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Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) John C. Wilson Motion and Sports Analysis Lab stepped outside its typical office and visited South Pasadena High School last week to demonstrate how it evaluates and assesses athletes’ biomechanics.
Physical therapists, orthopedists, and engineers demonstrated how quantitative data is gathered in the lab using a multi-camera motion capture system along with specially placed movement sensors.
The detailed information helps determine if there are any areas an athlete needs to focus on to enhance rehabilitation following an injury or helps determine if an athlete is ready to return to a sport after an injury.
The data is designed “to improve sports performance – running, jumping and cutting – per various sports whether its football, soccer or volleyball, so we will be able to provide meaningful data to help improve their performance,” said Gardito Ruiz, administrative director for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Orthopedic Center. “We have the best clinicians in the country in terms of physical therapists, trainers, engineers. So it’s a holistic team providing meaningful information to the athlete.”
South Pasadena High is the first high school to participate in the mobile motion lab analysis demonstration and outreach.
Participating students will receive a copy of the complete report including an assessment of injury risk and training recommendations.
The SPHS athletic trainer Julius Murphy is employed by CHLA and helped coordinate the sample testing.
