State Spinal Cord Injury Service
Spinal Seating Modules

Module 7:
Postural interventions
Aim
This module explores posture in seating and wheeled mobility system for people with spinal cord injury, and offers principles for postural intervention.
Rationale
Achieving a good posture is one of the goals of seating. A good posture is important to the client’s long term health status and is interrelated with the other three goals of seating: pressure management, functional capability and comfort.
“Seating for task performance is not a single position, but rather an active repertoire of seated postures that the body requires in order for the mind to think, the eyes to read, and the arms to work.” 1
Outcomes
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of posture for clients with a spinal cord injury
- Recognise the indicators for postural intervention in the seating and wheeled mobility system
- Identify posture related issues in seating and wheeled mobility
- Set postural goals in seating and wheeled mobility
- Understand key principles of postural interventions in seating and wheeled mobility system
- Access resources on possible solutions to posture and positioning issues, and
- Formulate a trial with a client.
In this module
- The importance of posture for SCI clients
- Keeping the big picture in mind
- Be systematic: Identifying postural issues
- Medical diagnosis
- Surgical history
- Pressure injuries: history and management
- Spasm
- Pain
- Weight gain or loss
- Vision
- Range of motion, joint flexibility and influence of gravity
- Functional skills and dynamic sitting
- Seating system limitations
- Environment
- Psychosocial and care issues
- Recognise key relationships between the client and the wheelchair
- Setting postural goals
- Keys to postural intervention
- Work as a team
- Formulate trials
- Persevere!!
- Key concepts in this module
- Case Study: Katherine
- Case study questions
- Case study answers
References
- Kangas, Karen M. "Seating for Task Performance." SIG 12 Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 16.4 (2007): 14-17.