Columbia-Inland’s Pumper Car ride-on vehicles have recently been designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a non-measuring exercise device intended for medical purposes. By using the Pumper Car devices, children may be able to improve their equilibrium and strength of their upper and lower torso. This device could be especially useful for children with special needs such as Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, brain injury, pain disorders, generalized weaknesses, and child obesity.
The Indications for Use (IFU) of the Pumper Car units, registration number 3014895737, are a four-wheeled non-measuring exercise devices intended for medical purposes. It helps to redevelop muscles or restore motion to joints for patients who have an aversion to physical exercise. This device has been of special interest to schools, hospitals, and clinics that serve children with special needs, as well as to the parents of those children. The FDA designation means that if a physician prescribes a Pumper Car devices for medical purposes, the cost may be covered by health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.
A University of Michigan institutional review board study found that the Pumper Car devices has significant physical therapeutic value for children with Down syndrome. Researchers Janet L. Hauck, PhD, and Dale A. Ulrich, PhD, published their findings online on June 26, 2015, in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. They noted that the Pumper Car devices “provides a practical method of promoting health‐enhancing behaviors in young children with DS [Down syndrome] and should be considered for clinical application by service providers.” For these children in the study, the mean time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) increased from 7.8 minutes with the baseline equipment to 22 minutes using the Pumper Car devices —an increase of 182 percent. “The increase seen in MVPA from baseline to the [Pumper Car devices] sessions is striking,” the researchers noted.Columbia-Inland Corporation designs and manufactures high‐quality mobility products for children. They are passionate advocates for children of all abilities getting more exercise and for improved health and physical therapy.