12 Jul 2023

Anti-gravity study to help cerebral palsy kids needs participants

From Checkpoint, 5:49 pm on 12 July 2023

Scientists are looking for children with cerebral palsy to take part in space-like anti gravity walks for a study they hope will improve the young people's mobility.

The research will map healthy walking muscle movements and then look at the differences in patterns shown by children with neurological disorders.

The end goal is to work out if it's possible to get those muscle co-ordination patterns closer to the healthy template and to develop a training programme for rehabilitiation.

Cerebral Palsy is a group of physical disorders that affect movement, balance, and posture.

Lead researcher in the Auckland University anti-gravity study Dr Pablo Ortego-Auriol spoke to Lisa Owen.