Mobility Research
The Research Center’s mobility studies seek to improve motor function in children and adolescents with ambulatory impairments ranging from brain or spinal cord injury to chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy (CP). Our research examines cutting edge technologies such as robotic exoskeletons and gait training, to lightweight wheelchairs and adaptive rock-climbing walls.
Our Current Studies
Gait Training using Computer Feedback for Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy (ages 7-17): In collaboration with the Kessler Foundation, this study explores whether using a display that gives information and feedback on the walking pattern can benefit gait training therapy for children with hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy. For more information, please contact Xuan Liu xliu@kesslerfoundation.org.
Biofeedback gait retraining for stiff knee gait correction: multi-joint adaptation in children with cerebral palsy (Ages 7-17): This study looks at whether using a display that gives information and feedback on the walking pattern can benefit gait training therapy for children with cerebral palsy who have a “stiff knee” walking pattern where the knee is straight when the foot is off the ground. For more information, please contact Xuan Liu xliu@kesslerfoundation.org.
More Studies in Mobility
Evaluating the impact of the Treadwall in Camp BECOME - This study investigates whether children with hemiplegic CP, who used the treadwall in the 2018 Camp BECOME program, will have more improvements compared to children who participated in the camp during previous years when the treadwall was not in use.
Correlates of Healthcare Service Utilization in a sample of children with CP - The proposed study will explore the relationship between sociodemographic factors and other characteristics of children with CP and their patterns of health care utilization, including potential barriers to and facilitators of service utilization.
Our Recent Publications
Shoval, Hannah, et al. 'Safety of combined salivary gland and multilevel intramuscular onabotulinumtoxinA injections with and without ethanol in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy: A retrospective study. ' Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine Preprint (2019): 1-8.
Karunakaran KK, Pilkar R, Ehrenberg N, Bentley KS, Cheng J and Nolan KJ (2019) Kinematic and Functional Gait Changes After the Utilization of a Foot Drop Stimulator in Pediatrics. Front. Neurosci. 13:732. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00732
Oliveira, Nuno, et al. Visual kinematic feedback enhances the execution of a novel knee flexion gait pattern in children and adolescents. Gait & Posture 74 (2019): 94-101.
Beavers, D. B., Holm, M. B., Rogers, J. C., Plummer, T., & Schmeler, M. (2018). Adaptation of the adult Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA) into a FMA-Family Centred (FMA-FC) paediatric version. Child: Care, Health and Development, 12(8), 626–631.
Nolan K.J., et al. (2018). Robotic Exoskeleton Gait Training for Inpatient Rehabilitation in a Young Adult with Traumatic Brain Injury. 2018 40th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Honolulu, HI, 2018.
For a full list of publications, please click here.