Page 10 - Mobility Management, November 2018

ATP Series
Microclimate &
Temperature
Why the Interface Between Clients & Their Seating Is So Crucial
By Laurie Watanabe
In considering microclimate — the temperature and mois- ture content of that small space in which client meets wheel- chair — it’s fitting to also discuss the infinitesimal human
cells that are part of that client/seating interface.
While our skin and tissues are remarkably resilient in many
ways, they’re not invincible, as any seating specialist knows. Our cells survive and thrive best in a specific environment... one that often doesn’t match the microclimates of typical complex rehab clients who spend long periods of time — all year long — in their wheelchairs.
MICROCLIMATE & REACTIONS OF CELLS
Barbara Bowden is Associate Product Manager, Seating & Custom Seating, for Sunrise Medical. Her background is in chemical and biological engineering, with a metabolic engineering concentra- tion: “Basically, chemical reactions of cells,” she explained.
To understand microclimate — and how it can significantly
differ from ambient air temperature — think of the last time you sat awhile on a hard seat outside, perhaps at a baseball game on a pleasant afternoon.
“Picture yourself sitting on plastic stadium chairs,” Bowden said, “and your back and bottom get very warm and sweaty because the microclimate between yourself and the seating is different from that of the outside, ambient air. There’s not a lot of breathability on that surface — not a lot of opportunity for air to go in and refresh that microclimate. So even if it is a crisp fall day, with hours of sitting on that surface, you can still be at risk of that temperature affecting your skin.”
As that microclimate gets warmer, our bodies react, Bowden said. “Our bodies like to stay at a comfortable 97° to 98° Fahrenheit. The human body regulates the rise in body tempera- ture by sweating. The body cools itself by pulling heat from our skin to evaporate the sweat. When a wheelchair user starts to sweat heavily, that’s a sign their microclimate temperature is
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