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MURRAY — Runners across the valley have discovered The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital's high-tech human performance lab. This is where runners are improving times and mechanics.
An eight camera 3-D motion capture system picks up anything reflective in the 900-square-foot dedicated research space.
"Each camera is getting a two-dimensional view, and by having multiple cameras we can take each individual view of the camera and create a 3-dimensional position in the room," explained TOSH sports science department research associate Skye Marshall.
Robert Barton, 51, uses the lab to check out his running mechanics and gait. "When they first started, I was like maybe a 15-minute mile. So, I was really slow and my son was in the sixes, so I thought if I can just get down a little bit to him," Barton said.
Barton has now worked with TOSH trainers for a few years and now runs a mile in the sevens, he said. Barton also said, "Basically they took me from a base starting point and worked to say this is where your foot is landing and this is where your leg is coming through or not coming through."
The treadmill used in the lab is not your run of the mill treadmill. It has a 3-D bathroom type scale below it. "So if you were standing still, it would just be recording your body weight, your mass and acceleration due to gravity on the ground, but if you were hoping up and down you can imagine if you were standing on a scale that number would go up and down," Marshall said.
That number is then compiled with all the camera data. The results look like a running stick man on the computer. "The technology you kind of feel like a video game, so pretty fun," said Barton.
The technicians actually capture every movement down to within a millimeter or two. They then analyze and make customized training programs.
The data is also used by clinicians to assess a patient's progress, modify therapy and minimize risk for re-injury.
The gait analysis service is primarily used by beginner, recreational and competitive runners with a variety of goals.
