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Media Inquiries: 434-924-5679 U.VA. MEDICAL CENTER FIRST HEALTHCARE INSTITUTION IN THE COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FORCE-PLATE TREADMILL |
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Physicians and researchers know much about the mechanics of the human heart and other organs, yet experts still have a lot to learn when it comes to the biomechanics involved in the simple acts of walking and running. To further their studies in this area, the Gait Laboratory in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Virginia Health System, has become the first healthcare institution in the country to receive a customized, instrumented, force-plate treadmill. The treadmill, built by Advanced Mechanical Technologies, Inc. based in Watertown, Mass., is a combination of three treadmills that function to record ground reaction forces when a person is running or walking. The treadmill will serve as a diagnostic and research tool. “With this treadmill we will be able to study running to the same extent that we have been able to study walking in the past,” said Dr. Casey Kerrigan, director of the physical medicine department at the Gait Laboratory. “For the first time, we will be able to evaluate trends over time in joint torques and forces during both walking and running. Also, the treadmill will serve as yet another asset to the already nationally renowned U.Va. Runner’s Clinic, directed by Dr. Robert Wilder.” The information gathered from using the force-plate treadmill will allow physicians to make recommendations for patients who suffer from frequent over-use injuries and others types of walking and running-related problems. It will be especially useful for runners who have beginning symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. The force-plate treadmill is made up of two smaller treadmills, each 12 inches wide by 54 inches long, which are mounted in front of a larger single treadmill. These units are primarily used for walking when the patient or subject has a wide stance. One of the smaller units can be used in conjunction with the larger unit for walking when the patient or subject has more of an “in line” walk. The rear treadmill, is 24 inches wide by 54 inches long. This is primarily used for running. All treadmills run at the same speed with respect to each other. The treadmill is capable of running 0 to 12 miles per hour and can handle up to a 400-pound test subject who is walking, running, or performing other related activities. The only other plated treadmill in the country is in the Army Engineering Research Laboratory in Natick, Mass., and it is used primarily for military research purposes. The new one at U.Va. Health System is even more sophisticated than the Army's to the extent that it has three rather than two embedded force plates, Kerrigan said. The unit allows for the measurement of repetitive cycles of both walking and running, whereas a motion analysis force plate currently used in the Gait Lab allows for measurement of only one cycle of walking. The force-plate treadmill also lets physicians evaluate both walking and running on inclined surfaces (both uphill and downhill). August 25, 2003 |