Have you ever experienced a sudden shock when you touch a metal doorknob? This jolt is the electrostatic discharge between objects. There are many reasons for static electricity, such as dry and cold weather, air humidity, clothing materials, or people’s physique and dry skin, all of which can easily generate static electricity.

The main body of most wheelchairs is made of aluminum metal material. As a result of environmental conditions, the user or caregiver will inevitably build up static electricity when using it. The following are a few tips to prevent static electricity building up between the wheelchair and the user or caregiver:

1. Increase the humidity levels indoors. This makes it more difficult for static electricity to generate because there will be less friction. For example, in winter when weather is relatively dry, you can use a humidifier to increase the indoor air humidity.

2. Consider the material of the user’s clothes. Wearing cotton, silk, linen and other natural fibers can help prevent the buildup of static electricity. Top tip: avoid rubber soles (opt for leather shoes).

3. When touching a wheelchair, first touch with the palm or knuckles, because there are fewer nerve endings. If there is any static electricity, it will hurt less in these areas.

4. Try adding accessories that can help to prevent the accumulation of static electricity on a wheelchair. The wheelchair can be equipped with “anti-static strips” to dissipate any generated static electricity.

A final reminder; these small methods cannot 100% guarantee the removal of static electricity every time. The human body is always discharging electricity when touching objects, but it depends on the amount of electricity as to whether the human body can feel the electric shock.

We hope that these methods can help reduce the chance of feeling electric shocks and use wheelchairs more comfortably and confidently.

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Facebook: Karma Wheelchair Thailand
Line OA: @karmamedicalthai

The post How To Prevent Static Electricity in Wheelchairs first appeared on Karma Mobility Thailand.

Possible secondary wheelchair injuries

Pressure Sores

A pressure sore or pressure ulcer is skin damage caused to an area of the body. They can start off as superficial skin redness but develop into tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. You can get these pressure sores when you lie in bed or sit in a wheelchair for too long. The constant pressure blocks the blood supply to your skin and eventually kills the cells to create a sore.

Scoliosis

Idiopathic Scoliosis is one of the three different types of scoliosis that causes the spine to develop a curve, with no definite cause.

Neuromuscular Scoliosis is associated with neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy, myopathy or spina bifida.

Functional Scoliosis occurs when poor posture or a leg length difference makes the spine appear curved.

Deltoid Tightness

The triceps brachii, the pectoralis major, and the deltoid anterior are believed to be the prime movers during wheelchair propulsion. Often muscle tightness is the result of repetitive movement patterns from daily life or sports and exercise. This kind of injury can leave the user feeling tight or achey for several days and left with a limited range of movement.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is often caused by repetitive activities and can be extremely painful. Often people begin a new activity or exercise that causes the tendons to become inflamed and irritated. If the tendon does not have a smooth path to glide along, it will be more likely to become irritated and inflamed.

Thoracic Kyphosis

Thoracic kyphosis is a condition in which the upper portion of the back becomes rounded. A condition of this type is beyond the amount of rounding that some people experience due to poor posture. Stiffness or tenderness in the spinal column is very common. This kind of spinal curvature can only be corrected with surgery in extreme cases, and with a high risk of complications.

Choose the right wheelchair

It’s important to choose the right wheelchair to prevent secondary injuries like pressure sores, scoliosis, muscle tightness, tendonitis, or thoracic kyphosis. In the next blog, we will talk about the checklist that KARMA uses to help every wheelchair user find the right wheelchair for them. You can check out the full range of KARMA wheelchairs on the KARMA website.

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Facebook: Karma Wheelchair Thailand
Line OA: @karmamedicalthai

The post Wheelchair Related Injuries From Choosing the Wrong Wheelchair first appeared on Karma Mobility Thailand.

Permobil and Karma Medical have signed a memorandum of understanding focused on utilizing their respective strengths and distributing complementary products from each other’s portfolios in selected markets. The initial focus will be on the Asia-Pacific markets where the two organisations have complementary presence.

“Enriching every physically challenged life has been KARMA’s mission since the begining. Permobil and Karma complement with each other both in the product portfolio and geographic locations. Through this cooperation, we will provide more value to our global users. ” said Kenny Chen, Chairman, and Founder of Karma Medical.

 “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Karma Medical, with whom we share a strong ‘user-first’ culture. We look forward to a quick alignment of our complementary portfolios and respective teams so that we can serve more people across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Bengt Thorsson, CEO and President of Permobil.

About Karma Medical

Karma Medical was founded in Taiwan in 1987, under the principles of its namesake philosophy, taking action to spread positive energy and enrich the lives of the physically challenged community. Over the last three decades, all 900+ members of the KARMA family, across 13 global facilities, have worked together tirelessly to perfect the “KARMA FIT”: a set of guiding principles, by which we design and manufacture every KARMA wheelchair, mobility scooter, and walker. Our global cooperation with users, healthcare professionals, and government officials further drives our technological innovation to the industry forefront, empowering millions of people around the world with the ability to live their lives to the fullest. Visit karmamedical.com to learn more about KARMA.

About Permobil

Permobil founder Dr. Per Uddén believed that helping individuals achieve the greatest level of independence is a basic human right and, for over 50 years, that has been the driving force behind our innovative assistive technology. We are passionate about understanding our users’ needs and helping them live life to the fullest. We are a global leader in trusted healthcare solutions for power and manual wheelchairs, seating and positioning products, and power assist. Permobil is part of Patricia Industries, a subsidiary of Investor AB and is headquartered in Sweden. Permobil has 1600 team members in more than 15 countries around the world. For more information regarding the company’s storied history and complete product line visit permobil.com.

The post Karma Medical and Permobil enter into strategic partnership first appeared on Karma Mobility Thailand.

It was a great early Christmas gift to learn that Ergo Lite was named Retailers’ Choice by Thiis Magazine! Thanks to the hard work of our team Karma Mobility, in the U.K. Ergo Lite has been recognized as “a firm favorite amongst the team and our customers“.

Thiis Magazine Decemeber 2020

Over 1 Million Sold Worldwide

 Ergo Lite has proved popular with wheelchair users around the world. But what makes Ergo Lite so unique?

The PnP brake allows the wheelchair attendant to slow down and park the wheelchair without bending down.

Ego Lite is ultra-lightweight, weighing in at just 8.8KG!

Karma’s patented S-Ergo seating system provides the user with basic pressure relief to help prevent skin damage.

The PnP brake allows the wheelchair attendant to slow down and park the wheelchair without having to continuously bend down.

Ego Lite is ultra-lightweight, weighing in at just 8.5 KG!

Karma’s patented S-Ergo seating system provides the user with basic pressure relief to help prevent skin damage.

The post Ergo Lite Named Retailers’ Choice! first appeared on Karma Mobility Thailand.