JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida is looking for pediatric patients with cerebral palsy to participate in power mobility clinic trials.
Families selected for the study will need to visit UNF three times over six months. Each session will be one hour and consist of walking and balance tests.
Each child will receive a stand-on, ride-on toy car adapted specifically for them to use at home.
The trial is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research. The goal is to see the impact that stand-on power mobility has on children's physical function.
UNF says these devices "allow for the self-generated, active control of mobility and maintaining posture to improve children’s balance and lower extremity strength." The devices used will be similar to one that UNF received a patent for last year.
According to a press release, "The UNF studies are the only known studies evaluating biomechanical factors underlying expected changes in balance and mobility function after stand-on, ride-on device usage. The results will guide future intervention work and enhance functional outcomes."
The study will be run by UNF's Laboratory of Applied Biomechanics and Engineering, led by Dr. Guilherme "Gui" M. Cesar, a UNF physical therapy assistant professor and rehabilitation researcher.
“We are grateful for the funding from NIH and Foundation for Physical Therapy Research that allows us to conduct this important, meaningful research,” Cesair said. “It’s so powerful to see the difference we can make in these children’s lives.”
