Foot Rests or Elevating Leg Rests?

Nearly all basic, out of the box wheelchairs will come with foot rests.  Those are the plates that flip down so the user can rest their feet while in the chair.  There are two common types what you can typically order with your wheelchair.  Foot rests and elevating leg rests.  The different is a foot rest is just a flip down plate to put a foot onto.  They usually have some way of adjusting the height of the plate but that is all.  If you decide this is all you would need, I would definitely pick one with a tool free adjustment.  Foot rests that require a tool can be a pain, and while you will probably only have to adjust it once, the tool free version is much easier to do so.  The elevating leg rest option would be our suggestion for what you should get for your wheelchair.  The elevating leg rest has the foot plate similar to the other option, but is also comes with a calf pad and adjustable angle of the leg rest.  This is for people recovering from a broken leg or ankle and they need it elevated or they are unable to bend their leg.  But even if you do not need to adjust the angle of the leg rest, the calf pad makes it more than worth it.  It adds a comfort that the standard foot rests don’t.  If you are in the chair for a long time it can add support you may miss with the standard foot rest.  My recommendation: Elevating Leg Rests