Wrist problems and handlebar scooters

[Oleeka]

I was wondering if people with wrist problems have used the off-site rental scooters while at Disney World. I am going to have proximal row carpectomy surgery on my left wrist on October 20 and on my right wrist sometime next year. The surgery will remove bones from my wrist which will allow me to extend and flex my hands back and forth, but with little side to side motion. I'm hoping I'll have a little side to side left, but it won't be "normal."

I also have bad knees, a bad back and a bad neck ( ) and had planned on using a scooter for my Disney World trip. However, I slipped on some wet leaves last week, aggravating my arthritic left knee. I tried using the scooter at Kmart and discovered how painful and mechanically difficult it was to hold in the accelerator lever with my thumb and make the thing turn. Needless to say, I thought of my planned Disney trip and just about cried!

I've tried looking at the rental scooters at a variety of sites and they all look to be the handlebar type. I'm sure some company somewhere builds scooters that I could use, but I don't need one at home most of the time and don't want to buy something I'm sure would be very expensive. Any observations would be helpful! Thanks.

 

[I Love Pluto]

You want to rent a scooter with a Delta tiller. The mechanism to steer is with your whole hand, not your thumbs. The shape of the "wheel" is oval, the wrists rest on the bottom rung of the oval.

I have this tiller on a Golden Buzz Lite. It is a small take-apart model, similar to the Pride Gogo.

I hope this helps you.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I don't know if any ECV is available from any of the rental companies with a joy stick. Normally these are used for Power Chairs and it takes a lot of practice to use one properly.

That is because an ECV has a pair of driven wheels in back and one or two steerable wheels in front (as a tricycle). A Power Chair usually has two separate drive motors, each connected to one wheel, and additional front and back wheels for stability; use of the joy stick varies the power to the motors which is what causes the cahir to move and turn.

 

[videogal1]

I was wondering if people with wrist problems have used the off-site rental scooters while at Disney World. I am going to have proximal row carpectomy surgery on my left wrist on October 20 and on my right wrist sometime next year. The surgery will remove bones from my wrist which will allow me to extend and flex my hands back and forth, but with little side to side motion. I'm hoping I'll have a little side to side left, but it won't be "normal."

I had one bone removed and several bones fused in my right wrist last December (I have no use of my left arm/wrist/hand at all) and, after 12 weeks of recovery, I used my scooter with no problem...well, not too much problem...I will never be able to bend my wrist to raise my hand back or move it side-to-side much but at least the pain is gone... You don't say when your trip is in relation to the surgery but if you've got 12 weeks after the surgery before your vacation you may well be in the zone where an aspirin will control any pain that remains. As far as operating the accelerator goes you'll probably have more difficulty with making sharp turns right or left than with using the thumb control. If you're not used to riding a scooter you'll also probably find that your shoulders will really get worn out if the seat is not adjusted properly. Too low and it's like sitting all day holding a broom handle at nose level...too high and you're running the risk of tipping over on fast turns...