How to Choose the Best Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a supportive aid to mobilize a patient who is unable to move without support. It is an essential requirement in any hospital, laboratory, an airport, a railway station in fact every public place should be invariably equipped with a wheelchair. Individuals, who are ill and need support for moving, need it for personal use, in their homes as well. Therefore, it is very important to have a complete guide about how to choose the appropriate wheel chair as per the need of the patient.



Wheelchairs are of different types depending upon the weight, size, age and condition of the patient. However, primarily there are three types of wheel chair according to the need of the patient.

• Wheelchair that is self propelled i.e. the patient himself or herself controls the movement of the wheelchair
• Wheelchair that is steered by an attendant
• Wheelchair that is electrically powered and is used for pavements and for road use.

Points to Ponder While Choosing a Wheel Chair

• Whether the wheel chair is required for short term use or is permanently required
• Whether the wheel chair is to be used by the patient himself or herself or is going to be used with the assistance of an attendant  
• Whether the need of the wheel chair is for outdoor use or indoor use
• Whether the wheel chair needs to be carried in and out of the car boot
• Whether the wheel chair is for a disabled person, a child , or an old age person
• The weight and size of the body frame of the person for whom the wheel chair is needed

Once, you have the above points in mind, you can choose from the different types of wheel chairs available in the market.

Different Types of Wheel Chairs

• Standard Wheelchair - A Standard wheel chair has a seat width of 18” and a depth of 16”
• Narrow Wheelchair - Narrow wheel chair have a width less than 18’’ and are meant for people with thin body frame
• Wide Wheelchair - Many wheel chairs have a width with seats width up to 24” meant for people with large body frames
• Reclining Wheelchair - A reclining wheel chair gives the patient the options to convert it into reclining comfort position
• Transport Wheelchair - These wheel chairs cannot be self propelled and need the assistance of an attendant for its use
• Heavy Duty Wheelchair - This type of wheel chair is required for people who exceed the normal weight limit of standard wheel chairs
• Pediatric Wheelchair - Children and people with small body frames and light weight require this type of wheel chair
• Hemi Wheelchair - Hemi Wheel Chairs have a lower seat to floor height than standard wheel chairs

Tips that Will Help You Choose the Right Wheel Chair

• If you are going for a manual wheel chair there is either a standard or an active- user type wheel chair
• A standard wheel chair cannot be modified  whereas an active-user wheel chair can be adapted and adjusted according to the requirement of the patient
• Larger rear wheels make the wheelchair easier to maneuver
• Lightweight wheel chairs that can be folded and adjusted and put in the rear seat of the car are good for patients who travel outdoors
• Look out for wheels positioned further forward on an adjustable axle which makes the wheel chair easier to move and with less efforts
• The position of the foot, the arm rest and the size of the chair should all be well evaluated before choosing the right wheel chair
• It is very important to read the instructions given with the wheel chair to be cautious about the safety of the patient
• For disabled people the wheel chair should be purchased as per the condition of the patient
• The weight of the wheel chair and the flexibility of it should also be kept in mind while purchasing it
• Before finalizing the specific type of wheel chair, make sure that you take it around the house or road to see whether this is the right wheel chair required for your patient

When buying the wheel chair you should be aware of the best price available with the required features of the wheel chair. We recommend GPC Medical wheel chairs that are not only tested and tried by a large number of patients, hospitals, and community centers but also give you good after sales service and the best price. 

A Guide to Your Finger Injuries

An injury to a finger may sound like a simplistic discomfort but it needs the right attention, for it to recover timely, and painlessly. A finger generally gets injured during a sports activity or any type of accident that sprains or bends or twists the finger in a way that tears the ligaments or breaks the bone and gives it pain. A finger splint should not be ignored as even the smallest of injury needs to be taken care of in time, before it becomes a bigger problem.



What Steps to Follow After a Finger Injury:

• Once you realize that you have hurt your finger badly the best way to handle is to go to your physiotherapist immediately.
• She/he shall examine the injured finger and a small X-Ray will decipher the type of injury it is.
• Thereafter on seeing the X-Ray She/he will be able to advice you on the type of finger splint it is, and suggest the right finger brace.
• Do not ignore the advice of the physician and instantly go for the required finger brace for a quick recovery.





The Role of a Finger Brace:

• A finger brace or a finger splint provides support to the injured finger.
• It holds the finger in the correct position to immobilize the finger for protection and prevents it from further injuries.
• The wearing of the finger brace also helps in quick recovery of the injured finger.
• The foam padding that is part of the finger brace gives comfort to the patient and the right fit also allows air circulation to the injured part.

Types of Finger Splints

• There are several types of finger splints depending upon the kind of twist or injury the finger went through during the accident.
• A Curved finger splint is used when the finger has either been dislocated or fractured and needs an extension of the finger. It is very common for sports people to get this injury.
• A finger protector splint can be bent to any degree for any kind of finger fracture. It is usually worn when there is any injury on the fingertip to protect it from further injuries.
• A lot of finger gets injured when either closing the door or accidently hitting your own finger while using the hammer. For such injuries we need to give the finger the proper extension or hyper-extension. In injuries like this we need to wear a baseball finger splint that stabilizes the fractured tip of the finger.
• When your finger gets bent accidently towards the opposite side instead of the normal forward bend, it needs a brace to correct the hyper-extension. Such injuries require a frog finger splint. The name frog finger splint is given to it because of the frog- like arms designed to wrap around the injured finger and give the required support to the splint.
• When a fingertip is amputated in a serious injury it needs a finger cot splint.
• A thumb splint holds the thumb in the right position while an injury is being healed and is wrapped around the wrist to prevent it from rotation. They come in handy for injuries like tissue injuries, thumb strains, and osteoarthritis.



How to Choose the Best Finger Splints

• Examine the various available products that are being sold in the market before you make your purchase.
• A good finger splint should hold your finger snugly without any discomfort.
• It should fit your finger appropriately without disturbing the flow of the blood to the finger.
• You should be wearing the right splint according to the nature of the injury.
• The padding or the foam used should be of the best quality and hypo-allergic.
• We recommend GPC Medical finger splints to give you the best finger splints available in the market.
  
  
  

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How Medical Exhibitions & Trade Shows Can Boost Your Business

The health care industry is an ever burgeoning industry. In recent years it has multiplied by leaps and bounds making it one of the fastest growing industries of the world.  When we talk about health care, there is also a holistic feature involved to it, because it’s not just about making profits, but also about saving precious lives through the health care products. Each medical product pertains to providing comfort or saving precious lives.

A medical fair or an exhibition is a platform that provides each manufacturer of medical products to exhibit their products and highlight its special features. It provides an opportunity to both the buyer and the seller to choose the right products and to display their unique features.

Why Medical Companies Should Attend Medical Exhibitions?

A number of exhibitions and fairs are organized every year globally to bring awareness amongst the medical companies to exhibit their products. The most prominent of them being MEDICA, organized every year, at Germany.  The others being Arab Health Exhibition organized in Dubai and FIME show in Florida in USA. GPC Medical Limited participates in most of these international fairs which give the international buyers a complete forum about our company products.



GPC Medical at Arab Health 2015, Dubai

When we talk about medical products there are many players in the market and new ones being added on a daily basis. This confuses the buyer or sometimes misleads them. It is in a fair or an exhibition that the buyer is able to directly compare the products for their quality, their special features, their reputation in the market and the competitive pricing. It helps the purchaser to choose prudently and also explore the market under a single roof, of the latest medical innovations.

An exhibition provides an opportunity to purposefully build upon their cross–border, international contacts. It also provides a ground for the world’s top decision makers from the medical industry to meet and find about the latest innovations and trends for good, efficient health care. It also provides a large arena for increasing your networking, business, meeting with the present and potential buyers from all over the world in touch.

GPC Medical Limited is an India basedinternational standard medical devices making company that participates in mostof the fairs and exhibitions being organised all over the world. This gives us an opportunity to showcase all our products and highlight our unique features. We honestly display all our products and provide correct information to all our buyers.

We would be participating in the FIME show from August 2-4, 2016 Miami Beach, Florida. We shall highly appreciate your visit to our stand no. DB02 giving us an opportunity to believe in our products and become part of our burgeoning clients globally.

Fix an Appointment NOW!

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Arab Health 2015 - A Huge Success for GPC Medical Ltd.

Visit GPC Medical at MEDICA 2014 & Arab Health 2015

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Knowing More About Your Cervical Pain and the Use of Cervical Traction Kit

A cervical pain is related with the pain in your neck joint due to the drying of the cushion between the joints primarily as a result of ageing. After 40 years of age the bones begin to show signs of depleting and there are chances of disks developing cracks as you grow older. This causes them to bulge or become herniated. This may also lead to developing of bone spurs or extra bony growths. The growth of a herniated disk and bone spurs can put extra pressure on your spinal cords and nerve roots causing severe pain. These changes over a period of time compress or press down one or more of the nerve roots. When the problem reaches an advanced stage it affects the spinal cord as well which may carry the effect to the arms and legs as well.



There may be several other factors also that make a person more likely to develop spondylitis. These include:

•     Having a job that requires heavy lifting or a lot of bending and twisting
•     Leading a stagnant life with very little or no exercise and being over-weight
•     Past spine or neck surgery
•     Severe arthritis
•     Ruptured or slipped disk

Symptoms of Cervical Pain:

 

• It may begin with a mild pain over the shoulder blade or it may spread to the upper arm, forearm, or sometimes even the fingers.
• The pain may accentuate after standing or sitting, at night, on moving the neck side wards or backwards or even when you sneeze, cough or laugh.
• Numbness or abnormal sensations in the shoulders, arms or sometimes legs.
• Headaches, especially in the back of the head.

Any symptom requires a visit to the physical therapist to help you deal with your pain in the neck and reduce it. He or she is likely to assess your neck condition and prescribe the various treatment required for it. One such treatment is the Cervical Traction.

How Does Cervical Traction Help?

Cervical Traction is a physical therapy that can help decrease the compressive forces in the neck, by taking off the pressure off the discs between the two vertebras in the neck. It helps to open up the spaces where nerves exit the spinal canal, relieving the pressure from the pressed nerve that is causing the pain. It also helps to stretch the muscles and joint structures that are around the neck. 

Cervical traction can be helpful in case of common diagnosis like;

• Herniated or bulging discs in the neck
• Spasms in the cervical muscles
• Arthritis that extends to the neck
• Strain in the neck

Different Types of Cervical Traction and their Application


Application of cervical traction needs to be first discussed with your physical therapist and then carried out. There are three types of cervical tractions; Manual Cervical Traction, Mechanical Cervical Traction, and Over-the Door Traction.



Manual Cervical Traction

The Manual Cervical Traction is carried out by your physical therapist who holds your neck and head in his hands, and then gives a gentle traction, or rhythmic pulling and resting force to your neck.



Mechanical Cervical Traction

This kind of traction works by attaching your neck and head attached to a harness while you are in a lying down position. This harness is attached to a machine that can provide a traction force, which has a control panel, so that the physical therapist can monitor the force needed.



Over-the-Door Traction

This traction can be used at home and involves strapping your harness to your head and neck while you are sitting in a chair. The harness is attached to a rope that’s strung through a pulley system over your door. After putting everything in place rightly traction force is applied by weights, a sand bag, or a water bag that’s attached to the opposite end of the rope.

A pulling force of about 20 pounds should be used when starting neck traction. A time period of 10 to 20 seconds is sufficient when applying rhythmic pulling and releasing which can be continued for 10 to 20 minutes. Each patient has a tailored problem so the advice of the physical therapist is a must as to how many times it must be done in a day and with how many pounds to be used as weight. This traction can be carried out at home too but with the proper training of your therapist.

Are There Any Risk Involved With Cervical Traction?

The treatment should be carried out under the strict guidance of your physical therapist. If your symptoms worsen during the treatment, notify to your physical therapist immediately. There may be adjustments required or discontinuation of the treatment also in some cases. In most cases it brings positive results with the release of the pain. 

How to Choose the Best Abdominal Binders?

 What is an Abdominal Binder?

An abdominal binder as the word suggests is an elastic band which stretches along your abdominal waist to provide support to the abdomen. It is made up of somewhat elasticized fabric like the Velcro that fit snugly around the waist and upper hips to compress the abdomen and provides the required support. The compression provided by the abdominal binder on the back helps to keep the back in a better position and also supports the abdomen.

When Do I Need an Abdominal binder?

An abdominal binder is usually advised after abdominal hysterectomy, abdominoplasty, abdominal liposuction or caesarean incision. It is almost essential to use it in the early postoperative phase of surgery. The most important function of an abdominal binder is to provide support to the abdomen and also put the required pressure on the incision site to increase the blood circulation and hence reduce the swelling. It holds the muscles together after the surgery and gives the required support. It also helps the person wearing it after the surgical incision, to perform daily activities comfortably. The constant use of the abdominal binder after the surgery provides strength to the abdominal muscles. It reduces the pressure on the abdomen and helps the patient to recover faster. The patient takes almost four to six weeks to recover.

 

How to Choose the Best Abdominal Binder?

An abdominal binder is to be worn closely on the skin after the surgery therefore the quality of the abdominal binder should be of a superior elastic fabric with the required elasticity. Since, it is to be worn immediately after the surgery, it should be made of hypoallergenic material that is not only soft and smooth but also provides comfort feel to the body. There are different sizes available and it should be chosen before the surgery for the right measurement.


We recommend abdominal binders manufactured by GPC Medical Limited because of our exclusive stretch material that gives complete full all round compression and the right sizing. We also are over conscious about giving our patients products that are comfortable and are body friendly.


You can find different types of Abdominal Support Belts & Binders at https://www.gpcmedical.com/203/410/rehabilitation-products-&-aids/abdominal-supports.html