Current Projects

Title: Combining functional electrical stimulation with high intensity interval training at home

Objectives:  1) To evaluate the feasibility (i.e., rates of recruitment, enrollment, adherence and adverse events) of FES+HIIT@Home for community-dwelling individuals with SCI. 2) To evaluate the effect of FES+HIIT@Home on measures of function, muscle strength, spasticity, exercise self-efficacy, cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness among community-dwelling individuals with SCI. 3) To describe the contexts (e.g., virtual setting, group sessions) and mechanisms (e.g., FES, HIIT, education) that impact outcomes from the perspectives of people with SCI.

Funder: Craig H. Neilsen Foundation SCI Research on the Translational Spectrum

Title: Functional electrical stimulation and high-intensity interval training for individuals with spinal cord injury: Development of an educational toolkit for home-based rehabilitation

Objective: Identify the content to include in the FES+HIIT@Home Toolkit from the perspectives of individuals with SCI and physical therapists.

Title: Stimulating postural control to augment rehabilitation after cerebral stroke (SPARC): a pilot trial

Objectives: 1) Describe and compare clinical, biomechanical and neurophysiological outcomes between individuals with stroke who receive reactive balance training (RBT) with transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) and those who receive RBT with sham tSCS, and 2) Determine the acceptability of RBT combined with tSCS.

Funder: Dean Connor and Maris Uffelmann CRANIA Innovation Award

Title: Exploring current mobility and balance rehabilitation practices for young adults with cerebral palsy in Canada: Perspectives from patients and physical therapists

Objectives: 1) Describe experiences of current practices for the rehabilitation of mobility and balance in Canada for young adults with cerebral palsy (CP), 2) Identify service gaps in current rehabilitative practice, and 3) Explore recommendations for addressing deficits in mobility and balance for young adults with CP.

Funder: Coriat Family Fund

Title: Stimulating change in cerebral palsy rehabilitation: an implementation intervention to increase use of functional electrical stimulation

Objective: Evaluate the effects of an implementation intervention on physical and occupational therapists’ knowledge, confidence and use of functional electrical stimulation in the rehabilitation of individuals living with cerebral palsy.

Funder: Cass Family Grant & Coriat Family Fund

Title: Reimagining walking assessment for individuals living with spinal cord injury/disorder: Overcoming limitations and enhancing rehabilitation

Objectives: 1) To understand the importance of assessing and treating gait adaptability after SCI. 2) To explore the need to incorporate measures of gait adaptability into the Standing and Walking Assessment Tool (SWAT), a standardized guideline lacking a gait adaptability measure and used to evaluate and prognosticate walking ability after SCI.

Title: Losing balance to prevent falls after spinal cord injury

Objectives: To develop a novel intervention that improves balance in a clinically meaningful and feasible way, facilitating the recovery of safe upright mobility and addressing the challenge of falls. 

Funder: Craig H. Neilsen Foundation SCI Research on the Translational Spectrum

Title: Development and validation of a clinically feasible, novel therapy for improving standing balance and reducing falls

Objectives:  1) Develop a wireless prototype of the functional electrical stimulation + visual feedback balance training (FES+VFBT) system using a participatory design approach, 2) Conduct feasibility testing of the wireless FES+VFBT system with end-users, and 3) Conduct integrated and end-of-grant knowledge translation activities to facilitate commercialization and clinical implementation of the wireless FES+VFBT system. 

Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council