Jack’s father decided it was time to try a custom contoured back. The lightweight back support incorporates body alignment, pressure distribution, and directional forces for comfortable postural control.

For an individual who relies entirely on a wheelchair for mobility, anything that increases comfort and support is a welcome addition to the wheelchair seating configuration. Not only does the new Ottobock Ortho Shape wheelchair back provide Jack Dunn with needed postural support, it also gives him more freedom of movement. “He is more relaxed and comfortable now,” reports Jack’s father, Jim Dunn.

Jack is 18 years old and has cerebral palsy. He lives at home in Oregon with his father and twin sister. He is paraparetic, nonverbal, and has intellectual impairment. Although his left hip is permanently dislocated and he has developed contractures in his hamstrings and both wrists, he has some independent movement in his hands and legs. He needs assistance with all of his personal activities of daily living and depends on a wheelchair pushed by a caregiver for mobility. To help manage his posture, Jack is rotated between his bed, wheelchair, and a standing frame each day. Despite these interventions, he had developed severe scoliosis. “He had a small rotation and a 72-degree curve,” Jim says.