---
title: Best All-Terrain Tires for Manual Wheelchairs
description: Wheelchairs can take people with spinal cord injuries to some amazing places, but without the right tires, it's hard to go anywhere.
image: https://www.spinalcord.com/hubfs/featured18.jpg
---

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# Best All-Terrain Tires for Manual Wheelchairs

 Author: [Spinal Cord Team](https://www.spinalcord.com/meet-our-authors)

 Publish Date: October 17, 2022

![featured18](https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/featured18.jpg?width=754&name=featured18.jpg)

Wheelchairs can take people with spinal cord injuries to some amazing places, but without the right tires, it's hard to go anywhere. Manual wheelchair users, more than ever before demand a tire that takes can handle any kind of terrain. Fortunately, manufacturers are listening and there is a wide variety to choose from. Here are five highly recommended all-terrain tires for manual wheelchairs.

 

## **Schwalbe Marathon Plus** 

 

Schwalbe, a wheelchair manufacturing company from Germany, is known for their highly coveted Marathon Plus wheelchair tires. They are 100% "flat-resistant," with many users saying they are able to hold their air pressure for 3 to 4 weeks before needing to be filled. They are wider than the average wheelchair tire and are constructed of hard rubber. Also, these tires can last up to 16 months or longer depending on how many miles you roll each day.

 

Learn more: [https://schwalbemedical.com/products/schwalbe-marathon-plus-hs-440-wheelchair-tire](https://schwalbemedical.com/products/schwalbe-marathon-plus-hs-440-wheelchair-tire) 

 

## **Primos Sentinel**

 

The Primo Sentinel wheelchair tire is one of the most popular puncture-resistant wheelchair tires available. It is able to withstand all kinds of terrain thanks to its dual-layer nylon casing and a 3mm anti-puncture insert. It is also a non-marking black tire with a grooved tread pattern, which helps with outdoor use. The flat-guard technology in these tires can even prevent flats from glass and thorns.

 

Learn more: [https://www.sportaid.com/tires/primo.html](https://www.sportaid.com/tires/primo.html) 

 

## **Kenda Kobra**

 

Kenda is a well-known tire manufacturer from Taiwan that started out making tires for bicycles and added wheelchair tires to their line of products a while back. For those looking for a premium all-terrain wheelchair tire, the Kobra tire made by Kenda is one of the best out there. They feature a semi-slick tread with a flat center, and there are knobs on the outside. They’re also excellent for going from one terrain to another without having to change your tires and are good on snow, dirt, grass, and pavement.

 

Learn more: [https://shop.kendatire.com/Kobra-p/25242288520.htm](https://shop.kendatire.com/Kobra-p/25242288520.htm) 

 

## **Kenda Nevegal Pro**

 

The Nevegal Pro is an award-winning mountain bike tire made by Kenda and is great in all conditions, both hard and soft packing dirt and snow. This tire is made specifically for bicycles, not wheelchairs, but it has become however popular among wheelchair users since it is a great all-terrain tire. The tire has a 110 PSI, is constructed of wire beading, and has 2-ply construction with “Stick-E” rubber, making for a better grip. 

 

Learn more: [https://shop.kendatire.com/Nevegal-p/212149.htm](https://shop.kendatire.com/Nevegal-p/212149.htm) 

 

## **Fat Wide **

 

If you're willing to swap your wheels for something more hardcore for serious terrain traversing, look no further than the Fat Wide wheelchair wheels made by Invictus Active. These wheels are built on a 507mm FAT rim with an offset hub. They also have Schwalbe Crazy Bob tires, which have a wraparound tread, making them popular for racing. 

 

Learn more: [https://www.invictusactive.com/product/fat-wide-wheelchair-wheels/](https://www.invictusactive.com/product/fat-wide-wheelchair-wheels/) 

 

Remember, if you need wheelchair tires that work for all-terrain use in a pinch, go to your local bicycle store and purchase standard mountain bike tires for your wheelchair. Make sure the tires you choose have plenty of knobs. Most mountain bike tires will fit as long as they are the correct size, which is typically anywhere between 24 and 27 inches.

**Topics:** Best All-Terrain Tires for Manual Wheelchairs, Schwalbe Marathon Plus, Primos Sentinel, Kenda Kobra, Kenda Nevegal Pro, Fat Wide

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### Spinal Cord Injury

- [Types of Spinal Cord Injuries](https://www.spinalcord.com/types-of-spinal-cord-injuries)
- [Secondary Complications](https://www.spinalcord.com/secondary-complications-after-sci-spinal-cord-injury)
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### Brain Injury

- [Types of Brain Injuries](https://www.spinalcord.com/types-of-traumatic-brain-injury)
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- [Symptoms](https://www.spinalcord.com/traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-symptoms)
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```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Article",
  "articleBody" : "The spinal cord is a vital part of the human body. As the vehicle responsible for carrying messages from the brain to the rest of the body and back again, even the smallest interference can be detrimental. Following a traumatic <A href=\"/spinal-cord-injury\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><SPAN style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spinal cord injury</SPAN></A>, this bundle of nerves can become bruised, also known as <A href=\"//www.spinalcord.com/blog/contusion-vs.-concussion-understanding-the-difference\">a contusion.</A> Because of the nature of the nervous system, any interference can constitute a serious spinal contusion, but these facts will help you dissect all of the information from the medical professionals.</P>\n\n<H2><STRONG>What Is a Spinal Contusion?</STRONG></H2>\n<IMG src=\"https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=300&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg\" alt=\"Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image\" width=\"300\" style=\"width: 300px; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;\" srcset=\"https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=150&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 150w, https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=300&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 300w, https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=450&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 450w, https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=600&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 600w, https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=750&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 750w, https://www.spinalcord.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-Images/Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg?width=900&amp;name=Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image-min.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"/>\n<P>Much like any other bruise, a contusion can cause bleeding from local blood vessels and inflammation which, rather<I><SPAN style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unlike</SPAN></I> bruises on other parts of the body, can have serious negative impacts on the spinal cord itself. Because the<A href=\"/blog/contusion-vs.-concussion-understanding-the-difference\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> “blood must clot to stop the bleeding”</A>a bruise results from contusions also increase cardiovascular risks.</P>\n<P>For example, the swelling a contusion can cause will often disrupt nerve impulses that travel from the brain to the body through the spinal cord, and the severity of this will depend upon the level of injury. Unlike a concussion, a contusion would not cause unconsciousness or a ‘blackout’, but instead cause the patient to feel a numbness or tingling in the extremities.</P>\n<P>A contusion can cause spinal compression, which happens when there is pressure on the spinal cord. This can go on to cause an array of <A href=\"http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/nervous_system_disorders/spinal_cord_compression_134,13/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">physical symptoms</A> such as loss of sensation in the feet, inability to use the hands and loss of sexual ability. It must be noted that not all contusions cause spinal compression, and not all spinal compression is caused by a contusion, although they do often connect this way.</P>\n<H2><STRONG>Warning Signs of a Serious Spinal Contusion to Watch For</STRONG></H2>\n<P>Firstly, doctors will try and establish what area or limb the injury has affected. Spinal contusions most often “affect the upper extremities bilaterally and also sometimes involve the lower extremities,” <A href=\"http://www.healio.com/orthopedics/journals/ortho/2012-1-35-1/%7B7b1ed5f6-d6ca-435e-b69a-dba8a6d7c3c0%7D/spinal-cord-contusions\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to Dr. Wong</A>, an orthopedic physician.</P>\n<P>Symptoms include “numbness, tingling, [or] electric shock-like sensations and burning in the extremities,” <A href=\"http://www.aans.org/patient%20information/conditions%20and%20treatments/spinal%20cord%20injury.aspx\">(American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2016)</A>. Generally falling into the category of “spinal trauma” there are many symptoms which are similar to other forms of spinal trauma and spinal cord injury. Below are some symptoms of spinal trauma:</P>\n<UL>\n<LI>Spinal shock — or the &quot;loss of feeling or movement below site of injury&quot; <A href=\"http://www.columbianeurosurgery.org/conditions/spinal-trauma/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><I>(Columbia University Medical Centre, 2016) </I></A>that can last between hours and weeks</LI>\n<LI>Loss of bladder or bowel function</LI>\n<LI>Difficulty breathing</LI>\n<LI>Muscle spasticity</LI>\n<LI>Difficulty understanding speech</LI>\n<LI>Problems with attention</LI>\n<LI>Memory challenges</LI>\n<LI>Heart rate and blood pressure problems</LI>\n</UL>\n<P>Unfortunately, it is sometimes challenging to identify which symptoms are due to a spinal contusion, and which ones are the result of a spinal cord injury directly. It can sometimes require a few days or weeks for the body to recover from spinal trauma and reveal if any permanent damage is left from the accident that caused the SCI.</P>\n<P>Understanding what a contusion is, and how it can come into play following a spinal cord injury is important in order to clearly appreciate your injury, understand your diagnoses, and work toward treatment and a prognosis. Doctors can sometimes use jargon that’s difficult to understand, so the more you can educate yourself about your condition, the more control you can have in your recovery and treatment.</P>\n<P>If you still have questions about the details of the spinal cord and how it may be affected from your injury, please contact us or download our <A href=\"/the-simplified-guide-to-understanding-a-spinal-cord-injury\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">guide to understanding a spinal cord injury</A>.",
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"description":"The spinal cord is a vital part of the human body. As the vehicle responsible for carrying messages from the brain to the rest of the body and back again, even the smallest interference can be detrimental. Following a traumatic spinal cord injury, this bundle of nerves can become bruised, also known as a contusion. Because of the nature of the nervous system, any interference can constitute a serious spinal contusion, but these facts will help you dissect all of the information from the medical professionals.

What Is a Spinal Contusion?
Signs-of-a-spinal-contusion-title-image
Much like any other bruise, a contusion can cause bleeding from local blood vessels and inflammation which, rather unlike bruises on other parts of the body, can have serious negative impacts on the spinal cord itself. Because the “blood must clot to stop the bleeding”a bruise results from contusions also increase cardiovascular risks.

For example, the swelling a contusion can cause will often disrupt nerve impulses that travel from the brain to the body through the spinal cord, and the severity of this will depend upon the level of injury. Unlike a concussion, a contusion would not cause unconsciousness or a ‘blackout’, but instead cause the patient to feel a numbness or tingling in the extremities.

A contusion can cause spinal compression, which happens when there is pressure on the spinal cord. This can go on to cause an array of physical symptoms such as loss of sensation in the feet, inability to use the hands and loss of sexual ability. It must be noted that not all contusions cause spinal compression, and not all spinal compression is caused by a contusion, although they do often connect this way.

Warning Signs of a Serious Spinal Contusion to Watch For
Firstly, doctors will try and establish what area or limb the injury has affected. Spinal contusions most often “affect the upper extremities bilaterally and also sometimes involve the lower extremities,” according to Dr. Wong, an orthopedic physician.

Symptoms include “numbness, tingling, [or] electric shock-like sensations and burning in the extremities,” (American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2016). Generally falling into the category of “spinal trauma” there are many symptoms which are similar to other forms of spinal trauma and spinal cord injury. Below are some symptoms of spinal trauma:

Spinal shock — or the loss of feeling or movement below site of injury (Columbia University Medical Centre, 2016) that can last between hours and weeks
Loss of bladder or bowel function
Difficulty breathing
Muscle spasticity
Difficulty understanding speech
Problems with attention
Memory challenges
Heart rate and blood pressure problems
Unfortunately, it is sometimes challenging to identify which symptoms are due to a spinal contusion, and which ones are the result of a spinal cord injury directly. It can sometimes require a few days or weeks for the body to recover from spinal trauma and reveal if any permanent damage is left from the accident that caused the SCI.

Understanding what a contusion is, and how it can come into play following a spinal cord injury is important in order to clearly appreciate your injury, understand your diagnoses, and work toward treatment and a prognosis. Doctors can sometimes use jargon that’s difficult to understand, so the more you can educate yourself about your condition, the more control you can have in your recovery and treatment.

If you still have questions about the details of the spinal cord and how it may be affected from your injury, please contact us or download our guide to understanding a spinal cord injury.",
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