2 Quadrillion Backrest Configurations for Complex Postural Needs

The story behind our most ambitious postural seating project yet!

After a year of intensive development, we’re introducing what we believe represents a significant step forward in postural seating: the Lento Cove.

Built on decades of experience working with complex spinal asymmetries, this chair combines unprecedented adjustability with the soft, cocooning support that our most challenging cases require.

The numbers are genuinely remarkable, but they’re only part of the story.

Jump straight to…

• • • The Engineering Behind the Numbers
    • The Clinical Challenge We Set Out to Solve
    • The SpineSupporter™ Backrest
    • Evidence-Based Cushioning
    • Built on the Proven Lento Platform
    • Materials and Construction
    • Clinical Capacity
    • Benefits for Clinical Practice
    • See the Lento Cove at the OT Show
    • Summary

The Engineering Behind the Numbers

2,198,181,152,343,750 possible backrest configurations.

To put this in context: if you adjusted the backrest to a different configuration every second, it would take over 69 million years to exhaust every possibility.

But the real achievement isn’t the number itself – it’s that despite this level of configurability, the chair adjusts in seconds without tools. No complex mechanisms, no lengthy setup procedures, no compromise on ease of use.

For therapists working with severe scoliosis and complex spinal deformities, this means something practical: the ability to achieve truly individualised positioning without custom moulds or extended fabrication times.

Scoliotic spine

The Clinical Challenge We Set Out to Solve

Over our 53 years in healthcare seating, we’ve worked with thousands of clients with complex postural needs. The challenge has remained consistent: every spine with scoliosis or significant asymmetry presents differently, yet traditional seating solutions often rely on fixed custom moulds.

These one-off solutions, while necessary in many cases, come with limitations: extended lead times, significant costs, and inflexibility as needs evolve or conditions change.

“At Vivid Care, we believe everyone should be comfortable no matter how much support they need,” says our Managing Director, Tristan Hulbert. “So we knew we had to dig deep to produce a chair with the postural capabilities that could match the needs out there.”

The Lento Cove represents our response to this challenge: adjustable support that rivals custom solutions in precision, but with the flexibility and immediacy that off-the-shelf equipment provides.

The SpineSupporter™ Backrest: Precision Through Soft Support

The core innovation in the Lento Cove is the SpineSupporter™ backrest system.

The SpineSupporter™ Backrest System

Rather than rigid frames that create fixed contact points, we’ve developed a fibre-filled system with independently adjustable arms. The result is support that moulds to individual spinal contours whilst providing the lateral stability required for severe asymmetries.

The soft, cocooning approach offers an additional benefit for clients with sensory sensitivities or those who find traditional rigid seating distressing: firm postural control delivered through gentle, distributed contact.

Key features of the backrest system:

• Side-adjustable arms accommodate even severe scoliotic curves
• Shaped head cushion provides cervical support with vision cutaways
• Fibre-filled construction creates distributed pressure rather than point loading
• Pelvic hand support integrated into lower arm for enhanced pelvic stabilisation

Our R&D Director, Graham Oliver, explains the technical achievement: “The backrest system is effortless to adjust but can produce an amazing number of configurations. This enables you to achieve a perfect chair size and sitting position for every individual.”

Evidence-Based Cushioning: The Levitex Partnership

To complement the postural capabilities of the backrest, we partnered with Levitex, specialists in sleep posture technology, to develop the pelvic cradle cushion.

The cushion incorporates Levitex’s patented foam technology, which has been validated in clinical studies demonstrating:

• Effective pressure redistribution
• Significantly enhanced comfort levels
• Promotion of deeper relaxation
• Substantial reduction in mean pressure values

The multi-layer approach

The Levitex® Cradle Cushion doesn’t rely solely on a single foam technology. It combines the patented Levitex foam with three additional precision-selected foam grades, each engineered with specific angles and layering to achieve optimal pelvic alignment whilst maintaining pressure relief.

Levitex® Cradle Cushion

This multi-foam approach allows the cushion to balance two often competing requirements: the deep support needed for postural stability, and the pressure redistribution essential for tissue health and comfort during extended sitting.

Built on the Proven Lento Platform

The SpineSupporter™ backrest is mounted on our latest Lento Care Chair base, which has established a strong reputation among OTs and physiotherapists for intuitive, toolless adjustment.

Base adjustment capabilities:

• Seat height: 16-21″
• Seat depth: 18-22″
• Seat width: 16-22″
• Arm height: 7-12″
• Back height: 33″ (adjustable)

Positioning features:

• Tilt-in-space
• Backrest recline
• Articulating leg elevation
• Available in electric (remote handset) or manual operation

The toolless adjustment system means that fine-tuning can happen during assessment appointments, with changes made in response to immediate client feedback rather than requiring return visits or technical support.

Materials and Construction

Dartex Four-Way Stretch Covering

All contact surfaces use Dartex material for skin health management. The four-way stretch prevents shearing forces, whilst the breathable properties help maintain skin temperature and hydration. The material has demonstrated durability in excess of 300,000 rubs in testing and maintains its integrity when cleaned with chlorine-based solutions.

Dartex Colours Options

Frame and Longevity

The chair uses a solid stainless steel frame with high-quality motor mechanisms for electric variants. Made in the UK to healthcare equipment standards, with a five-year frame warranty. Service contracts available for multi-chair installations.

Clinical Capacity

• Weight capacity: 25 stone (158.7kg)
• Overall height: 52″
• Overall depth: 48″
• Overall width: 27-33″

The updated aesthetic maintains professional appearance in clinical settings whilst offering a less institutional look for residential care and home environments.

Clinical Applications

The Lento Cove has been designed specifically for clients requiring high levels of postural support combined with comfort during extended sitting periods.

Primary indications include:

• Severe structural or neuromuscular scoliosis
• Complex spinal asymmetries requiring lateral support
• Conditions where rigid seating has been poorly tolerated
• Progressive conditions requiring adaptable positioning
• Clients with concurrent sensory processing needs
• Cases previously requiring custom moulded seating

The chair is suitable across care settings: acute hospital environments, residential care facilities, hospice care, community rehabilitation services, and private homes where specialist postural seating has been prescribed.

The ability to adjust positioning without specialist tools makes the chair particularly suitable for environments where multiple care staff may need to modify settings, or where client needs fluctuate throughout the day.

Benefits for Clinical Practice

For therapists managing complex postural cases, the Lento Cove offers several practical advantages:

Assessment and prescription efficiency – The chair can be adjusted during the initial assessment appointment, allowing real-time observation of client positioning and response. This can reduce the assessment-to-provision timeline compared to custom-moulded solutions.

Adaptability to changing needs – As conditions progress or improve, or as client preferences evolve, the chair can be reconfigured without requiring new equipment or modifications. This is particularly relevant for progressive neurological conditions or paediatric cases where growth is a factor.

Evidence-based specification – The combination of clinically-validated foam technology and comprehensive adjustability provides documented support for equipment prescription and funding applications.

Multi-client flexibility – In settings where seating may need to accommodate different users (such as respite services or assessment centres), the extensive configurability allows one chair to serve multiple client profiles.

“This marks the culmination of extensive work,” Tristan adds. “We’re bringing another game-changer into the therapist’s seating arsenal when working with complex postural needs.”

See the Lento Cove at the OT Show

We’ll be demonstrating the Lento Cove at the OT Show in Birmingham, 26-27 November 2025.

This is an opportunity to see the full range of adjustment in person, discuss specific case requirements, and understand how the chair might fit within your clinical practice or care environment.

If you’re unable to attend the Birmingham event, we can arrange demonstrations at our Wetherby showroom (with parking and wheelchair access on-site), or we can bring the chair to your facility for assessment with specific clients.

Summary

The Lento Cove represents our most comprehensive approach to complex postural seating to date.

After 53 years in healthcare seating, we’ve learned that meaningful innovation addresses both technical challenges and quality of life. The Lento Cove attempts to do both: providing the postural precision required for severe asymmetries whilst delivering the comfort that enables extended, sustainable sitting.

With over 2 quadrillion possible configurations, the goal isn’t complexity for its own sake – it’s ensuring that every individual, regardless of how complex their postural needs, can achieve genuine comfort and appropriate support.

That’s what the Lento Cove is designed to deliver.

Want to Know More?

See the Full Specifications:
Visit our Lento Cove product page for complete details, dimensions, and fabric options.

Book a Demonstration:
Call us on 01423 799960 or email [email protected]

Visit Our Showroom:
Come see the Lento Cove and our full range at our Wetherby showroom. Parking and wheelchair access available on site. Appointments preferred.

The Lento Cove supersedes our Lento Trio Care Chair. Don’t worry – we still fully support all Lento Trio chairs we’ve supplied, but going forward, the Cove offers greater support, more adjustment, and even better comfort.