Prairies to Penguins
This April 2013, in support of SCI Research, a local man will depart from St. Albert, AB and travel to the southernmost point of South America on his motorcycle. In 2010 the planning for this trip began after Dave’s Brother in Law suffered a spinal cord injury. This emotional experience pushed Dave into action and he began to devise a plan to raise funds for SCI Research. To follow Dave’s journey through his blog and/or to donate to this cause, visit his website: Prairies to Penguins.
IFESS Conference
SCITCS continues, as we have done since 1987, to promote and financially support applied research, bringing state-of-the-art technology and research to Northern Alberta.
September 9th-13th 2012 International Functional Electrical Stimulation (IFESS) Conference Banff, Alberta.
October 2012 5th National SCI Conference Vancouver, British Columbia.
ACHIEVEMENTS 2006-2007
We are anticipating arrival of the RehaMove arm crank www.hasomed.de or click on Application of FES at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. This too will be a first in Canada. Achieved June 2006
We have taken possession of a Concept 2 rowing machine and are looking forward to acquiring the adaptive equipment necessary for FES rowing by April 2006. Achieved June 2006
We will expand the number of Ergys FES stationary bikes by three to a total of five and we will include an additional three Stim boxes. Achieved December 2006
NOTE: The new equipment will be a part of applied FES research that will take place in the SCITCS FES Research Facility created and named June 2006 by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. An Ergys bike and a stimulator have been added to the FES equipment in the SCITCS FES Clinic to allow people with SCI and others to exercise by moving their paralyzed imbs and so maintain their health. It is anticipated that the additional bike and stimulator will promote expansion of the FES exercise program
Dr Brian Andrews professor at the University of Oxford, England and champion rower Robin Gibbons visited in September 2006. Dr Andrews and Robin are promoting the use of FES rowing to improve the health of people with a spinal cord injury. To date 6 participants with paraplegia competed against able-bodied rowers in the same event and were successful in earning 6 medals at the Indoor Rowing Championships held in England. Learn more about FES indoor competitive rowing in the UK. Dr. Andrews and Dr. Garry Wheeler, the original researchers, are to be commended as is Robin Gibbons captain, trainer and competitor who says” rowing has taken over my life”. See Robin’s story in the SCITCS Newsletter. pages 11-14 Achieved September 2006
SCITCS is awaiting the arrival of the RehaBike-tricycle from www.hasomed.de The RehaBike consists of a specially equipped recumbent tricycle and the RehaStim stimulator which uses FES. At the push of a button cycling starts. The tricycle can be used to cycle outside the laboratory. Richard Stein Ph.D. of the Centre for Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry will conduct research into the application of FES to cycle. Go to SCITCS Newsletter to view the tricycle in the FES Sports Day article Pages 10-11. Achieved March 2007
Never Say…”Never” Golf Tournament 2010
http://www.craigsimpsoncharity.com
2006 Golf Tournament electrodes are applied to muscles to allow Scott Osler, assisted by Craig Simpson, to stand and takes steps.
Scott Oster, a 26 year old, who had a spinal cord injury at the T4/T5 level in April 2001, used the FES equipment in the SCITCS Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Exercise Clinic located in The Steadward Centre at the University of Alberta to rebuild his legs. This included the FES rowing machine developed by Drs. Wheeler and Andrews and a wheelchair propelled by FES attached to his legs, which was developed by Kelly James and Dr. Stein of the Rehabilitation Neuroscience group at the University of Alberta. However, his real desire was to walk again and for that purpose Dr. Stein and Robert Rolf worked with Frank Hayday of Karl Hager Limb and Brace to combine FES with a new kind of brace, called a stance-controlled knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO), developed by Gary Horton in Little Rock, Arkansas
