By Sheila Banovetz, MS, PT
On June 14, State Sen. Patrick Testin spent the better part of a day at the D1 Training Facility in Stevens Point, where he coached, trained and sweated alongside his fellow athletes.
After an early (5 a.m.) and very busy morning of coaching and participating in a strength training class, Sen. Testin spent the afternoon having his running gait analyzed by the 3D Noraxon Motion Analysis System.
Sixteen motion sensors and two high-speed, high-frame-rate cameras were used to record the senator’s running form and construct a virtual avatar. The avatar lets physical therapists view his running from all angles and simultaneously records his movements and saves them on the computer.
We were then able to play back the saved recording at 1/10th of the speed, and analyze each phase of his running gait.
As it turned out, Sen. Testin had some common running issues, like not bending his knees enough when his heel first landed on the treadmill and not having enough hip and knee bend in the middle phase of his running.
His right hip did show some slight instability, which was also picked up by the system. His strength was subsequently tested and an exercise program recommended based on his results.
Had there been more time, the senator’s weightlifting form would have been analyzed as well. In order to record this information, eight muscle sensors would have been placed on different muscle groups to observe the activation pattern in addition to the other motion sensors and camera recording.
The Noraxon Motion Analysis system does it all. So far, this portable powerhouse has been used to analyze walking, running, throwing, pitching, ice skating, and dancing at various facilities.
Stevens Point Orthopedics acquired this system to further serve our community by utilizing sophisticated sensors, computer analysis, and high-speed graphics to help prevent injury, enhance sports and performing-arts skills and ultimately to encourage everyone to move better and to lead healthier and better lives.
Schedule a motion analysis assessment today and see how we can help improve your performance!
