What is biomechanics? Biomechanics is the science of movement of a living body, including how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movement. Continue reading
Blog Archives: mobility
Cardiovascular health during rehabilitation
| 0 commentsCardiovascular disease is more prevalent within the SCI community than in the general population.The reason for this is because of the extensive amount of bed rest following traumatic spinal cord injury, which results in a low level of physical activity and cardiovascular fitness. Continue reading
Wheelchair angles and heart health
| 1 commentCan the angle of your wheelchair affect your heart health? Have you ever wondered whether different body positions affect the way your heart pumps blood to the rest of your body? Continue reading
Exercise heart rate and physical activity after SCI
| 2 commentsWhy study physical activity and participation? High-level SCI can cause damage to nerves that regulate the cardiovascular system, making it hard for affected individuals to regulate their heart rate and blood pressure. As a consequence, blood pressure can be very low in people with high-level SCI, and their heart rates are often slow and fail to increase as they should during exercise. Continue reading
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
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
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…
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…
Power wheelchairs in the community: wheelchair choices of older adults
| 0 commentsBryan Ng Original Article: This is a summary of a paper published by researchers in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the University of British Columbia, including ICORD researcher Dr. Ben Mortenson. Mortenson, W. Hammell, K. Luts, Read More…
Energy Harvesters: Generating Electricity During Walking with Minimal User Effort
| 0 commentsMartin Keung This is a summary of a journal article published in Science. Dr. Andy Hoffer, a principal investigator at ICORD, was one of the researchers involved with this project. J.M. Donelan, et al. (2008). Biomechanical energy harvesting: generating electricity during Read More…
