MaristLabOpening

Marist College, located in Poughkeepsie, NY, announces the opening of a Movement Analysis Laboratory, part of the college’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program.

The lab, one of only three in the tri-state area, features an artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) system for analyzing movement, according to a media release.

“From the very beginning of planning and launching the DPT Program, being at the forefront of technological advances was always front and center,” notes Dr Claudia Fenderson, director of the DPT Program, which enrolled its first cohort of students in January 2018, according to the release.

“We want to train practitioners who understand movement analysis at the highest level and who have direct experience with the best technology in the world.”

The Movement Analysis Laboratory is a teaching and research facility used for the study and instruction of the biomechanics of normal and pathological movement patterns. The BTS GAIT LAB system is housed within the lab and features 10 3D-infrared cameras, eight force plates contained within a computerized walkway, a 12-channel wireless electromyography (EMG), and two high-definition video cameras used for movement analysis.

“This system supplies quantitative information and the objective data needed to analyze a person’s walking and movements in ways that are not measurable with traditional clinical exams alone,” explains Clinical Assistant Professor Francine Sage-King, in the release. “And it does all of this in real time.”

MovementAnalysis

The BTS GAIT LAB integrates and synchronizes the subject’s joint motions, forces, muscle function, and video data. The analysis tools simultaneously compare, frame-by-frame, limb movements and muscle force distribution. This makes it an invaluable tool for both educational and research use as it provides a vast amount of biomechanical information that is unattainable without the use of such equipment, the release continues.

“Marist physical therapy students are literally working at the cutting edge with this system,” Fenderson adds.

Since its installation, the DPT Program has initiated efforts to collaborate both on campus and within the neighboring community for opportunities to utilize the equipment. One such endeavor is working with Marist’s own Athletic Department.

“This collaboration between the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and Athletics has the potential of offering great benefit to our athletes,” states Tim Murray, Director of Athletics. “The capability for more in-depth analysis of sports biomechanics for injury prevention is something we are very excited about. It will be a tremendous asset to both our student athletes and coaches.”

The DPT Program is also in the early stages of partnering with Dr Fabio Danisi, associate director of neurology at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, to investigate gait and movements changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease, per the release.

For more information, visit Marist College.

[Source: Marist College]