Power partnership fuels youth with cerebral palsy
- News Article
- Mar 27
- 2 min read
A unique partnership between hospital-based physiotherapists, community fitness professionals and MRU health and physical education students is helping young cerebral palsy patients improve their strength and mobility.
The groundbreaking initiative, called the Resistance Intensive Personal Training Program (RIPT), which is part of a number of accessibility initiatives offered through Recreation. Mount Royal University is an original partner of the Calgary Adapted Hub, which was founded in 2022 with the support of Jumpstart and connects children, youth, and families living with disabilities with inclusive and accessible sport and recreation programming in the city of Calgary.
RIPT uses power training to enhance muscle power and function and is geared towards patients developing a better gait, increasing their walking speed and/or being able to more effectively complete everyday tasks. Hospital physiotherapists joined forces with Cougars Athletics and Recreation and the MRU Injury & Prevention Clinic to offer the program to groups of cerebral palsy (CP) patients ages eight to 17.
“It’s basically cutting edge,” says physiotherapist Candice Natrasony. “We know that youth with cerebral palsy have more slow-twitch fibres. Through training, we can affect the muscle architecture to more closely resemble fast twitch muscles that come in handy in life.”
Natrasony oversees the program and has more than 30 years of experience as a pediatric physiotherapist. She is also a part-time PhD student at the University of Alberta.
“Society in general doesn’t associate building muscles or working out or being an athlete with someone with CP. But the kids work so hard and they select their own goals for what is important to them, which could be to run faster, do the stairs or to carry grocery bags. We’re crushing it.”
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