Used and refurbished rehabilitation and mobility equipment

Rehabilitation and mobility covers therapy and treatment tables, traction units, therapeutic modality equipment — ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation, shortwave and laser therapy — parallel bars, mat platforms, exercise and conditioning equipment, isokinetic systems, patient lifts and transfer equipment, wheelchairs, walkers and mobility aids, and hydrotherapy equipment.

The category comes to market in groups. A clinic relocating, a hospital rehabilitation department refitting or a fitness facility refreshing its equipment releases a coherent set at once, and buying a group is both cheaper per item and faster to put into service than assembling the same set piece by piece. The equipment itself is mechanically simple, which is what makes it a sound used purchase — the wear is visible, it is on the surface, and almost all of it is correctable.

What varies most between two units that look identical

Wear from continuous use, which is what ages this equipment. Rehabilitation equipment is used all day, every day, by many different people. That shows in upholstery first, in cable and pulley systems second, and in lift mechanisms third. None of it is hidden, but it does need to be looked at deliberately. Ask for photographs of the working surfaces and the moving parts rather than a general shot of the item.

On powered treatment tables, the lift mechanism. Hydraulic and electric lift tables both wear at the mechanism, and the failure mode is the same: slow travel, hesitation, drift under load, or a table that will not hold height. Confirm the table runs its full height range smoothly under a realistic load, in both directions, and holds position without creeping. On hi-lo tables with articulating sections, confirm each section independently.

On modality equipment, the applicator and the calibration. Therapeutic ultrasound heads and electrical stimulation electrodes and leads are the working parts, and they are the parts most often missing or worn out. Ultrasound therapy heads have a calibrated output that drifts and should be verified rather than assumed. Confirm which applicators, heads, leads and electrodes are included, and confirm when the unit was last calibrated.

On cable and pulley systems, the whole run. Cables fray from the inside out and the failure is not always visible at the ends. Ask for photographs of the full cable length, the pulleys, and the weight stack, and confirm the stack pin and any selector hardware are present.

On patient lifts, the sling, the battery and the rating. A lift without slings is not a lift, slings are size-specific and rated, and slings from one manufacturer are not automatically compatible with another's spreader bar. Confirm which slings are included, in which sizes, and that they are compatible and undamaged. Battery condition on powered lifts is a consumable cost. Confirm the safe working load rating and treat it as a specification.

On wheelchairs, the fit specification. Seat width and depth, back height, footrest style, wheel size, cushion and armrest type. Two chairs of the same model can be configured very differently, and a chair that does not fit the user is not usable equipment.

What to confirm before buying

• Upholstery and foam condition, described separately
• That every powered movement runs full travel smoothly under load and holds position
• Weight capacity ratings and the footprint against the space, before purchase rather than after
• Which applicators, heads, leads and electrodes are included on modality equipment
• Calibration date on any equipment with a calibrated output, and what recalibration involves
• Cable, pulley and weight stack condition on resistance equipment, with photographs of full runs
• On lifts, sling sizes and compatibility, battery condition and safe working load
• On wheelchairs, the full fit specification and which cushions and accessories are included
• Electrical safety testing on any powered equipment that contacts patients, and what your setting requires
• Whether assembly hardware and manuals travel with the equipment

Freight, delivery and installation

Freight in this category is decided by dimensions rather than weight, and the dimensions are frequently large. Parallel bars, mat platforms and treatment tables are light and bulky, which is the combination freight carriers price most steeply. Where equipment can be shipped partly disassembled, it is usually worth doing, and it is worth asking whether the seller will do it — a mat platform broken down onto a pallet costs a fraction of one shipped assembled.

Delivery access follows the usual rules: dock, liftgate or inside delivery, decided in advance rather than at the truck. Measure the route, including elevator car dimensions, for anything that cannot be disassembled.

Assembly is the distinctive cost in this category. Parallel bars, exercise equipment, mat platforms and isokinetic systems arrive in pieces, and reassembly needs the hardware, the manual and time. Confirm before purchase that all mounting hardware travels with the equipment and that a manual exists — a machine reassembled from guesswork is a machine you cannot be confident of.

Floor mounting is the last consideration. Parallel bars and some resistance equipment are anchored, which means the destination floor and the anchor pattern have to be right and the work has to be scheduled. Confirm the mounting requirement before delivery, not after.