Research

Clinical Research

Our lab studies ways to rehabilitate patients more effectively. We are experimenting with rehabilitation strategies for stroke survivors, children with muscle contractures due to burns, children with cerebral palsy, and more.

A Touchscreen System for Rehabilitation of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive motor conditions caused by disturbances to the developing brain, causing an impairment in motor function. Traditionally, therapy for children with cerebral palsy involves a child performing repeated movements of their arms, hands and fingers. Therapists try to make these movements into games to keep [...]

Combining Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation and Motor Training in Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors with Attentional Deficits

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major public health problem world-wide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 235,000 people in the U.S. alone are hospitalized annually with a TBI and survive. Approximately 80,500 of TBI survivors are left with long-term disability.  Another 10,000 or more who sustain a TBI, but are [...]

Randomized ActiveStep® Comparative Effectiveness Trial (RACE-T)

This study will assess the outcomes of balance training interventions using a device named the ActiveStep® training system and compare them with the outcomes of traditional balance training techniques. The ActiveStep® device is a treadmill-based system designed to introduce random perturbations while patients ambulate on the treadmill by moving the belt of the treadmill in [...]

Assessment of a Novel Gaming System for Patients with Upper-Extremity Burn Contractures.

Contractures or the inability to perform the full range of motion of a joint, are common after a burn injury. As many as one-third of burn patients have at least one large joint contracture at the time of hospital discharge. Burn clinicians are compelled to find novel ways to treat contractures. Our team has recently [...]

Structural Integration for Chronic Lower Back Pain

Chronic lower back pain is among the most burdensome health problems in both prevalence and cost of care. Up to one-third of acute low back pain cases become chronic and lead to disability. A large fraction of chronic cases are absent findings of well-understood causes, i.e. neoplastic, infectious or inflammatory (including pain attributed to nerve [...]

The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with Functional Task Training on Motor Recovery in Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors

Various approaches have been used by researchers to facilitate motor recovery in patients undergoing rehabilitation. Among others, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is of particular interest because of its ability to facilitate motor recovery and ease of use. It is our hypothesis that coupling transcranial direct current stimulation with functional task training will enhance the [...]