Unusual clinical applications of movement analysis

[Paulo Lucareli]

Dear subscribers,

Once again the Business Management of our hospital asking about the real viability of our movement laboratory (cost benefit).

Currently we performed gait analysis and baropodometry, however the medical specialties that requesting patients are orthopedic surgeons and physiatrists.
Our population for gait analysis is summarized in 90% of neurological patients (CP and Stroke) and 10% other diseases and nearly 100% of orthopedic patients to baropodometry.

We would like to show that we can accomplish other types of assessments in other patients, or that there are other clinical applications. Our laboratory have 10 infrared cameras, 2 force plates and 1 EMG system.

People who know or are part of any service that uses motion analysis with clinical application in other diseases or for use in other specialties such as neurosurgery, rheumatology, evaluation of different rehabilitation methods, fine tuning medication, daily living activities could send us information to show to our managers?

Best regards

Paulo



Paulo Roberto Garcia Lucareli, Ph.D, PT.



Motion Analysis Laboratory
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - São Paulo - Brazil


"When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers you know
something about it"
Sir William Thomson - Lord Kelvin

[Paulo Lucareli]

Resume: Unusual clinical aplication of movement analysis

Dear subscribers,

I'm sending all the responses received.

Our team will bring forward some proposals to our managers,

1. Full Gait analysis - report conducted by an orthopedist and physical therapist) Price: $$$$$,

2. Gait analysis for physical therapy treatment planning (report only performed by a physiotherapist) Price: $$,

3. “Fast” gait analysis - for measuring progress in rehabilitation treatment and possible correction procedures – no physical exam, no report, just oral discussion with patient's PT. Price $.

For examples 2 and 3, create the resource to discuss the results for web conferencing (www.webex.com), which will enable the dissemination of knowledge to other professionals and rehabilitation centers;

Other possibility

Gait analysis before and after oral medication (Parkinson’s disease);
Gait analysis before and after removal of liquor from spinal cord;
Dynamic adjustment of prosthetic and orthotic
Therapeutic trials with botulinum toxin infiltration.

Best Regards,

Paulo Lucareli, Ph.D, PT
Motion Analysis Laboratory
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - São Paulo - Brazil


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Dear Paulo,
Until recently I was the Director of Queensland Children's Gait Laboratory. The majority of the patients comprised children with CP. However referrals were also received from endocrinologists for children with metabolic disorders with the request to determine and monitor their energy expenditure during gait, this was done with the use of the COSMED. Other patients included amputees, neurological disorders of unknown aetiology and trauma- both cerebral and musculoskeletal.

I co-supervised a student undertaking a Masters of Health Economics at the University of Queensland whose research clearly demonstrated the cost benefit of 3DGA, in particular by the increased efficacy of surgical intervention for children with cerebral palsy.

Currently I am a Research Fellow. My brief is to scope the expansion of motion analysis in Queensland Health. Over the next 5 years I will be investigating the use of motion analysis across the lifespan from neonates to geriatrics with a wide range of conditions and in collaboration with many different medical specialists, QUT and UQ.

Watch this space!

regards

Robyn


Dr Robyn Grote

Health Research Fellow
Metro North District
Level 7
UQ Health Sciences Building
Royal Brisbane & Womens Hospital
HERSTON QLD 4029

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In Brussels,

I managed a movement analysis Lab. We have developed evaluations of the lumbar and cervical spine for patients after neurological surgery or rheumatology problems. We have developed also upper limb evaluation. We have quasi the same system and we synchronized the pressure plate with the VICON for fusion data on the foot & Ankle. But to do that, you have to develop your own protocol.

Best Regards

Patrick


Patrick Salvia, PhD
Gait Lab Manager
Laboratoire d'Anatomie, Biomécanique et Organogénèse
Faculté de Médecine
Université Libre de Bruxelles
E-mail: salviap@ulb.ac.be
Tel:32 25556328
Fax: 32 2 5556378


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For the orthopedic surgeons, I imagine they would be interested in measuring
joint moments in patients before and after surgery to make sure everything's
working properly. Also, the effects of different footwear on the various
joints of the lower extremity during walking or running can be evaluated;
there's mounting evidence supporting the view that humans can take better
care of their knee joints and low back by wearing different footwear, or
none at all.

Andy Lammers
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio, USA