Shove-a-Lugs Features
- Designed with the palm-contact area rounded in order to distribute pressure on the palm during the push phase, and minimize pressure at any given point
- The front side (where the finger pads make contact) is less rounded. This is to facilitate gripping with the fingers for stopping or propelling in reverse
- The surface is a smooth plastic with no crevices, seams, or indentions in the contact areas. This makes them easy to clean, and unlikely to snag a fingernail
- Shove-a-lugs grip attachments enable a person to push his or her wheelchair with a more anatomically appropriate wrist position.
- Therapists often teach their clients to avoid the wrist motion known as ulnar deviation- bending the wrist downward with the palm facing inward (towards the body).
- This is precisely the motion required to push a wheelchair using the grip ring.
- Shove-a-lugs grip attachments prevent this type of motion. Any repetitive motion done over a long period of time can result in conditions of inflamed joints or associated soft tissues.
- These may include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, or others
What to buy with Shove-a-Lugs Wheelchair Grip
- Multi-Mount Drink Holder
- EZ-Access Wheelchair Back Carryon
- Alex Orthopedic Wheelchair Pommel Cushion
Skil-Care Wheelchair Grip Attachments:
- Each lug consists of two pieces- a (smaller) clamp piece, and a (larger) grip piece.
- The two pieces clamp around the wheelchairs grip ring by use of two screws which go through the clamp piece into threaded brass inserts in the grip piece.- Shove a lug are made to fit the larger of the two diameter, but include a set of adaptor slips (short, flexible, non-slip, slit-tubes) which can be placed onto the narrower grip rings to enlarge the diameter.
- On much older wheelchairs with the excessive wearing of the rubber tire, the clearance of the grip ring from the ground may be insufficient.
- The lugs may bump the ground as the wheel turns.
- Rotating the lug outward will increase ground clearance by 1/4″.
Precautions:
- Shove-A-Lugs grip attachments work by adding a protruding knob to the grip ring of the wheelchair.
- This can increase the risk of injury to the hand or fingers.
- Rider must be able to operate the wheelchair-using appropriate caution caregivers must use caution when pushing a person in a wheelchair with shove-a-lugs attached.
- Some conditions exist that could make the use of shove-a-lugs grip attachments unsafe.
- These include, but are not limited to: impaired sensation of the hands inability to lift the arms to avoid the lug as they come around with the rolling wheel visual deficits poor safety awareness fragile skin weakness on one side of the body other conditions that impair a person’s ability to perceive obstacles and move hands quickly when necessary.
