Title : Motion analysis technology in children with disabilities
Abstract:
Motion analysis is a method that uses image-based motion capture techniques to record and analyze the movement of human body segments. Our laboratory utilizes an optoelectronic system with cameras equipped with illuminators and CCD sensors for infrared radiation, along with passive reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks. The reflection of these markers provides the three-dimensional coordinates of each point. We can synchronize acquisitions with kinematic, kinetic, and electromyography data. The gait laboratory is used for studying human walking, quantifying the effects of pharmacological or rehabilitative therapies, orthopedic surgeries, and sports training programs. Cerebral palsy is the leading cause of disability in childhood and the most studied condition using gait analysis. Other common pathologies at our center include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and children at high neurological risk. However, instrumenting infants under the age of 2 with this technology is very complex. We have developed protocols for assessing walking in these infants, as well as for studying upper limb movement and crawling. More recent tools, such as wireless inertial systems, have allowed us to perform gait assessments without overloading the patient with markers, using only a sensor placed on the waist, although this reduces the amount of data collected. Finally, markerless motion capture (MMC) is a technique for capturing human motion from video footage without the need for markers, suits, or other wearable devices. Its use in clinical and sports settings has grown, though further studies are still needed.
This presentation focuses on sharing our experience in the clinical application of movement analysis for children with disabilities and the use of new technological tools in both movement analysis and clinical practice.
