Development of a Socially Connected Exercise System for Wheelchair Users

Conditions

• Exergaming

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 70 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Study Details

Physical activity (PA) levels among Veterans who use wheelchairs is very low despite the importance of PA in improving overall physical and mental health. Wheelchair users face many barriers to exercise above that of the general population including lack of transportation to PA facilities and programs, social support, motivation and access to accessible fitness equipment and knowledgeable trainers. Home-based fitness products involving access to live and on-demand video instruction and virtual reality applications have become widely popular and beneficial for increasing fitness and motivation among able-bodied individuals during the pandemic however they are not accessible or tailored to the needs of wheelchair users. Therefore, the goal of this project is to develop a home-based upper arm exercise bike that will be compatible with video based instruction and virtual reality real-world riding apps that offer social components and motivational features.

Key Dates

Start date

Oct 21, 2026

Status verified

May 2026

Primary completion

Oct 4, 2027

Completion

Oct 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

10 participants (estimated)

Arms

• Arm: Paracycle Users
  Single cohort study. Participants are testing out the Paracycle in their home for 6 weeks.

Primary Outcome Measure

Satisfaction [ Time Frame: After 6 weeks (Trial end) ]

Central Contacts

• Nikitha Deepak, MS BS
  (412) 822-3669
  [email protected]
• Alicia M Koontz, PhD
  (412) 383-6596
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Pittsburgh, PA