Customized bike pedals prevent injury in Logan

Wyatt Goodwin, using his customized pedals

LOGAN--Wyatt Goodwin likes having some transportation, and his physical therapist likes him to ride his recumbent bike. But when his foot slipped off the pedal last year, the bike kept rolling forward. Its crossbar rammed into Wyatt’s leg and dragged it under the bike, breaking his tibia and the growth plate that goes into the ankle.

“I had a lot of outdoor plans,” he said. He’d been looking forward to camping, hiking and biking over the summer. Instead he had to take some time off his leg to heal. 

This year, physical therapist Shaun Dahle told the Goodwins that the Utah Assistive Technology Program in Logan can make customized bike pedals, designed so the foot doesn’t slip out of them.

The Goodwins already knew about UATP, because they’d gone there for help with a scooter Wyatt had used in the past. They went back and started working on the pedal project with UATP employee Brandon Griffin.

Wyatt tightens the pedal's straps

“We traced the shoe onto a piece of paper,” Griffin said. “Then we transferred the pattern of the shoe onto three-eighths inch plywood.” They added a “lip” from thermal plastic, molded to fit around the heel portion of the pedal. They designed some Velcro straps after consulting with Dahle, making sure the straps fit around Wyatt’s foot and held it to the pedal for added security.

The customized pedals can be adjusted for a sharper or shallower angle, and they can be removed and attached to different bicycles. UATP in Logan charges for the cost of materials in customization projects. In this case, the bill came to $10.

“They did it just perfectly,” said Heather Goodwin, Wyatt’s mother. “It’s a huge difference.”

Today, Wyatt can ride his bike with confidence, and without injury. So is the exercise for fun or therapy? 

“It’s both,” he said.