The California Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CCRF) raises money each year for equipment and supplies needed for the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach to improve quality care and treatment of patients. This last year, CCRF raised $40,000 to purchase seven adaptive bikes for the Pediatric Rehabilitation Program, that provide strength and endurance training to patients who cannot ride bikes.

Patients can sometimes have a hard time recognizing the importance of rehabilitation therapy.
The adaptive bikes offer a fun atmosphere that patients want to participate in, and many patients who are incapable of riding a normal bike are able to participate in this type of therapy. The bikes actually move like real bikes, but are either operable by arms or legs, and provide trunk support, which a normal bike does not. Each bike has safety straps to hold the patient’s feet in place so that they do not slide off while they are using it. They also have safety straps to go around the patient’s chest to help hold them in place.

Whether or not a patient needs an arm or leg powered bike, they each have a steering mechanism behind the bike in case they need help from the therapist or a parent.

“The adaptive bikes are a positive experience for our patients who are incapable of experiencing the joy of riding bikes with their friends,” says Kimberly BeDell, M.D., medical director, Pediatric Rehabilitation Program, Miller Children’s. “We knew it was a great asset when one of our spina bifida patients said she felt like a ‘regular’ kid after riding one.”

Dr. BeDell also says that “the adaptive bikes are not only fun for children, but help with strength and endurance.” The pediatric rehabilitation team works with virtually every patient at Miller Children’s. This donation has the potential to benefit every child or teen who visits Miller Children’s and needs rehabilitation therapy.

The adaptive bikes offer added benefit serving as a solution for patients who need to travel from one side of the hospital to another to get to the rehabilitation gym. Now the bikes have become a part of their rehabilitation therapy.

The CCRF was founded in 2007 by Dr. BeDell to improve patient care. The CCRF board works closely with the rehabilitation team to understand and meet the program’s equipment needs.

“The Mission of CCRF is to improve the quality of lives for our patients and families with rehabilitative needs,” says Dr. BeDell. “The bikes fit perfectly with our mission.”