A research team in the Division of Physical Therapy at Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia, is seeking children with lower-limb amputations to participate in a research project. Participants must be healthy, medically stable children ages 6-17 years who live in the northern Virginia area, including Baltimore, Washington DC, Harrisonburg, Virginia Beach, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The 30-minute testing can be conducted at the child’s own location—such as a home, clinic, or school playground area—during June, July, or August. The study will examine the child’s ability to walk or run for six minutes, go up and down 12 stairs, and stand up from a chair, then walk three meters and return to the chair. The child’s self-esteem will be assessed by having him or her answer a series of yes/no questions.
Lead researcher Melissa Wolff-Burke, EdD, PT, MS said, “We want to see if there’s any relationship between functional ability and self-esteem…and how kids with amputations are comparing in these ways to kids without. Maybe we can find out what healthcare providers can do to improve endurance or change their velocity—or whether it even matters. If these kids are functional and happy with their lives—that’s the self-esteem part—then we’ll have that data, too.”
For more information, contact Melissa Wolff-Burke at 540.545.7238 or
e-mail: .
