Dynamic Seating - what does it involve?

The whole team at Aergo Health really enjoyed reading Dr Barend ter Haar’s recent article in the February 2022 edition of THIIS Magazine.

Dr ter Haar has been involved in seating and mobility for over 30 years including lecturing internationally, and developing international seating standards. He is also MD of BES Healthcare.

In his article, Dr ter Haar discusses the varying ranges of dynamic forces and their sources on the components of wheelchairs and what we can do to absorb energy and protect the wheelchair.

He uses the Aergo PS as an example of creating active dynamic assistance whereby the seating system can detect changes over time and trigger a change in the seating system to accommodate any changes in positioning.

Aergo PS interfaced with an Invacare Action 3NG manual wheelchair.

Dr ter Haar comments on two cases when creating active dynamic assistance is helpful…

Firstly, prolonged pressure under the bony parts of the pelvis could be giving a risk of tissue damage in the buttocks.

Secondly, if a person with muscle weakness is starting to slump as a result of fatigue.

Dr ter Haar also touches on the benefits of dynamic seating in increasing sensory input, increasing alertness, decreasing agitation and fatigue as well as enhancing vestibular input.

He highlighted that dynamic seating systems in the classroom can lead to improved attention.

This is one of the many benefits Aergo Health has seen in our observational study conducted with John Chilton Special Needs School, where 2 young wheelchair users (Spinal Bifida and Cerebral Palsy) used the Aergo PS during school hours.

The findings highlighted the benefits of improved concentration and prolonged comfort as a result of the PS’ dynamic adjustment features. A further pilot study was conducted based on the initial finding and will be discussed in our future blog.

To learn more about the benefits of dynamic seating, you can read Dr ter Harr’s full article here.

The Aergo PS is available via the NHS Supply Chain and distributed by BES Healthcare.