When you think of wheelchairs, you probably do not think of wheelchair rentals because most people that need a wheelchair need it indefinitely. However, there are some very valid reasons for renting a wheelchair versus buying one.

You Only Need a Wheelchair Until Your Leg Heals

If you had surgery on your leg(s) or hip(s), you may only need a wheelchair to get around until you are healed. Likewise, if you broke bones in your leg, your doctor may want you to keep the leg straight and elevated for a couple of weeks before allowing you to hobble around on crutches. Clearly, you would not want to buy a wheelchair if you are only going to use it for a very short time. Renting a wheelchair is the only thing that makes sense.

You Want to "Test-Drive" an Electric One

Electric wheelchairs provide greater mobility and independence. If you are in a wheelchair already and plan to use it indefinitely, then you may want to buy an electric one. Yet, you may want to "test-drive" the available models of electric wheelchairs prior to buying one so that you can find one that is most comfortable for you and find one with features you really like. Renting an electric wheelchair is also a possibility, depending on which medical supply store you visit.

You Are Very Large or Very Small

Buying wheelchairs for the exceptionally large person or the very tiny person is very expensive. These custom sizes cost more to produce because they are not in high demand. Usually, the double-wide wheelchairs are for people suffering from morbid obesity, and the small ones are for children or little people adults. If you need a custom size wheelchair, it is more cost-effective to rent it than to buy it.

There are plenty of medical supply stores that rent and sell medical goods. With the exception of custom-sized chairs, you can probably find any other type of wheelchair for rent at one of these places. For the custom-sized wheelchairs, you will need to call ahead to see if these stores carry the very small or very large wheelchairs and what they charge to rent them. If none of the medical supply stores in your area carry the specialty wheelchairs, you may be able to place a special request for one and then wait a few days for it to arrive before picking it up.