When spasticity is present, a riser recliner chair should be assessed for its supports, its intermediate positions and how easily its movements can be controlled. Start from the postures the person already tolerates and the guidance they have received, looking for a more comfortable seat for everyday activities. This guide helps you prepare the trial without forcing the legs or trunk with the motors and without removing supports that are needed. The adjustments support comfort; managing the symptom remains the responsibility of the professionals who look after the person.
In brief
When spasticity is present, assessing the chair concerns both the supports and the movement needed to change position and return to the seated position. Independent adjustments allow intermediate positions, to be chosen according to individual guidance. Push Head, tilt-in-space and vertical height adjustment have different functions and are not treatments for spasticity. The trial keeps the necessary supports in place and stops when the movement causes discomfort.
Spasticity: understanding the term without turning it into a label
The Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc in Brussels describe spasticity as an abnormal increase in muscle tension linked to involvement of the nervous system. It can make movements and some everyday actions more difficult. Assessment and treatment are personalised, with input from several areas of expertise. [1]
AISM, the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society, points out that in multiple sclerosis (MS) increased muscle tone can also be accompanied by weakness. The presence of tension should therefore not be read by the family as proof that a leg can bear weight when standing up. This ability must be assessed, not inferred from how the muscle looks. [2]
This article is not meant to establish whether a difficult posture is due to spasticity, pain, contractures or other problems. It is meant to help you ask more precise questions when the symptom has already been recognised or a medical assessment is under way.
Two people with the same condition can have different needs. The useful question is: which activities are uncomfortable, and which supports, adjustments and help are already needed? Not: which position is automatically recommended for anyone with that diagnosis?
Start with the positions the person tolerates and the activity they want
First describe the usual seated position: where the person rests, how the trunk and head are supported, which supports they use and at what moments they ask for a change. Do not change the set-up just to take tidier photographs. The supports already in use are part of the information to be assessed.
Then choose a concrete goal: talking with a different kind of support, reading, resting the legs or making a personal care task more accessible. A recognisable goal helps you understand whether the adjustment offers a real advantage, instead of chasing the maximum recline available.
Note down the guidance received on postures, transfers and care. If it is not clear whether a position can be tried, the doubt should be resolved with the professional who looks after the person before the demonstration. The Sollevita Team can explain how the chair works; it cannot define a postural treatment.
The page on specific mobility and care needs helps to distinguish the different contexts. Here the focus remains narrower: organising an assessment of the adjustments without forcing the body into a predetermined shape.
Intermediate positions: the value lies in being able to stop
A chair may be able to reach a very extended position, but that does not mean it has to be reached during the trial. An intermediate adjustment may be more consistent with the activity, the supports and the person’s tolerance. Technical availability is not a clinical goal.
Sollevita has from 5 to 8 independent motors, depending on the weight capacity. The separate adjustments make it possible to work on the chair’s configuration without reducing everything to a single mandatory position. How the functions are operated and stopped should be checked on the configuration supplied. [4]
In the agreed trial, it helps to know which function is being operated and what you want to observe. Changing several adjustments in no particular order makes it hard to describe which step created comfort or discomfort. There is no need to run the motor through its full travel to demonstrate the function.
Do not use the force of the footrest to extend a leg that resists, or the backrest to force the trunk to straighten. The adjustment is for finding a permitted position, not for carrying out unprescribed passive stretching. If pain, unusual tension or loss of support appear, stop the trial and ask for guidance.
Recline and tilt-in-space do not change the same thing
Recline changes the relationship between the backrest and the seat. Tilt-in-space, by contrast, tilts the seat and backrest together as one unit relative to the floor. On Sollevita these options are part of the product’s adjustments, but they are not synonyms and should not be presented as equivalent ways of “laying the person down”. [4]
To describe the trial, use the name of the movement: “the backrest was reclined” is clearer than “the chair was lowered”. Precision helps both the Sollevita Team and the healthcare professional understand which change was actually made.
Tilt-in-space can offer a different comfort configuration, but it does not automatically make up for a seat that is too deep or for insufficient lateral support. The initial support should be assessed first. Do not derive a therapeutic angle from a product photograph and do not set the same length of time in a position for everyone.
Head, pelvis and legs: one adjustment does not correct everything
Push Head and head support
The Push Head powered headrest adjusts the support for the head and neck. The high backrest supports the back, with the support characteristics described by the manufacturer. These elements can be useful when looking for a comfortable position, but the headrest is not equivalent to a clinical head-support system. [4]
If the person needs specialist support or cannot keep their head supported with the integrated system, simply increasing the adjustment is not enough. Do not push the chin towards the chest or try to hold the head in position with improvised straps. The suitability of the whole set-up needs to be clarified.
Seat dimensions and limb supports
Sollevita offers seat widths of 52 or 63 cm and three available depths. These choices make it possible to size the product to the person, but on their own they do not define a postural system suited to every asymmetry. The three-layer seat construction combines a sprung seat base, individually pocketed springs and a comfort top layer. [4]
The Swiss Paraplegic Centre takes asymmetries, pain and supports into account in its specialist assessment of wheelchair seating. When these problems are present, they should also be discussed with professionals before a new seating arrangement is introduced at home. [3]
Prescribed cushions and supports should not be removed to try the padding on its own. Likewise, do not add weights, wedges or home-made fixings to counteract an involuntary movement. The comparison must include the aids already needed, not just the empty chair.
Zero Gravity and the 180° lie-flat position: options to assess, not results to achieve
Zero Gravity combines tilt-in-space, backrest and footrest in a configuration with the legs raised. The 180° lie-flat position, on the other hand, provides a flat, extended surface. These are product options, not treatments for spasticity, and not proof that the person can tolerate being fully stretched out. [4]
The function should be chosen for comfort and for the desired activity, not because its name suggests a therapeutic effect. The concrete question is whether the intended configuration is appropriate and comfortable in the individual situation. Where there is guidance on breathing, posture or care, it takes priority over the availability of the function.
Also check the return to the usual position. A position that can be reached with a technician’s help may not be manageable for the person or for whoever will be there every day. Do not leave the remote control out of reach and do not base the daily routine on a sequence that has not yet been understood.
Vertical height adjustment and side access: helping the caregiver
Vertical height adjustment changes the height of the whole structure with the person seated or lying down. It can bring the surface to a more comfortable height for some personal care activities, while the removable side panel opens up access on one side. The first adjusts the height; the second frees up space. [4]
Side access should be assessed together with the person’s support. If removing a side panel takes away a support that is needed, do not go ahead just because the caregiver could work closer. You need to clarify how to carry out the activity while keeping an appropriate configuration.
In the lie-flat transfer configuration, the 180° lie-flat position, adjustable height and the open side can help bring the chair alongside the bed. They do not determine how to transfer the person, which holds to use or which aids to do without. The method remains the one defined for the real situation; the rise function must not be used to test, by trial and error, whether the person can bear weight.
An observation sheet for the agreed trial
The sheet records what is observed during activities that are already permitted: starting position, adjustment, comfort and return. It does not measure the severity of spasticity or prescribe exercises. There is no need to provoke a difficulty in order to document it.
| What to note | Useful description | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Activity | Conversation, reading, a break or personal care | Trying all the functions without a goal |
| Starting configuration | Seated position, support points and supports already in use | Removing prescribed supports to simplify the trial |
| Adjustment | Name of the movement and permitted mode of use | Describing everything as “lying down” |
| The person’s response | Reported comfort, support maintained, difficulty observed | Interpreting the cause of the symptom on your own |
| Return | How the intended position is regained and who helps | Assuming the return is always automatic |
| Open point | Technical or medical question to be clarified | Repeating a movement that causes discomfort |
After the trial, separate the questions. A symbol that is hard to understand or an armrest that gets in the way concerns the product; new pain or a change in how well the position is tolerated also concerns the medical assessment. Keeping the two paths apart prevents an adjustment from becoming a misleading explanation for a change in the person.
When a chair is not enough and when to review the choice
A care seating solution may not be enough if the person needs specialist postural supports, a dedicated surface or transfer methods that it cannot accommodate. It is not a question of the number of motors. Even a fully featured chair must be able to fit in with the aids already in use, without replacing them as a matter of principle.
New difficulties, pain or changes in posture call for a discussion with the professionals who look after the person. Do not automatically put them down to normal variability and do not try to correct them by continuing to increase the recline or the height. The technical choice should be reconsidered when needs change.
Practical continuity matters too: who knows the controls, how are the covers looked after, and how do you get support when you have a question? Modularity and the fact that both outer and underlying covers are removable make Sollevita easier to manage, while direct support and support by video call can clarify technical use. They do not replace a medical reassessment when one is needed.
FAQ
Common questions
Does a riser recliner chair treat spasticity?
It should not be presented as a treatment. The adjustments can help in finding an appropriate, comfortable position, but managing and treating spasticity is the job of healthcare professionals. Having a particular function does not guarantee the result.
Is Zero Gravity always appropriate?
No. It is a relax configuration to be assessed in relation to the person and the guidance received. There is no need to reach it if an intermediate position is the appropriate one.
Can I use the footrest to straighten a stiff leg?
Not to force it to extend. The motor must not be used as a tool for unprescribed stretching. If the movement causes resistance, pain or loss of support, stop the trial and ask for guidance.
Does the Push Head replace a specialist support?
No. It adjusts the support for the head, but it is not equivalent to a personalised clinical support. If the prescribed support is needed, its compatibility with the chair should be assessed without removing it during the trial.
Does the removable side panel make every transfer easy?
No. It opens up access. Heights, the person’s abilities, supports, aids and skills still need to be considered together. It is not a reason to change technique or to give up the patient hoist that has been planned.
What should I tell the Sollevita Team?
Describe the desired activities, tolerated positions, supports in use, the person’s ability to use the remote control and the help available. Add measurements and the aids already in place. Relevant health information should be shared with the person’s consent, without sending unnecessary documents.
Sources and references
[1] Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc · Belgium. Spasticity (in French). Accessed on 9 September 2026.
[2] AISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society) · Italy. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis: spasticity (in Italian). Accessed on 9 September 2026.
[3] Swiss Paraplegic Centre · Switzerland. Centre for wheelchair seating (in French). Accessed on 9 September 2026.
[4] Sollevita · La Castellana. Sollevita care riser recliner. Accessed on 9 September 2026.
The healthcare sources support the principles cited; they do not constitute a recommendation of Sollevita. The product features are information provided by the manufacturer; the practical sheets are editorial material, not clinical tests.
The next step: linking the adjustments to individual guidance
Gather the observations and questions that emerge during usual activities. Compare them with the functions of the Sollevita care riser recliner and discuss them with the Sollevita Team, keeping the people who look after the person involved in decisions on posture, supports and transfers.
