Body build and its relationship to pressure distribution in the seated wheelchair patient.

The clinical evaluation of wheelchair cushions used to relieve pressure of patients with severe physical disability has become a major concern for the rehabilitation team. This paper describes the effects of body build, based on height, weight, sex, and age of the subjects studied, on the location, magnitude and gradient of the pressure exerted by patients seated in wheelchairs. It was found that thin patients had higher pressures over bony prominences and greater frequency of the maximum pressure occurring in a bony location than did average-weight or obese subjects.