When choosing a riser recliner chair, unfortunately one is immediately pitched into a jungle of unnecessarily complex technical jargon.
One of the most confusing questions is whether to choose a single motor (“lump”) or dual (2 motor) chair. To further confuse the issue, some chairs even have 3 motors.
It all boils down to a fairly simple matter and that is whether or not the back of the chair needs to move completely independently of the base.
Originally, a single motor riser recliner could only have 2 positions. You could sit upright with your feet on the floor, or you could lie back with your feet up. Although this was quite comfortable, you would have had problems trying to watch television, as you would literally, be reduced to peering between you knees. Not exactly relaxing!
Fortunately things have moved on a bit since then. Most modern single motor chairs have a 3–way action system, which enables you to sit upright with your feet on the ground; to sit upright with your feet raised and to recline (almost) flat out and any position in between. There are even some models, which allow a modified Trendelenberg, or zero gravity position, but more of this later. It is worth mentioning there is single motor model, known as a “wall hugger” The wall hugger does all the above and in addition, moves forward as it reclines, allowing it to operate in a much smaller space.
So with all this sophistication, why bother with the (more expensive) dual motor models at all? Because only a dual motor system will allow the back to operate completely separately from the base, which brings us back to Zero gravity.
Incidentally, 3 motor chairs, are classed as a dual and operate in exactly the same way as a standard dual, but the lighter weight frame requires 3 motors to achieve the same positions.
Trendelenberg a 19th century surgeon, discovered that if, when lying flat, the head was positioned lower than the feet, the resulting realignment of the internal organs made abdominal surgery a much simpler and therefore less traumatic experience for the patient.
This position was also discovered (fortunately for us) to be very relaxing and proved to be very beneficial for patients suffering from circulatory disorders. The raised feet aided the circulation (less hard work for the heart) and surprise surprise, was very comfortable. Today a modified Trendelenberg or Zero Gravity position, with the head slightly higher is generally preferred
So with the feet raised higher than the abdomen, to take advantage of improved circulation and the head located to adopt a “cradle” position, zero gravity is proving most comfortable and a real hit with users.
Using a dual motor chair also enables the user to change the position of the head without disturbing the lower body. So a position can be adopted best for snoozing or reading/television while still benefiting from “zero gravity”. This ability to alter the upper body position quite separately; is a boon for sufferers of many conditions, including arthritis, MS and Parkinson’s disease, among many others.
Having taken the decision whether to have one lump or two, you will find choosing the best Riser chair for your purpose, a much simpler and we hope, a much less stressful task.
Or if all this is a bit much, why not just call us on 0800 678 5208? We’d love to help!