{"id":36126,"date":"2010-03-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-03T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/"},"modified":"2022-09-02T20:36:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T01:36:38","slug":"unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
\n
\n

\n\"picture
\n<\/TD>
\n<\/TR>
\n

\nKETV Channel 7’s Julie Cornell tested the treadmill for her story<\/a> that aired on Sunday, Feb. 7. <\/Span>
\n<\/TD>
\n<\/TR>
\n<\/TABLE>Shaquille O’Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek.<\/p>\n

What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?<\/p>\n

All have trained on the NASA-developed Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill<\/a>, though for different reasons.<\/p>\n

Athletes typically use the $75,000 piece of exercise equipment to run at a fraction of their body weight after an injury or surgery. It permits them to workout yet minimizes stress and impact on joints and muscles.<\/p>\n

Ondracek, who has cerebral palsy, used it to help her walk for the first time in four years.<\/p>\n


\n
\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\nHow it works:
\n<\/B>
\n
<\/p>\n

\n
\n

  • Wearing a specially designed pair of neoprene shorts, users zip their lower body into the air chamber that surrounds the treadmill.
    \n
  • The AlterG measures their body weight. Users can decrease their weight using the control panel.
    \n
  • The air chamber inflates around their lower body and the air pressure literally floats them off the treadmill relieving the selected amount body weight.
    \n
  • It feels just like running on a regular treadmill, only you are lighter. You still have full range of motion, which allows you to run or walk naturally.<\/UL>
    \n<\/P>
    \n<\/FONT>
    \n<\/TD>
    \n<\/TR>
    \n<\/TABLE>
    \n<\/TD>
    \n<\/TR>
    \n<\/TABLE>“I’m in a wheelchair all day and it hurts,” she said. “When I used the treadmill for the first time, I had this floaty kind of feeling … like walking on the moon.”<\/p>\n

    Ondracek was part of a bodyweight suspension research study at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) conducted by Max Kurz, Ph.D., director of biomechanics at MMI; Wayne Stuberg, Ph.D., director of physical therapy at MMI; and physical therapists Brad Corr and Nina Smith. Alter-G Inc funded the project.<\/p>\n

    “The Alter-G is used by NASA to reintroduce astronauts to gravitational force,” Dr. Kurz said. “I saw an opportunity to use it as a rehabilitation application.”<\/p>\n

    At first, Ondracek could only walk for three minutes on the treadmill before tiring. Now, she strides out for 30 minutes and shows off with “no hands.”<\/p>\n

    All five participants in Dr. Kurz’s study show improved walking and stride length.<\/p>\n

    Part two of the study will involve brain imaging during walking. Dr. Kurz wants to see what neuroplastic changes take place in the area of the brain that controls movement.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Shaquille O’Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek.
    \nWhat do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines"],"yoast_head":"\nUNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nicole Lindquist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@unmc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@unmc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nicole Lindquist\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nicole Lindquist\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/d45ec43fbd4fb1d1f90cc5998af794f2\"},\"headline\":\"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\"},\"wordCount\":385,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\",\"name\":\"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00\",\"description\":\"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg\",\"width\":350,\"height\":202},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization\",\"name\":\"University of Nebraska Medical Center\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":153,\"caption\":\"University of Nebraska Medical Center\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/unmc\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/iamunmc\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/UNMCEDU\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/d45ec43fbd4fb1d1f90cc5998af794f2\",\"name\":\"Nicole Lindquist\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/73278a4a86960eeb576a8fd4c9ec6997\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities","description":"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities","og_description":"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu","article_published_time":"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Nicole Lindquist","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@unmc","twitter_site":"@unmc","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nicole Lindquist","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/"},"author":{"name":"Nicole Lindquist","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/d45ec43fbd4fb1d1f90cc5998af794f2"},"headline":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities","datePublished":"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/"},"wordCount":385,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/","name":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg","datePublished":"2010-03-03T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-03T01:36:38+00:00","description":"Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. Jackie Ondracek. What do two NBA superstars have in common with a 17-year-old senior at Omaha South High School?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CornellTreadmill210.jpg","width":350,"height":202},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2010\/03\/03\/unmc-researcher-uses-nasa-technology-for-kids-with-disabilities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UNMC researcher uses NASA technology for kids with disabilities"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"University of Nebraska Medical Center","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/overview-1.png","width":500,"height":153,"caption":"University of Nebraska Medical Center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/unmcedu","https:\/\/x.com\/unmc","https:\/\/instagram.com\/iamunmc","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/UNMCEDU"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/d45ec43fbd4fb1d1f90cc5998af794f2","name":"Nicole Lindquist","url":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/73278a4a86960eeb576a8fd4c9ec6997\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88600,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36126\/revisions\/88600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}