Dr MARIETTA
VAN DER LINDEN
SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, PHYSIOTHERAPY
I am Dr Marietta van der Linden and I am doing research on
how exercise and assistive technology can improve the ability
to perform activities of daily living in people with a neurological
condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or Cerebral Palsy.
Examples of our research are
Pilates for people with MS
who use a wheelchair and a
community exercise programme
for young people with Cerebral
Palsy. Exercise can be a way of
self-management, i.e. people
can take care of their condition
themselves, instead of relying on
drugs or surgical interventions.
Assistive technologies to aid walking such
as splints allow people to walk further and
more easily which can positively impact their
participation and general health.
Finding out from study participants how
they feel a certain intervention has positively
impacted their function and then showing
these benefits through objectively measured
outcomes is probably the most rewarding
aspect of my area of research.
‘Finding out from study
participants how they
feel is probably the most
rewarding aspect of my
area of research.’
O
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R A T I N G
L
B
WOMEN
RESEARCHERS
INSPIRING
RESEARCH CAREER
JOURNEYS