A tether system for the removable leg supports of a wheelchair to prevent the misplacement of the leg supports when they are removed to facilitate the loading or unloading of a patient from the wheelchair. The leg supports are tethered with a pair of cord rewind assemblies fixed to the inside frame of the wheelchair to conserve space. These rewind mechanisms permit the nurse to remove the leg supports from the wheelchair, extend the respective cords from the rewind assemblies to a desired temporary storage location, and automatically lock the cord and the leg supports in that extended position until the cord is pulled slightly releasing the lock and permitting the cords to be rewound or retracted when the nurse remounts the leg supports on the wheelchair frame assembly.
