Functional electrical simulation bicycles help those with mobility impairments stay active

WATCH: As Damien Smith tells us, First Steps Wellness Centre is giving those with neurological issues a chance to pedal to the metal.

Three first of their kind functional electrical stimulation bicycles (FES) geared towards people with mobility impairments are now available at Regina’s First Steps Wellness Centre, ready for use.

The machines can be beneficial for those who experience neurological symptoms from a spinal cord or brain injury, as well as stroke, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

“Some individuals, maybe they have some function and some movement of the limbs, but the bike will detect that and will be able to give them 75 per cent assistance, maybe 50, maybe 25,” said Andy Schmidt, the Centre’s director of community. “As they get tired, the bike will assist them with more electricity to keep their pace up.”

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The machines usually cost tens of thousands of dollars, but thanks to First Steps Wellness Centre members will now be able to access them for a fraction of the price.

“The [electrical] current is using the peripheral nerves in your legs to basically create a contraction of the muscles timed with essentially your cycling muscles to create that cycling motion,” FES specialist Pete Andrews said.

Andrews uses FES machines to maintain his health.

While also being a social activity, some of the benefits of FES can include increasing muscle strength and endurance, while preventing bone loss, as well as improving cardiovascular health and circulation, according to First Steps Wellness Centre.

“What I found was that if you’re cycling, it has really empowered people living with spinal injury and also provided them with a platform to do activities they wanted to return to,” said Dr. Hope Jervis-Radmeyer, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

A fourth FES bicycle is expected to arrive in the next few weeks.