TECHNOLOGY used to animate characters in Hollywood movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings has been adapted by an Oxford hospital to help people with walking abnormalities.

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, in Headington, uses motion capture technology to generate a computer image of the skeleton of the patient.

Julie Stebbins, senior bioengineer at the Oxford Gait Laboratory, in the Tebbit Centre at the NOC, said: "We're using identical cameras to those used in the making of Hollywood films and video games - but we are using them in a very different way.

"It allows us to advance the treatment of patients with mobility problems and has a wide range of applications."

However, Dr Stebbins said the technology is of particular use in the treatment of children and young people suffering from cerebral palsy.

She said: "This technology allows us to be a lot more accurate in assessing orthopaedic problems, particularly in children with cerebral palsy.

"From just watching them it's very difficult to work out what's wrong with them, but this equipment allows us to map their skeleton to see how they are moving and the pressure on their joints."

The technology, which cost more than £200,000, uses special infra-red cameras in a purpose-built room that pick up signals from sensors worn by the patient.

When combined with special pressure sensors in the floor they also allow doctors to also measure the stress put on joints.

Pippa Hoyer Millar, who runs the Footsteps clinic, in Newington, near Walling- ford, which works with children with cerebral palsy, said the technology would be welcomed.

She said: "I know a lot of the children that come to us will benefit from this technology.

"Anything that can reduce the number of operations children require is fantastic."