With EDS, a chair has to steady loose joints and go easy on fragile skin. Tilt and recline chairs with gentle, adjustable support tend to fit best.
EDS affects collagen, the protein that holds skin and joints together. Skin can stretch, tear or bruise more than usual and may be slow to mend. A seat that sags or rubs as your daughter shifts adds friction, which clinicians call shear. Broda's Comfort Tension Seating spreads weight across a set of tensioned straps, and Broda designs it to avoid the hammock shape of a standard sling seat.
Joints in EDS can partly or fully dislocate during ordinary moves, even shifting in a seat. Well-placed supports at the trunk, arms and head are meant to hold your daughter in a stable posture, taking some of that work off her muscles. Tilt lets a caregiver change her position without pulling on her arms or shoulders.
Fatigue in EDS is real and often heavy. Each push of a wheel or awkward transfer spends energy and can strain joints. Some people do well in a chair someone else pushes, while others want to move on their own in a pedal chair. Repeated pushing can be hard on wrists and shoulders, so ask her therapist which approach fits her body.
Prices are Broda's MSRP for the base chair. Size, options and accessories change the final price.
From $4,506.40MSRP
For days when she needs full rest. Broda pairs 40 degrees of seat tilt with a backrest that reclines fully, so a caregiver can change her position by moving the seat instead of lifting her body.
From $3,620.58MSRP
Similar positioning, with a 38-degree tilt range and a backrest that goes back to 90. Its front-pivot tilt keeps her eyes on the room as she leans back, so resting does not mean dropping out of the conversation.
From $3,194.94MSRP
For someone with the joint stability to move under her own power. The Encore's low seat lets her legs do the work, and tilt is there when she tires. Ask her therapist first, since pedaling still loads hips and knees.
From $3,878.62MSRP
Wet bathrooms are hard on unstable joints. The Revive's seat tips forward up to 10 degrees to assist standing, and the back reclines for hair washing, which means fewer awkward twists during a shower.
Seating for EDS goes best with a team that knows hypermobility, meaning joints that move past their normal range. Ask whether her therapist and an ATP (a credentialed wheelchair and seating specialist) can assess her together. Tell them which joints dislocate most often and which movements set off pain. Ask how she will get in and out, since transfers can put the most strain on shoulders and hips. Symptoms can shift week to week, so choose supports that are easy to move and reassess when her pattern changes.
Many families pay privately. Insurance or a public program may help when a doctor, therapist or ATP documents why the person needs the chair. Whether it is covered depends on the plan. Our written quote lists the exact model and options, so it can go straight into that paperwork. Facilities, care organizations and multi-unit buyers can ask us about partner pricing.
It depends on how her joints behave and how much energy she has. Someone with frequent dislocations or heavy fatigue is often matched with a chair that gives firm support and can tilt or recline for rest. Others use a lighter chair part time. A therapist or ATP who understands hypermobility should help choose.
Supports for the arms and legs that swing away give room to move straight across instead of twisting. A seat height that matches the bed or toilet means less lifting. Some chairs recline fully, so a slide board can be used while she lies back. Her therapist can show you a transfer method that protects her shoulders.
Some do. Pushing can strain wrists, elbows and shoulders that already partly dislocate, so it is a decision for her and her therapist. A pedal chair moves the work to the legs, and a tilt chair pushed by a caregiver takes it away entirely. The right answer can change from season to season.
This guide is general product information, not medical advice. Chair features are described as Broda designs them. Choose seating together with the person's doctor, therapist or ATP.
Product photos © Broda Seating, used with permission. Broda® and model names are trademarks of their owner.
Call with the person's diagnosis, height and weight, and where they will sit most of the day. We will tell you which Broda chairs fit and send a written quote.
