How to Integrate Biomechanical Analysis Into Your Practice

Written By Kaycee Glattke

The field of biomechanics has revolutionized how we understand movement, performance, and injury prevention. Biomechanical analysis involves assessment of the forces acting on the body and how these forces affect movement, such as joint angles, gait patterns, and muscular force production. For physical therapists, athletic trainers, coaches, and other healthcare or sport professionals, integrating biomechanical analysis into practice can enhance treatment plans, optimize performance, and reduce injury risk by understanding how movement deviates from the norm. Because biomechanics encompasses such a wide spectrum of concepts that are consistently evolving as technology improves, considering which analysis methods best suit your needs can be a daunting process. So, we’ve created a guide to help you determine the steps to take to effectively integrate biomechanical analysis into your practice.

1. Education and Training

Before diving into biomechanical analysis, it's essential to have a solid understanding of biomechanical principles. Consider taking courses and workshops or enrolling in certification programs.

2. The Right Tools

To perform biomechanical analysis, you need the right equipment. Consider what your practice's needs and budget are, then explore your options:

  • Motion Capture Systems: High-end systems like Vicon or Qualisys provide detailed 3D motion analysis but come with a high financial cost, require ample space to establish a permanent capture volume, and need highly trained personnel to process and analyze raw data. Visven provides a low-cost, portable, markerless motion analysis tool that produces clinically relevant results that are easily interpretable by providers.

  • Force Plates: Force plates measure ground reaction forces and can help analyze gait and balance. They can typically be integrated as secondary hardware into motion capture systems and may be either portable or mounted in-floor.

  • Wearable Sensors: Devices such as inertial measurement units (IMUs) use accelerometers and gyroscopes to track movement patterns in real-world settings, but are typically less accurate than motion capture systems, have a costly price tag, and require trained personnel to process and analyze raw data.

3. Determine When to Incorporate Biomechanical Analysis into Assessments

Knowing when to integrate assessments into your standard procedures is a critical part of using it effectively in order to gain the most insight into movement patterns or issues. Use assessments as part of your initial evaluation to establish a baseline for your treatment plan, then complete follow-up analyses to monitor changes and improvements or adjust treatment plans as needed.

4. Develop Customized Treatment Plans

Once you have objective data, it can be used to tailor treatment or training plans to individual needs and goals.

  • Identify Weaknesses and Imbalances: Use data to identify muscle imbalances, improper joint movements, or inefficient gait patterns. Once these asymmetries have been identified, they can be used to develop targeted exercises and interventions.

  • Predict Injury Risk: Some specific movement patterns are known to be predictive of potential injuries. For example, excessive dynamic knee valgus in jump landings has been shown to predict incidences of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.

5. Enhance Performance

For athletes of any age or level, biomechanical analysis is crucial for optimizing performance.

  • Technique Optimization: Analyze athletes' sport-specific techniques to improve efficiency and efficacy. Biomechanical data can be used to make adjustments to movements, in turn enhancing performance and reducing fatigue.

  • Biomechanical Feedback: Provide athletes with feedback based on their biomechanical data. This feedback can help them make adjustments to their training and technique in real-time.

6. Educate and Collaborate

Educate your patients, clients, athletes, and colleagues about the benefits of biomechanical analysis.

  • Client Education: Explain how biomechanical analysis can help in understanding their movement patterns and improving their condition. This aids in gaining their buy-in and compliance, and keeps them engaged throughout the duration of their treatment.

  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Work with other professionals, such as orthopedic surgeons or sport scientists, to integrate biomechanical data into a comprehensive care plan.

7. Stay Updated

Biomechanics is a rapidly evolving field. Keep up with the latest research, tools, and techniques to ensure you're using the most current and effective methods by reading journal articles or attending conferences and workshops.

Conclusion

Integrating biomechanical analysis into practice offers significant benefits for physical therapists, athletic trainers, and coaches. By enhancing your understanding of movement dynamics and applying this knowledge to assessments, treatment plans, and performance optimization, you can improve outcomes and reduce injury risks. Embrace the tools and techniques available, continue your education, and collaborate with others in the field to make the most of biomechanical analysis in your practice.

Adopting these strategies will not only enhance your professional practice but also contribute to better health and performance outcomes for those you work with.

Kaycee Glattke