Amber’s use of Dynamic Seating: Dynamic Story | Case Study
Seating Dynamics Dynamic Footrests – high mount
The high mount Dynamic Footrests accommodate Lilly’s short stature and provide movement to absorb extensor forces. Case Study / Blog: https://www.seatingdynamics.com/2016/12/19/oil-water-molded-backs-dynamic-seating-mix/ Product Info: https://www.seatingdynamics.com/footrests/dynamic-wheelchair-footrests/
