Sometimes one needs to lift up the footrest to allow best access to your exam chair for the disabled or elderly. At the end of the exam some folks forget they are on a platform and risk a fall off the footrest as they get up. So I’ll lift up the footrest for them to exit.
The trouble begins with the heel of their foot catching the back side of the footrest. Theres a little ledge under the pivot bar that the heel can push. The platform pivots forward so that if crash lands behind them in with a loud metallic clunk after the first step away.
I invented a fix that prevents this unwanted surprise. The chairs we use are the Topcon OC-20T.
A Magnetic Solution
After experimentation I found that N40 magnets from a business called “MagnetMan” on Amazon creates the perfect blend of attraction without requiring too much force to disengage. These are strong neodynium magnets and you will need to take caution with this size or larger. Skin caught in between two magnets can cause a blood blister or a bruise due to the strong magnetic forces attracting to each other.
The footrest on my chair is attached by a wingnut. The back side has slots to allow the upholstery seam to attach.
Slip a magnet into the wooden slot and continuing through the padding to reach the backside of the upholstery.
You can use another magnet to guide it to where it’s best.
After positioning the 2 chair magnets behind the upholstery, determining where to place the magnets for the footrest is easy. They will self center. Keeping the placement high like shown may offer the best leverage for keeping the footrest in place when raised.
The footrest is made of aluminum so the magnets won’t stay by themselves when when the footrest is lowered. A dab of double-sided sticky foam tape holds them in placed when deployed.
Their may still be some instances of “kerbangs” but my solution should prevent most of them now.