The University of Malta and the Health Department signed a collaboration agreement this morning to upgrade a laboratory that has state-of-the-art motion capture system, to enable it to be used for clinical gait analysis.
Gait analysis is used to assess, plan, and treat individuals with conditions affecting their ability to walk. It is also commonly used in sports biomechanics to help athletes run more efficiently and to identify posture-related or movement-related problems in people with injuries.
University Rector Juanito Camilleri explained that the university houses a highly advanced laboratory equipped for the precise measurement of human motion.
Although it is being used for research purposes, through the collaboration agreement, it will be upgraded and used to treat Maltese patients who suffer from selected neuromuscular conditions.
Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne explained that, at present, at least one child a month goes abroad for gait analysis treatment. Once the upgrade, which is expected to cost around €50,000, is complete, Maltese patients can start using it by the end of this year.
This collaboration will open up possibilities to work on interdisciplinary research projects involving the clinical and technical disciplines and establish normative baseline gait data for the Maltese.