By Dr. Frank Fornari

Functional motion is a powerful indicator of health, and its restoration is the primary desired outcome across many medical disciplines. The ability to assess any sudden or gradual change in motion can be an important part of early diagnosis and treatment of a wide array of health issues.

That is why demand is growing for clinically actionable and objective functional motion data that can guide, demonstrate, and evaluate the efficacy of diagnosis and treatment. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), mobile technologies, and real-time interactive biofeedback makes it possible to capture motion data in clinical or real-world settings and deliver precise, accurate and reproducible therapeutic assessments and treatments that stratify risk, improve outcomes, and increase the efficiency of the healthcare delivery system.
A functional biomarker
Advancements in AI, ML and sensor technology enable functional motion to be used as an essential biomarker to quantify relevant aspects of physical, surgical, pharmaco, and cognitive therapies. Strategically placed sensors allow for the noninvasive capture of normal and pathological motion data to identify, assess, and properly transform patient motion patterns including:

● Ambulation: Early identification of any chronic or acute neuromusculoskeletal gait pathology facilitates timely intervention for optimal restoration of proper health throughout the entire treatment process, from diagnosis to discharge, while ongoing routine monitoring can help detect, treat, and correct pathological changes in their early stages.

● Balance: Static and dynamic balance are essential to activities of daily life. When they are compromised, identifying the underlying pathology and the appropriate therapeutic approach is essential to maximize treatment outcomes. Incorporating balance as a fundamental diagnostic tool is clinically beneficial across the entire healthcare spectrum. For patients, knowing how to maintain or improve their balance can be lifesaving.

● Symmetry: Many pathologies manifest as asymmetrical movement, making the degree of symmetry an important measure of health. Comparing any two points across the midline determines the degree of symmetry, which can identify acute or chronic pathology and injury and be used during physical therapy and corrective exercise to optimize treatment.

● Angles: The ability to maintain joint integrity following injury or chronic illness, or throughout normal aging, is vital. Comprehensive and ongoing range of motion assessments – in all three planes (sagittal, coronal and transverse) – are clinically meaningful as movement is dependent upon neuromusculoskeletal biomechanics and joint health.

Business Affairs Homepage