Keep stubbing my toes on Ds's wheelchair when pushing it. SOlutions?

[YourHandInMyHand]

DS doesn't use his wheelchair all the time, but whenever he does I always always smash my toes on the anti bars. I've come back from a weekend away with two bruised and swollen toes and they are very painful.

Can you get wheelchairs without these bars at the back between the wheels? I did once try pulling the ends of them so they didn't stick out as close to my feet but still banged my toes on them.

Take the anti tip things off. What type of wheelchair is it? Most can either be removed entirely or folded inwards. Unless your DS is doing a lot of self propelling including up and down kerbs etc the anti tip bars are not needed. In fact I now remove the ibes from DS'a chair in the wheel chair clinic!

as hairy says, most have a push button release somewhere to take them off

scroll down to 9.5.1

would help to put the link! doclibrary.invacare.co.uk/office/europe/marketing/mktdocuk.nsf/VALLMDocument/BAB473F64A596E8880256E4000525718/$File/Blade_IFU_20100125.pdf

I did take the ends of them off where you push to release. This made the bar sticking out about 3 inches shorter but I still bashed my toes on them, and it was even worse as I was bashing them on the end of a metal pipe instead of a rounded edge. :-/

It's the Invacare blade plus. He doesn't self propel at all, we decided that would just add danger.

Just looked at link. In the bottom picture of 9.5.1 , where the arrow for B is pointing, that's where the pipe ends if I pull the anti tipper bar out so still in the way.

It does say you can rotate them 180 degrees though so they are pointing up rather than down, that may be worth a try!?

ahh dd3 has the self propel version so taking them off solves the problem as that part is much higher up, could you put some tape over it so it's not so hard?

take the bars off & then take pigeon steps! Failing that Shin pads! I still sometimes whack my legs on ds2's, he has a Blade plus & they are a PITA

Theninjagoose at the moment I have socks covering the blunt end of the pipe that I've removed the anti-tip bars from. I have 2 very poorly toes, all red and purple.

Mymatemax - I think that its because I walk very fast taking big strides that I keep bashing my toes on them. As I managed it twice on Saturday I clearly can't manage to reign in my walking style. You would think I'd learn from the pain but apparently not!

Thanks for replies everyone, at least it's not just me that's had this issue. I may look and see if I can get something cheap for him (hollow laugh) that I won't injure myself on.