I’m a part time wheeler due to arthritis and joint issues. When I got my first wheelchair I was embarrassed whenever I would get up out of it in public or at work. While meeting with a client who was a T4 Quadriplegic I remember getting up to get something off of the shelf above my desk and then apologizing to him for doing so. He laughed and said not to apologize or be embarrassed around him because he knew “The Secret.” I thought he meant MY secret. A very supportive discussion followed and he explained to me that people who don’t use chairs see them as confining or prison-like while wheelers view them as freedom. He put me at ease saying that if I was using the chair appropriately I would be able to do things like stand up to reach a high shelf OR walk a short distance when it really counted.
As long as we continue our other physical therapy exercises, any assistive device (cane, wheelchair, walker, etc.) is just that, an assist. It is only one small piece of a very large puzzle that is my overall health management program. I believe that using a wheelchair some of the time over the last 18 years has made all the difference in me being able to actually improve my physical fitness overall.