Five Tips for Pulling Your Pants Up if You Have a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury is one of the most life-changing situations a person can encounter. All it takes is a particularly bad accident and your life can suddenly become completely different. Previously simple tasks are suddenly much more complicated. Even the shortest journey will now take longer. And you’ll definitely have to adjust to life in the wheelchair.

Perhaps the strangest adjustment you’ll need to make involves using the restroom. This might sound strange to those without disabilities, but when you don’t have the use of your legs, this task is much more difficult. Not only will it be a challenge to put yourself on the toilet and pick yourself back up, you’ll also struggle to pull your pants up.

If you’re becoming frustrated with your restroom routine, we’d like to help. Here are five tips for pulling your pants up if you have a spinal cord injury:

It helps to scoot to the edge of the toilet seat

This will allow you a little more freedom to maneuver your body, and give you the chance to lean back as well. Trust me: that’s going to be relevant in a second.

Listen to R. Kelly and “move your body like a snake”

Wheelchair users don’t pull up their pants so much as they slide them up. And in order to facilitate this, be prepared to move your body in all kinds of strange ways. Without the use of your legs, you’ll need to rely on your upper torso to get this done. So lean back, lean forward, wiggle and writhe. Do whatever it takes to help yourself out.

Grab a hold of something sturdy for leverage

Another smart move is to grab onto something nearby to steady yourself and provide leverage. If you’re in a disabled stall, then there should be handrails available. But regardless of where you are, grab onto something to help yourself. Even if it’s just placing your hand on the wall, the stability will help.

Consider wearing elastic waistbands

Not only will wearing sweatpants or basketball shorts be more comfortable, it’ll also make it much easier to pull your pants up. I know looking good is important, but is it worth it to make your life harder?

Purchase our product, Pants Up Easy

If you’ll forgive the plug, this is exactly the reason Pants Up Easy was created. Our founder was shocked to find out how difficult it is for wheelchair users to pull up their pants. In an effort to address this problem, he invented Pants Up Easy.

The design is unnervingly simple: it’s basically a spare set of cushioned metal “arms” you can use to support yourself while you pull your pants up. Simply drape your real arms over them and reach down to get your pants.

If you’d like to learn more about our product, please visit our product information page or contact us today.