Kinetisense Newsletter

Version 5 , February 2022

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The MSK Integrated Approach to Movement Rehabilitation

Human movement is not something that should be analyzed through a reductionist lens. The joints, muscles, fascial slings, and nervous system work in tandem to create movement. The fact that movement is initiated and controlled in large part by the nervous system is often overlooked. Historically, the majority of assessment and treatment has been directed towards the connective tissues and joints. Although joint mobility/stability and other factors such as this are important, it is the nervous system that will decide the “strategy” that will be used when we move. The nervous system will select the movement strategy based on different factors such as:

Restrictions in planar joint movement
Myelination of nerve pathways in the central nervous system
Limitations in nerve pathway activation of the central nervous system and/or peripheral nervous system
Reflexive nature of the movement

Compensation in movement is rarely joint-specific and often incorporates multiple joints, muscles, fascial lines, etc. Even when there is a restriction in joint movement, the body will usually accommodate and therefore compensate.

We then consider movement through the kinetic chain. This chain is composed of multiple bones, joints, fascial lines, and nerve pathways. When there are limitations in one or multiple segments of the chain, the other areas of the chain accommodate. Theoretically, the added load to one section of the kinetic chain places an increased demand on the respective structures of this chain, thereby limiting performance, increasing fatigue, and increasing susceptibility to non-contact injury.

Human movement is not the sum of its parts and therefore cannot and should not be analyzed in this manner. Joint mobility can be altered based on changes to the proprioceptive system, tension on the fascial lines, or joint capsule restriction. Each of these factors must be taken into consideration when analyzing movement. Take the well-known principle of “proximal stability for distal mobility” for example. This principle implies that by stabilizing the core muscles of the spine and the hips, the core, so to speak, allows for the more distal joints to increase in mobility.

As practitioners and trainers, we must evaluate the movement strategies (good and bad) of our patients and clients while also looking for trends in these compensatory strategies over the course of multiple movements and along different planes of movement. Although there is debate as to what is considered “ideal movement” (especially when considering sports specificity), we must understand that there are ideal strategies of muscle activation that promote an increase in strength, power, and speed. In general, it is understood that improving strength, power, and speed will likely improve athletic performance.

The Kinetisense markerless motion capture system is the compass that will lead the practitioner and patient through the rehab process, objectively.

Incorporating Kinetisense into Your Clinic

If you are looking to increase the number of clients who come through your clinic’s door, consider adding Kinetisense to your practice. Kinetisense uses the most up-to-date technology to analyze movement in 3D and has assessments that are tailored to a wide range of people. Common assessments that may be offered include KAMS, Posture and Range of Motion.

Offering a free consultation is a simple way to attract new clients and retain current clients. Be sure to share with them each assessment they could benefit from. As an example, perform a 10 second posture snapshot and then retest a few weeks later. The software will automatically track any improvements the client has made and will allow for a posture report to be generated.

Check out Dr. Beau Sauls and see how he uses Kinetisense in his clinic not only as an assessment tool but also as a marketing tool

Kinetic Centre Dallas

Gait Risk of Fall is another module that could be shown to potential clients (particularly those in the geriatric population). Kinetisense offers both dynamic and static assessments that comprehensively assess an individual’s risk of fall. Reach out to local senior living facilities and share with them what your clinic has to offer in terms of risk of fall prevention with Kinetisense.

Contacting local high schools or club teams and offering a free Kinetisense assessment for young athletes is another way attract clients to your clinic. Single Leg Hop, Posture and Balance assessments provide practitioners with baseline data that can be referred back to if an athlete is injured. Having this baseline scoring system also helps with patient retention during the rehabilitation process.

With Kinetisense:

Increase the number of clients who come to your clinic
Increase client retention
Reduce injury
Increase functionality
Drive discussion
Increase clinic revenue

7 Hacks to Free Up Space on Your Hard Drive

(Originally published by HP)

When you have too much clutter stored on your desktop or laptop PC, you can experience some serious performance issues. If you’re experiencing lag, freezing programs, or difficulty finding important documents, it may be time for a thorough cleaning of your computer’s hard drive.

Here’s how to free up hard drive space on your desktop or laptop, even if you’ve never done it before.

1. Uninstall Unnecessary Apps and Programs

Just because you’re not actively using an outdated app doesn’t mean it’s still not hanging around. Get control of your storage space by deleting unused applications that take up space.

To do this successfully:

Click the “Start” button from your desktop.
Select “Apps.”
Then select “Apps and Features.”
Sort by size to see which programs are eating up the most space.
Get rid of any you don’t use by selecting the program and clicking “Uninstall.”

2. Clean your Desktop

Many of us store everything on our desktop by default, but there’s a better way. Having lots of desktop clutter can slow your computer because these files take up operating memory to display all the time.

Consider deleting any files that you don’t need and move the rest to the Documents, Video, and Photos folders. You’ll free up a little space on your hard drive when you delete them, and those that you keep won’t continue to slow your computer down.

3. Use the Disk Cleanup Tool

This handy utility comes standard in Windows 10 PCs and is a one-click solution to deleting unnecessary operating system files. Windows can recognize these for you and remove the ones it no longer needs.

Launch the Disk Cleanup by asking Cortana or selecting it from your search box.
Choose “Drive: C” to perform the task, which will take several minutes to complete – or longer if it’s your first time.

Note: Disk Cleanup Tool is not the same as the Disk Defragment Tool. While both are essential for optimum performance, the second tool helps manage important files without creating more room on your hard drive. Be sure to schedule both tasks for the best results.

4. Discard Temporary Files

Every time you visit a website, there is a trail of files left behind, such as cookies, images, and text files that make your next visit to the same site faster. If privacy is an issue or you need more space on your hard drive, there’s no need to keep these files around.

Each browser type has a different way to clear these files, so check your browser documentation for best results. You can also use the Windows tool to tackle temporary files.

Consider this as an opportunity to delete cookies, discard temporary files, and clear your cache, which will have an immediate positive effect on your browsing.

5. Deal with Downloads

For anyone wanting to know how to free up space on a laptop hard drive, one of the simplest ways is to tackle the large list of downloads you’re likely have on your device.

Many of us have downloaded videos, music files, photos, and PDF documents that we may or may not need ever again. Some downloads are important, though, so take time to look in your download folder and move important files to the appropriate permanent folders.

Once finished, delete the remaining ones by selecting “All” and clicking “Delete.”

6. Save to the Cloud

Finally, there may come a time when you can’t store everything you want on your desktop or laptop.

This is one of the reasons why experts recommend that you regularly backup important files to your choice of cloud storage service. Not only will it free up precious space on your hard drive, but you’ll be protected in case your hard drive fails, you lose your device, or other damage occurs that puts your data at risk.

However, it can be difficult to remind yourself to perform regular backups. Not doing it on a consistent basis can put your data at risk and lead to large amounts of data being transferred at once. To break up the task into manageable chunks and ensure that you don’t fall behind on your backups, choose the utilities built into most desktops and laptops designed to automate this process.

If you only have access to metered internet service or need data to transfer quickly, consider transferring data to an external storage device. These are secure, affordable, and a plug-and-play solution to keep important files available when you need them.

Maintenance is Vital

Freeing up space on your hard drive can take time, but it’s part of a regular PC maintenance plan for both desktop and laptop computers.

In fact, the more often you can do these tasks, the less time each will take – and the better your device will perform. Some additional tasks can help, such as deleting fuzzy or duplicate photos on a regular basis.

Don’t forget to permanently free your hard drive of all the files and programs you’ve deleted. A final emptying of the “Recycle Bin” is needed to make the trash go away for good!

References

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/7-hacks-free-up-space-hard-drive

How Kinetisense Gave New Hope to a Frozen Shoulder Patient

A 47-year-old female working full-time in reception presented with severe left shoulder pain with limited range of motion in shoulder flexion and shoulder abduction. Symptoms of pain and reduced shoulder range of motion occurred without a known cause, although the patient claims that it is probably the result of working a desk job. She has been suffering from shoulder pain and reduced range of motion for over 8 months and has noticed no improvements with any previous treatment.

Previous treatments included:

Massage (3 massage therapists)
Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) (2 different practitioners)
Stretching
Myofascial release (1 therapist)

She admits that she would often quit a treatment plan with her practitioners within 2-3 sessions based on her perception of “not improving”. She has been prescribed anti-depressant medication by her medical doctor to treat depression that is associated with her chronic shoulder pain.

All upper extremity DTR’s and myotomes WNL, speed’s negative. Resisted shoulder abduction and flexion +3/5 on left, 5/5 on right. DDX ultrasound of left shoulder reveals calcific tendinitis of the left supraspinatus tendon, no other abnormal findings present. She has been referred to our clinic by her medical doctor as a last try treatment before surgery.

The Kinetisense system was used at each treatment, in some cases both pre and post-treatment to track her progression in function over time.

◊ How Kinetisense Affected This Case

Improved patient compliance – the patient was impressed with the ability to track her progress and admitted that she did not stick with previous treatments because there was no way to tell if there was improvement.
As a practitioner I was able to maintain improvements and adjust the treatment plan. In this case, I knew in a timely manner if my current treatment plan would succeed as she continued to improve.
The Kinetisense system accounts for body position alterations and acquires “true” joint values. This allowed me to acquire accurate joint analysis even when my patient would try to compensate in movement.
Automatic patient reporting and easy-to-read graphs allowed me to visually show the patient improvements and regressions both during and between appointments.
Automatic practitioner reporting allows me to send updated progress reports to her referring doctor with the click of a button.

◊ Currently…

Patient is under my care and continuing to improve.
Patient has referred multiple family members and friends to our office, partly due to the Kinetisense analysis system.
Patient is taking half the amount of anti-depressant medications as advised by her medical practitioner.
Patient has incorporated certain activities into her life that she was unable to do for 8+ months.
MD who referred this patient to my office has referred me multiple patients (2 of them being frozen shoulder cases). He is impressed with the Kinetisense system and its accuracy.

Assessing ACL Injury Risk Using the Kinetisense Single Leg Hop Module

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are known as one of the most debilitating and expensive lower extremity injuries for athletes and those in the general population alike (1). In the United States alone, there are an estimated 200,000 ACL injuries that occur each year, and treatment costs can average $17,000-$25,000 per injury (2, 3, 4). Of those injuries, at least 70% are non-contact in nature (1, 3, 2).

The mechanism of injury for an ACL sprain or rupture is multidimensional and complex. There are both extrinsic and intrinsic variables that can play a role (5). Research by LaBella et al. suggests that there is a common body position associated with non-contact ACL injuries in which (I) the hip is internally rotated, (II) the knee is close to full extension, (III) the foot is planted, (IV) the body is decelerating allowing for the opportunity of valgus collapse at the knee, also referred to as dynamic knee valgus, and (V) the center of mass is behind or away from the base of support (3). A combination of decreased plantar flexion at the ankle, low knee flexion, and increased hip flexion upon landing has also been identified as a position that may predispose individuals to ACL injury (6).

Kinetisense has developed a detection system to assess the risk of ACL injury that is cost-effective, accurate, and portable. With the ability to assess variables such as maximum degree of valgus collapse, rate of valgus collapse, jump force, and hip flexion, the single leg hop module allows practitioners to gauge how susceptible each knee is to injury and develop custom ACL injury prevention programs. Analyzing jumping and landing mechanics also provides valuable insight into the compensatory strategies an individual uses while at work, playing sports, and performing activities of daily living.