POTSDAM -- A grant from the Kinney Drugs Foundation has enabled the Clarkson University Physical Therapy Department to purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

The mobility lab wireless sensor system allows physical therapists to accurately assess balance and gait deficits in order to determine fall risk and identify balance impairments. Physical therapy students are using the Mobility Lab system in their community wellness projects.

Working with Clinical Professor of Physical Therapy Stacey Zeigler, physical therapy students Andres Diaz, John Yeaton, Jacob Poole and Samantha Williams recently developed a balance wellness class co-hosted with the Body Shop Fitness & Salon designed to assess and improve functional balance in older adults.

The students use the new equipment to assess participants’ balance and falls risk prior to the start and upon completion of the class. The results from Mobility Lab system help the students develop the most appropriate balance exercises and assess participants’ improvement at the end of the class.