Lifting up

This depends on the circumstances. If your the child’s parent then you may lift as you see fit, but bearing in mind as the child grows they will get heavier and less stable so hoisting using a inflatable pillow to rise up may be necessary or a hoist.

If this is a school situation then manual handling leads to various health and safety issues for both the child and the lifter. Ultimately an ambulance would need to be called. Forcing a child with weakening muscles to pull themselves up could be cruel and dangerous. Especially with Duchene. Pulling a muscle could impact for days or permanently. It really does depend on the child. How they fall, their size and how much mobility they have. In a school situation this should be discussed jointly with parents, OT and School doctor what the action plan is in event of a fall. The child and the parents should be consulted on how they wish their care or manual lifting to be carried out along with support form a physio or OT to advise on the safety of plan.

Dangers of manual lifting someone with a muscle condition:-
joints and muscles are floppy or loose. so lifting with arms could easily dislocate a joint or stretch a muscle or ligament.
lifting around chest could restrict breathing.

What may be worth looking at is an ‘Pro Move sling’ I play powerchair football and this sling is what is commonly used to lift fully grown adults by only two people. Its also what is being considered in my own workplace for standby in event of a fire should my exit in my powerchair be prevented by potential debris from a fire etc.