i am definitely worried abt my posture and upper back getting worse though. esp since i'll probably be using them the same as how you'd use, like, two canes, alternating steps to help take some of my weight but still, like, using both legs, rather than the more standard "i've got a Foot Injury" method of using crutches and like. i genuinely don't have the strength in my chest and upper back muscles to maintain good posture and havent for a while, and it's something i would Like To Fix but i get the feeling it's going to make that worse. maybe i should invest in a back brace but then i'm going to lose whatever muscle i have there and have to rely on that forever. fucking hate this

Hi! Ive been getting over my internalised ableism and come to accept that I really should get a wheelchair sometime soon so I've been browsing places like gumtree trying to see whats out there and I just feel so lost. I have no idea what makes a (manual, self propelled) wheelchair good, or what I should be looking for wrt size, wheel position, foldability, price. Do you know any good resources that might be useful, or places to look, or personal knowledge and experience? Thank you and take care!

Hey, that's so fair to feel lost! Wheelchairs are complex and it can be hard to find resources on what might best suit yr needs when u don't have formal supports. If u can access formal supports, an Occupational Therapist (who specialises in wheelchair fittings) can guide you in that process. If not, I'll give my best guidance for u here without knowing you or your needs. It's gonna be long but still only touches on most aspects so feel free to ask clarifications.

So the different aspects here all interweave, but I'd start with figuring out what your needs are: do u need a lightweight manual chair you can push yourself? a power chair? or will you generally be using it when others can comfortably push you and therefore can get away with a (heavier but cheaper and more readily available) hospital style chair? do you need a folding (non-rigid) to be able to store it relatively flat (like if you want it to fit in aeroplane closets), or does a rigid (but still foldable) manual chair work for your needs (i can fit mine in most car boots easy)? Do you need a higher backrest for support or do you need less of that to have better range of motion in yr arms when pushing yourself?

If you're going for manual chairs, knowing the difference between lightweight everyday vs hospital/temporary chairs is pretty important, especially if yr needs best suit the former. Everyday chairs are generally rigid (so most don't have the X bars underneath, unless they're the super low-profile ones, can explain more on that if needed), and this makes them more lightweight bc it's less metal on the frame. My old (folding) chair I would have completely bypassed if not for the brand name though - it was a Quickie, and I knew the model to be an ultra-lightweight style - so I also recommend looking into brand names (Tilite, Quickie, Mogo if yr in sydney, etc) that you can look out for in your searches. If you're pushing yourself you'll want the centre of the rear wheel to be at least forward of the backrest, or able to be moved there (temp chairs often have them p far back because they care more about you not tipping back than being able to comfortably push).

If yr going for power chairs, what's most crucial imo is looking for keywords in their ad that indicate how the battery might be doing. If they say it's best for indoors, or that it hasn't been used for a while (even if brand new), or outright state that it needs new batteries, that can be a couple hundred bucks or more out of your pocket to get it working. I don't know a huge amount about other specifics to look out for, since I've only gotten one second hand power chair and it was for a friend.

Re: price, I got my first chair for AU$200 on a stroke of luck, and my second was AU$900 haggled down about ninety bucks, both secondhand. most secondhand everyday chairs are somewhere between the two, i've found, but sometimes they break a grand. The chair I got the other day for my friend was completely free, but came with needed repairs that are probably gonna end up totalling somewhere in that price range anyway. Power chairs can be that low sometimes too, but will usually need new batteries in that case unless they say it's recently serviced, and can be up to $1500 for a cheapo one. Sometimes ppl are selling them for tens of thousands of dollars on gumtree but those are high end chairs.

re: sizing, a lot of people selling their chairs won't put up info on the sizing for some reason, so u can pretty reliably know that if someone does, they're selling their own chair rather than someone doing it for them. Those ppl will generally be happier to answer further questions you've got, i've found, but it's always worth asking for measurements if they're not listed. I haven't sized myself properly before, I basically lucked out that my first chair was only like an inch too small and was manageable, and my current chair's only an inch too wide and a bit short for my legs. It does still make a difference - being a bit wide, my current one hurts my shoulders more. Much less than if it was way too wide for me tho. I think to get a general idea of your measurements, just google 'how to measure for wheelchair' or something and follow the steps there.

in terms of other resources, i've done things like spending whole days going down youtube rabbit holes watching people explain and review their wheelchairs to get a better idea of what works for them, especially ppl with the same body stuff going on. If you have any questions about any of this u can also DM me! I'm pretty busy atm so could take a little bit to respond at times but rly happy to respond when i get a moment :)

Also honestly I am constantly (daily) looking at chairs available in my city and occasionally other cities on gumtree, so if u want me to keep an eye out for something suitable in your city I'm happy to do that, just DM me xx