I spend 24 hours a day bedridden, and probably 22 hours at least lying on my back. With weak muscles and hypermobile joints, this has caused some serious positioning problems – when I lie on my back with my legs unsupported my position ends up being like this:
Leg position without scaffolding - rotated out at hip, knee, and ankle.
My legs get rotated outwards at the hips, knees, and ankles which causes pain in all these joints and in my lower back. I’m not sure what the “standard” solution for this would be, but my occupational therapist had no ideas – perhaps there is no standard solution?
So I designed somebody I thought would do the job. My occupational therapist was concerned that it would make things worse in the long run but I’ve been using it for a long time now and things are still going well. I don’t use it all the time I’m in bed, I try to keep it off about 5 hours a day at least. It’s made of foam of varying firmnesses, and I got the wheelchair seating people to make it – here’s a picture:
Photo of the scaffolding by itself
This shows how it sits over my legs, with an incredibly unflattering angle:
Legs in the scaffolding - top view
This image has a much more flattering angle, luckily:
Legs in the scaffolding
The scaffolding isn’t the only support for those joints – I have regular massage therapy and osteopath visits too. They’re all vital to keeping my lower half as comfortable as possible.
I have pelvic and thigh injuries.
I use 5 pillows to support my entire body while on my side:
Two under my upper leg, one behind my upper leg, one at my back, one in front at my upper torso.
I use 6 pillows for support while on my back:
One at each outer thigh, one to slightly elevate each lower leg and one to support each foot. I keep my lower legs slightly elevated to prevent bed sores at my heels. I support the bottom of my feet to prevent foot drop.
I also have a super-soft bed. I turn from my left side to my right side, then lie on my back – every half hour to prevent bed sores.