Common Mistakes Made When Using Pressure Cushions

Do you know how to use a pressure cushion? Chances are that a lack of knowledge about the correct use of cushions may be leading to several common errors with serious consequences. The importance of using the right cushion is of paramount importance for proper pressure management. This, in turn, is imperative for patients who have higher risks of redness in the skin, wounds, pressure ulcers, pressure-related injuries and even bed sores.

In this context, it can be said that using pressure relief cushions is one of the best solutions for relieving such patients. There are many good cushion varieties available in the market today, which may help in safeguarding the skin of patients. Whenever people think about pressure management while being seated, it is a common affair for them to focus on the cushion lying on the chair and not the chair’s features alongside. This may lead to them depending more on costly pressure cushions without considering what the chair can do.

Those with limited mobility owing to age, illnesses or accidents always have risks related to pressure ulcers, along with people who cannot independently adjust their positions when they feel uncomfortable. Those with delicate and thin skin have risks of injuries too. Read about the different types of mobility aids in our blog.

Issues with pressure cushions

There are many mistakes made when using pressure cushions that contribute to a host of issues. Some of them include:

• Many people make the common error of wrongly flopping down the cushion on the patient’s chair without looking at the ergonomics. It is important to learn how to use pressure cushions properly. This may only end up adding more pressure to the seating zone.
• Such placement of the pressure cushion leads to changes in the chair’s dimensions, leading to the individual’s feet going above the ground, indicating that they are either holding a lesser weight or in a dangling position.
• If you have put the pressure cushion over any other regular cushion or an overtly wide chair, it may lower the overall effectiveness of this tool for relieving pressure in the arms and head. This may lead to higher frictional forces, enhancing the weight that is passing through one side and leading to pressure-linked injuries.

Principles we should never neglect while using pressure cushions 

• The first and foremost principle is suitably loading the body of the individual while ensuring that he or she has proper postural support.
• The seating should be done in a way that enables proper shifting or repositioning. A suitable surface should always be used.
• The cushion will only be effective if these principles are followed to the hilt. You can also test how good your cushion is with a simple thumb rule test.
• This is called bounce back. You can simply press your palm firmly into your cushion and your hands should be surrounded by the foam of the same. Remove your hand thereafter. The foam should be bouncing back at you.
• If this happens, then you do have a well-adjusted cushion.

Wrapping Up.

Choosing the right cushion is as important as using it currently. make sure you purchase quality care cushions from a trusted disability aids products provider.