Automated measurement systems for clinical motion analysis

I present a computer-based data acquisition and processing system for human motion analysis. The Motion Analysis Laboratory, Children's Hospital at Stanford, exists to provide excellence in clinical evaluation, research, and teaching. The laboratory provides an objective base for assessment of locomotor dysfunction in four general areas--muscle function, energy expenditure, postural equilibrium, and motion data acquisition. Muscle function studies are used to determine the magnitude and timing of muscle activity patterns. An energy-cost index with heart rate as an estimate of energy expenditure is used to evaluate the energy demands of walking. A postural equilibrium measuring system is used to quantify the amount of body sway during stance. I describe a method for three-dimensional coordinate processing of human motion. Use of modern technology facilitates the rapid transfer of useful knowledge from the laboratory to the clinic team in an easily interpretable visual form.