Stroke and incomplete spinal injury — therapy with a tricycle
| Location: | Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London. |
|---|---|
| Amount: | £16,003 |
| Status: | Research completed |
| Start Date: | 1st January 2003 |
| Finish Date: | 30th June 2003 |
| Grantholder: | Dr N Donaldson, MA, PhD, CEng, MIEE, MIPEM and Dr M E Fry, BSc (Eng), MSc, PhD. |
| Research worker: | Mr J A Norton |
Partial spinal injury and stroke affect over 100,000 people a year in the UK and leaves over a third of patients with difficulties in using their legs. Electrical stimulation of the leg muscles might enable some of these patients to use a specially adapted tricycle. This would give them a form of healthy exercise and may help them recover some lost leg function.
These researchers will investigate whether it is possible to detect the patient trying to push the pedals by voluntary effort. In the future, the aim is to study whether recovery is greater if electrical stimulation is given at the same time as the patient is trying to move the pedals. If so, equipment could be designed to assist this process and maximise the recovery. If successful, this cycle training could be carried out at home and offers a valuable new method for improving rehabilitation.
Researcher Dr Roger Fitzwalter, who is also a spinal cord injury patient, uses leg muscle stimulation to enable him to cycle
