GAIT 

Key ambulation metrics

Ambulation is a complex series of motions that need to be performed in the appropriate sequence. Ambulatory status is a fundamental functional classification in medicine and maintaining a proper gait is essential to health and survival. Early identification of any chronic or acute neuromusculoskeletal pathology will facilitate early intervention and optimize restoration of proper health throughout the entire treatment process from diagnosis to discharge.

Routine monitoring of gait throughout the patient’s lifetime can help detect, treat and correct pathological changes.

BioMech Lab easily captures, quantifies, analyzes and reports key gait metrics including:

TIMING

Test duration, cadence and gait cycle breakdown.

IMPACT

Average impact for each step.

TRUNCAL DEVIATION

Maximum and average deviation from starting position.

GAIT CYCLE

Single and double support time and terminal contact, as they pertain to total body movement

BALANCE

Deviation & recovery events

Optimizing balance, whether static or dynamic, is essential to health and activities of daily life: sitting, standing, walking, running, climbing stairs, lifting, basically everything we do. Different surfaces, lighting conditions, changing weather and many other factors affect how we move and when balance is compromised, identifying the underlying pathology and the appropriate therapeutic approach are essential to maximize treatment outcomes.

Incorporating balance as a fundamental diagnostic is clinically beneficial across the entire health care spectrum, and for patients, knowing how to maintain or improve their balance can be life-saving.

BioMech Lab directly measures, assesses and visualizes the trajectory, timeline and pattern of balance events in real time, and in three dimensions. The balance test metrics include:

DEVIATION

Assess movements away from optimal balance.

RECOVERY

Movements toward optimal balance, assessing how quickly and efficiently the patient can recover from the deviation.

TIMELINE

Graphical representation of the Deviation pattern over time.

SYMMETRY

Compare movements across the midline

The degree of symmetry is a measure of health and many conditions can manifest as asymmetrical movement. Comparing any two points across the midline can determine the quality and contribution of each location.

Determining symmetry can identify acute or chronic pathology and injury, and can be used during physical therapy and corrective exercise to optimize treatment.

BioMech Lab captures, analyzes and displays the comparative information for both sensors:

PERCENTAGES

Evaluate total movement between two sensors expressed as percentages

ANGLES

3D functional range of motion evaluation

Proper joint function is critical to health and the ability to maintain joint integrity following injury, chronic illness, or throughout normal aging is vital. Comprehensive range of motion assessments – in all three dimensions and in any position – are clinically meaningful.

Movement is completely dependent upon neuromusculoskeletal biomechanics and joint health, therefore, the importance of monitoring and assessing functional range of motion throughout life cannot be overstated.

BioMech Lab precisely, accurately and simultaneously measures range of motion in sagittal, frontal and transverse planes autonomously. The range of motion metrics include:

JOINT

Angular differences between two sensors.

GROUND

Difference between the current position of the selected sensor and the ground.

INITIAL

Difference between the starting position and current position of the selected sensor.

MAX, MIN & LAST

The maximum, minimum and last recorded angles.

COGNITIVE

Voluntary motor responses to visual stimuli

The ability to react to the environment is a fundamental measure of health. Reaction to any stimulus involves sensory perception, cognition and motor response. It is imperative to evaluate the function of each of these components, individually and as they relate to each other.

Evaluating voluntary motor response demonstrates the fidelity of the patient’s ability to perceive and process stimuli and maintain health and safety.

BioMech Lab precisely, accurately and simultaneously measures range of motion in sagittal, frontal and transverse planes autonomously. The range of motion metrics include:

LATENCY

Response time in milliseconds.

CORRECTNESS

Decision accuracy, errors and/or omissionss.