Arthritis

Arthritis can be treated, but not cured. Medical treatments can reduce the symptoms and inhibit the development of the disease; sufferers may also alleviate pain and avoid functional impairment through for example exercise, training, pain relief and a healthy diet.

Common to many arthritic diseases are varying degrees of pain in the joints and muscles of the body, as well as stiff joints, fatigue and diminished functional ability.

Arthritis can cause problems in terms of managing everyday activities about the house, at school or at work, depending on the spread of the arthritis. This can manifest itself in pain when sitting, difficulty getting up and sitting down, poor balance, difficulty walking, trouble standing up for long periods and pain and difficulty handling packaging, tools, kitchen utensils and cutlery.

VELA has several types of customised chairs and sit-stand chairs that can ease the everyday life of people with arthritis. A VELA chair as an aid offers several benefits:

• Increased mobility: The user can 'walk' the chair forward, and thereby move around without assistance. There is plenty of room for the feet between the large, smooth-running wheels.

• Greater safety: Users with poor standing balance, for instance, benefit from extra safety and peace of mind when the chair's central brake is activated. This ensures that the chair remains completely stationary when the user stands up and sits down.
• The armrests also provide safety and peace of mind: they can be used to lower oneself slowly into the chair if suffering from back pain or tiredness, for example.
• Easier operation: If the user has reduced strength in their hands or has 'crooked fingers', special arthritis-friendly handles for braking can be used or adjustments can be made to the chair.
  
• Improved sitting posture: The user is able to attain a comfortable and ergonomically correct sitting posture and thus minimise the load on joints by adjusting the seat and backrest to his or her specific needs. Users who have stiff hips or knees, for example, can adjust the seat height to arrive at a good sitting posture.
• More comfort and support: Extra padding can be provided for seat, backrest and armrests with softer foam and a variety of seat cushions that are adapted to the user's needs, as well as arthrodesis seats or short seats with a raised lip to promote comfort and ease pain.
  
• Less pain: The easy operation and adjustability of the chair reduce the risk of pain – electric height adjustment spares the user unnecessary shocks and bumps, for example, and also facilitates getting into and out of the chair. Reduced pain, greater safety and increased comfort also result in less tiredness.