by ex-Gooserider » 15 Apr 2019, 23:53
Cushion choice is a highly personal thing, it is very hard to give guidance as everyone has a different shaped butt and different ideas about what works for it...
There are a lot of problems with it that make it much less than the 'magic' that the DME's try to make it, but a good starting point would be to go to a good DME (Durable Medical Equipment) dealer / seating clinic - check with your local rehab perhaps, and get 'pressure mapping' done - this is a special pad with sensors on it that makes a map of where the pressure points are on your butt, and can give some ideas about what your best choices are.... The dealer should also have a bunch of different cushions that you can do a 'test sit' on to see how they feel....
I like the Supracore cushions personally - I use their Stimulite Contour model... One of the big differences is that unlike most cushions that have a waterproof, non-breathable 'incontinence cover' the Supracores usually have a breathable cloth cover, and claim that your movement 'pumps' a bit of air through the honeycomb structure so that you have fresh air reaching your butt - this can be a good or bad thing depending on how much you tend to 'leak'... However the cushion and cover are washable - supposedly you can even machine wash the cushion if you have one of the large 'tumble' type machines.... I sweat a lot, and when I was on the waterproof cushion my butt would always be wet due to trapped moisture.... With the Supracore my butt stays a lot drier....
I started out with the Contour XS version which has an extra layer of softer honeycomb on top of it... I found as a hefty guy (~230lbs) the soft layer just flattened and didn't do much, so I went to the regular Contour which has the full thickness of firmer honeycomb and supports me better....
I tried one of the single section (all the bubbles are in the same air chamber) and did NOT like it at all... Aside from being waterproof, it was comfortable, but you couldn't move around to change the pressure points as it would just reshape as you moved... Worse it was an absolute bear to transfer on and off of, as if you tried to push down on it to boost your butt up, your hands would sink into it. and increase the pressure pushing up under you - resulting in no net boost... Worse I did have a slow leak and found that I could not produce enough pressure with the hand pump to blow it back up while seated on the cushion.... Fortunately I was home and could transfer off it to re-inflate, but if I'd been someplace I couldn't transfer I'd have been in trouble. Also as a person that spends a lot of time in welding and machine shops, an air cushion is not very compatible....
Gel cushions are OK if you like the style, again they are moisture traps. However unless you do a lot with making sparks and sharp chips, they are reasonably robust...
ex-Gooserider
T-5, ASIA-B
Jazzy 1100
Jazzy Select 6
Quickie Q-7
Invacare Mariner
Want to make / get a better chair, ideally one that stands.