Medtrade Fall 2007 Article

MEDTRADE: The 27th Year Article 2 Adrienne Bergen PT ATP

Hertz is the distributor of the Volker Beds. In addition to the beds in their booth they hosted a young man and his invention, the Wheel Flex. Peter Mullin used his experience with fitness activities, and the needs of his mother who has M.S. to create a unique device that allows a wheelchair rider to do a complete exercise circuit while seated in their chair. The system consists of a tubular frame that slips into the armrest sockets or clamped on adaptors (supplied with the system when you tell them which wheelchair you have) along the side of a wheelchair and the actual exercise device. The Wheel Flex exerciser holds a coiled cable attached to a handle. When the handle is pulled the cable comes out of the housing. Resistance can be adjusted to provide a light or strenuous work out. As the Wheel Flex moves along the arc of the support frame the direction of pull changes allowing the user to exercise different muscle groups. See the pictures below for the true story of this very unique device.

the wheelchair’s armrest is removed and the wheel flex frame is put into place. On some wheelchair models it simply fits into the armrest sockets. In other chairs receivers are supplied which can clamp onto the wheelchair frame and accept the wheel flex frame.

with the wheelflex at the top of the arc this user can do tricep extensions.

 these images show the wheel flex being used to exercise different muscle groups. Note the last picture where the user is doing leg extensions with the handle on his toe.