A physical therapist is teaching a patient with T6 ASIA A paraplegia to perform a floor-to-wheelchair transfer. The patient faces the wheelchair, pulls up into tall kneeling, then pushes up and twists into the seat. Which floor-to-wheelchair transfer approach is this?

A physical therapist is teaching a patient with T6 ASIA A paraplegia to perform a floor-to-wheelchair transfer. The patient faces the wheelchair, pulls up into tall kneeling, then pushes up and twists into the seat. Which floor-to-wheelchair transfer approach is this?

• A. Side approach
• B. Back approach
• C. Dependent lift approach
• D. Front approach

Answer: (D)

Front approach transfers are done with the person facing the chair and moving forward into it. The sequence described—facing the wheelchair, rising into tall kneeling to gain height, then pushing up and twisting into the seat—fits this pattern exactly. This method uses the arms to propel upward and a forward rotation to sit, without coming from the side or backing into the chair. A side approach would have the transfer initiated from the side with a different orientation, a back approach would involve turning away from and then seating into the chair, and a dependent lift would require substantial assistance from another person.

Front approach transfers are done with the person facing the chair and moving forward into it. The sequence described—facing the wheelchair, rising into tall kneeling to gain height, then pushing up and twisting into the seat—fits this pattern exactly. This method uses the arms to propel upward and a forward rotation to sit, without coming from the side or backing into the chair. A side approach would have the transfer initiated from the side with a different orientation, a back approach would involve turning away from and then seating into the chair, and a dependent lift would require substantial assistance from another person.