What is “central arterial stiffness,” and why is it important? Arterial stiffness is the consequence of many modifiable and non-modifiable factors that include age, gender, physical activity levels, family history, diet, body composition, and blood pressure level. An increase in arterial stiffness is directly correlated with cardiovascular (CV) disease and the hardening and loss of elasticity of the arteries in the heart and brain. Continue reading
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Do caster size and weight distribution affect wheelchair rolling resistance?
| 1 commentDoes size matter? As you are probably aware, propelling a wheelchair is not a very efficient use of your energy. You have probably heard that the type of tires you use and the importance of inflating them regularly makes a big difference to how much energy you use, but have you thought about the size of your front wheels, called casters? Continue reading
A phone-monitored upper limb home exercise program for post-stroke individuals
| 0 commentsPost stroke recovery– The ideal rehabilitation program: Up to 75% of stroke survivors have upper limb impairments that make everyday tasks like grasping a cup or utensil difficult. Many of these individuals become reluctant to use their affected limb in daily activities (called “learned non-use”). This can be detrimental to their long-term health, since reduced arm use has been associated with consequences such as decreased strength and bone density. Continue reading
The costs of autonomic dysreflexia for people with SCI
| 0 commentsWhat is Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD)? AD is a life-threatening condition that can develop as a common secondary condition for people with spinal cord injuries. It is triggered by an overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system—the system responsible for all unconscious bodily functions such as the heart control and breathing. Continue reading
The effects of personalizing assistive technology
| 4 commentsWhat is assistive technology? With today’s aging population, there is a significant increase in the number of older adults experiencing physical disabilities and limitations in mobility. Assistive technology (AT) can be very beneficial to these individuals in promoting participation in daily life. Continue reading
How does fatigue affect participation in the community?
| 0 commentsAllie Donaldson & Otto Tam Edited by Ana-Maria Oproescu This is a summary of a research study conducted by ICORD researchers Dr. Bita Imam, Dr. William Miller, Dr. Hugh Anton, Dr. Susan Forwell, and Dr. Andrea Townson. Click here to Read More…
Using robot-applied resistance in walking rehabilitation
| 0 commentsAdrian Cheng, Lia Yu, Ana-Maria Oproescu This is a summary of a research study done by Dr. Tania Lam and colleagues at ICORD. Dr. Lam’s research interests are focused on human walking and its relationship with the nervous system. Click Read More…
Drug and cell therapies for SCI
| 0 commentsAna-Maria Oproescu and Victoria McCann This is a summary of a literature review which combines the findings of many individual studies about drug and cell therapies for SCI and discusses the major developments and challenges in these areas of research. Read More…
Virtual reality and spinal cord injury
| 4 commentsDirk Haupt Dirk Haupt is a masters student at UBC. For the final project of his Biomedical Engineering 554 class, he worked on a project to design a virtual environment to investigate how people with SCI perceive and use their Read More…
The influence of a polymer damper on swing-through crutch gait biomechanics
| 0 commentsLynda Bennet Original article: MacGillivary, M.K., Manocha, R,.H.K., & Sawatzky, B.J. (2015). The influence of a polymer damper on swing-through crutch gait biomechanics, Medical Engineering and Physics Journal. doi: 10.1016 /j.medengphy.2015.12.010. Find the original article here. Crutches are crutches are Read More…