Kinetisense Newsletter

Version 4 , January 2022

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Clinical Application IT advice Customer Profile Research

3D Posture – Your Clinical “Snapshot” into Dynamic Compensatory Patterns

As clinicians and trainers, we are constantly diving into the nuances and specifics related to functional movement assessment and correction, and rightfully so as “movement specialists” do train and rehab movement.

However, the most advanced and qualified “movement specialists” all understand that every great functional movement assessment session should always follow a static postural assessment.

◊ Posture is the static representation of dynamic neuromuscular compensatory patterns.

Posture assessment should be done for every single patient and client and should not only be done once but regularly. Up until now, a key issue has always been a lack of accurate and objective postural assessment tools available for use in the clinic. We have had to rely on archaic posture grids, plumblines hanging from the ceiling, and other outdated tools for too long.

The Kinetisense 3D Postural Analysis Module is the first of its kind to use advanced artificial intelligence and computer learning to acquire 3 dimensions of posture in 3 planes with a single front-facing sensor. This allows practitioners and trainers to acquire postural data of the frontal plane, sagittal plane, and transverse plane. The system captures all of the data in a matter of 1 second and writes the outputs in paragraph form.

◊ Growing your functional movement practice with 3D Postural Assessment.

One of the primary goals of any practice or training facility is to bring people in the door and to have the chance to assess and treat/train. 3D Postural analysis by Kinetisense is the system that will provide invaluable insights to you and your prospective patient/client and will help drive the conversation of functional wellness. The analysis takes seconds to complete and can easily be done by a front desk staff and/or clinical support staff. In most cases, this will lead to the patient/client requesting a session with the therapist/trainer.

“Although Kinetisense was developed to be a state-of-the-art clinical biomechanics analysis system, it will also serve as your most valuable marketing tool.”

Generating Patients/Clients

Functional movement assessments have long relied on the subjective judgements and experience of the practitioner. Kinetisense quantifies these functional movements and provides a simple, numeric benchmark that eliminates any guesswork and inaccurate appraisals. Our system has many unique features and produces rich, detailed reports.

The portability of the Kinetisense system allows for it to be taken directly into any facility (e.g., senior living homes, schools, gyms etc.). In fact, the only equipment needed for a Kinetisense evaluation is a computer and a camera. This eliminates the issue of having to transport groups of people to the clinic for assessments.

Utilizing Kinetisense provides a new way to attract clients, charge for assessments, and increase client retention. Here are some of the most successful screens that can benefit your practice…

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Single Leg Hop

The advanced 3D joint tracking system assesses a single leg hop to calculate the degree and rate of valgus collapse, as well as the jump force output. In the United States alone, research has shown that more than 200,000 individuals per year injure their ACL, and 70% of cases are non-contact injuries. The objective data Kinetisense provides allows you to measure client fatigue, look at compensatory loading and landing patterns, and recognize progressions or regressions over time using trend data.

Kinetisense Advanced Movement Screen (KAMS)

The Kinetisense Advanced Movement module analyzes 12 evidence-based movements in 3 minutes to provide objective assessments of an athlete’s dynamic movement. You’ll be able to see a patient or client’s mobility and stability, providing you a complete picture of their dynamic movement. We look at the entire body rather than just the upper or lower body for every movement, making it easy for you to give accurate information on where their movement requires correction.

Concussion Baseline Testing

Kinetisense offers balance assessments that follow the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) protocol. These include double-leg, tandem, and single-leg balance assessments. In each protocol position, the total amount of tilt and sway in all 3 planes (frontal, sagittal, and transverse) is measured in order to produce a score. Once a baseline assessment is completed and an athlete’s current/normal balance scores are known, they can be compared to the athlete’s post-concussion scores to determine if any balance deficits are present. With the ability to collect data in seconds and assess up to 50 athletes in less than an hour, Kinetisense can help you increase clinic revenue and make a positive impact on local athletes in your community.

Complete Athletic Performance Screen (CAPS)

This athletic screen is comprised of the KAMS functional movement screen, the single leg hop test, and the BESS concussion baseline screen. This all-encompassing assessment takes approximately 10 minutes total to complete and can be done in most treatment rooms (8×10 ft rooms). It can also easily be administered by a staff member with little to no biomechanical knowledge.

For more information on CAPS visit – https://www.kinetisense.com/kinetisense-newsletter-november2021/

Packages for Local Athletes and Teams

Create athlete packages such as preseason functional testing, mid-season check in, or post-season evaluation and provide the team with a discount. If an athlete is injured during the season, be sure to encourage them to follow up with the person they did their assessment with.

Local Fitness Facilities

If you work in a clinic, reach out to local fitness facilities to develop a relationship where you can both refer clients to each other. Bring a brochure of all that Kinetisense can offer for screening. Provide free posture evaluations and make appointments for clients to receive treatment to improve their posture. Offer KAMS assessments at 50% off and make a competition out of who has the most functional mobility in your local fitness facility!

Senior Living Homes

Research has shown that 31% of persons over 65 and 50% over 80 experience one fall per year. Falls are also responsible for 90% of all hip fractures, which can decrease life expectancy 10-15%.

Connect with senior living homes in the community and develop a healthy partnership by using Kinetisense to assess Balance, Posture and Gait. With these modules, it is easy to track the effect that certain prescription medications can have on balance, monitor treatment post-injury, or evaluate risk of falling/need for ambulatory aids. For the treatment of chronic conditions, it is beneficial to have an objective tool that can monitor improvements or rate of decline over time. Increase patient retention and patient homecare with Kinetisense using our Geriatric protocol (found in our User Manual).

Benefits of Regularly Rebooting Your Computer

(Originally published by Two River Computer)

There are a number of things that happen during a reboot that help “reset” multiple items inside a computer. Here are some of the reasons that restarting your computer at least once a week is going to save you time and make your life easier.

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1. Flushes the Memory

As you use different programs or processes run in the background, they’re all taking up part of your Random Access Memory (RAM). As your memory gets used, performance can degrade and that’s when you’ll see things like spinning wheels while you’re waiting on a program, slow loading web pages, and programs that take longer than normal to open.

Restarting your computer flushes the memory and stops all tasks that may be happening, including those that might have been temporarily slowing you down.

2. Halts Memory Leaks

Another memory related problem that rebooting can solve is when a program doesn’t close correctly, and it keeps on using memory even though it’s no longer open. This “memory leakage” can cause your computer to drag, and it’s often hard to spot when you look in the long line of processes in the task manager.

Rebooting is like a reset for any program that is running or using memory even after it’s closed out.

3. Corrects Software Glitches

Have you even been in a program and found that a certain function wasn’t working like usual? It could be a drop down that isn’t coming up or a search function that’s not working properly.

Email program search functions can be particularly quirky especially if you have a lot of gigabytes of information in your email program.

Restarting your computer often fixes these types of software glitches by doing a full reset of the software and desktop environment.

4. Can Solve Internet & Bluetooth Connection Issues

It’s frustrating when your PC drops the Wi-Fi connection or your Bluetooth stops picking up your wireless keyboard. These types of problems can crop up when your computer goes too long between reboots or because of other types of network issues.

Restarting your computer is one of the easiest ways to fix connection problems and it takes less time than trying to reboot your modem and router (especially if they aren’t the problem).

5. Speeds Up Performance

If your computer is running slow, restarting it often speeds it back up again.

Rebooting helps keep your computer running efficiently and can often speed up performance if you’ve been having issues. The combination of things such as flushing the RAM and clearing up temporary files and processes helps keep “computer cobwebs” from forming and as a result your PC can perform at peak speed.

6. Saves You Time

If you’re spending an extra 1-2 minutes than you need to waiting for an application to open or a video to load, those minutes really add up over the course of a week.

Just 15 extra minutes spent waiting on a slow computer each day is nearly two hours per week that could potentially be eliminated just by taking a few extra minutes to restart your computer weekly.

7. Fixes Emergent Issues

There are certain issues which indicate a need to reboot and not doing so can cause longer-term problems. There are also times when you definitely should reboot to ensure things like software updates apply properly.

Here are some of the times rebooting can help you fix an emergent issue:

If your computer feels hot
If the fans inside your device are making excessive noise
After a software or firmware update
After you’ve installed new hardware
You’re experiencing application crashes
Things are freezing or taking longer than usual to respond
A file or application won’t open

References

https://medium.com/it-advice/safely-disposing-of-old-computers-85da85f1180c

Longitude6 and Kinetisense Partnership

Longitude6 is an Australian workplace safety start up that has grown continuously over the last two years. L6 is committed to helping companies improve worker productivity, identify injury risks, and determine when employees can return to work following an injury.

Longitude6 use the Kinetisense Advanced Movement Screen product outputs then aggregating this data to a range of other technologies from around the world, Longitude6 can truly boast of being the most innovative and results orientated risk and injury prevention group in the world.

The CEO and Founder of Longitude6, Mark Heaysman, quoted:

Using a product that is accurate, commercially affective, appropriate in its outputs, immediate reporting and simple to use were significant elements in our choice of the product to be included in our unique method of risk analysis and solution design. Kinetisense is in everyway the best product we have found for the task of analysing a person’s functional capacity.
Simply put, “We love it” and “We use it”

The growth and uptake were evident with the introduction of Wearable Sensor Technology and Motion Capture technology of Kinetisense within one of the largest distribution groups in Australia driven by our partners EMP, Onsite Solutions who provided complimentary services using the technologies where appropriate:

The costs associated with a poorly designed and high-risk workplace can have a devastating impact on a business. To combat this, L6 has developed a distinct approach that uses the latest technology (Kinetisense) to help prevent workplace injuries from occurring in the first place.

◊ Detailing the Longitude6 approach and how they have been successful:

Assessment of the functional capacity of new and existing employees via the Kinetisense Advanced Movement Screen. This screen identifies asymmetries and restrictions in range of motion for key movements.
Using skilled practitioners to design functional improvement programs, using Kinetisense to validate the correct prescribed program and to monitor the progress.
Matching people to their jobs, improving return to work processes, and reducing injury severity rates.

“To combat the growing challenges with preventing work related injuries, Longitude6 has developed a distinct approach that helps with this, using the latest technology to analyze and help reduce the risks before accidents have a chance to occur” – L6

To learn more, check out their website: https://www.longitude6.com

Read our new white paper on workplace injury

The Impact of Pre-Employment Screening and Physical Testing on Workplace Injuries

Ryan D Comeau BSc, DC, ACC
Benjamin Kroon BSc (Kin)
Christopher Sheardown BSc (Kin)

Workplace injuries are a growing concern. Due to the many possible causes, these injuries continue to happen everyday in a wide variety of workplace settings. Kinetisense has developed a screening tool to assess injury risk that is cost-effective, accurate, and portable. The use of this tool is one way to prevent workplace injuries from occurring in the first place.

The Problem

Workplace injuries are a major public health issue around the world, with an estimated 317 million occurring each year (1). In Canada and the United States, there were approximately 1,130,245 work-related injuries that occurred in 2018 alone (2). These injuries are not only costly to workers and their families, but also employers and the broader community. According to the National Safety Council, the estimated total cost of workplace injuries in the United States in 2019 was $171 billion (this includes the cost to the nation, employers, and individual workers) (3). The cost per injury was a staggering $42,000 (3).

For employers in particular, workplace injuries come with a number of direct and indirect costs. Costs that are tied directly to the injury are referred to as direct costs, and usually include workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses, and costs for legal services (4). Indirect costs on the other hand are any additional, unexpected costs associated with the injury. These include costs related to lost productivity, training replacement employees, and repairing damaged equipment and property (4).

The most commonly reported workplace injuries are strains and sprains, cuts/open wounds, contusions, fractures, and other chronic joint or muscle conditions (5, 6, 7). Out of the many possible causes, overexertion and slips, trips, and falls have been found to account for the majority of these injuries (8).

In the case of overexertion, injuries are often the result of prolonged and repetitive movement, as well as lifting, pushing, or carrying something that is too heavy (9). The areas of the body most commonly affected by overexertion-related injuries are the back, shoulders, and knees (9). In many instances, these injuries stem from asymmetries in muscle development and imbalances in flexibility and movement patterns. If a strength or flexibility imbalance is present, the less functional side is incapable of producing the same amount of force, which can lead to muscle, ligament, and joint injuries. This is especially true for lower back injuries. When the lower back is forced to bear an excessive load, it can lead to strains and sprains of the active and passive lumbar tissues, as well as intervertebral disc degeneration or herniation (10).

Slips, trips, and falls on the other hand happen for a number of different reasons. Specific hazards in the workplace environment such as uneven flooring, cluttered walkways, and poor lighting make it much more likely someone will slip, trip, or fall (11). There are also personal factors that can play a role. Age is one such factor that cannot be overlooked. In fact, work-related falls have been shown to be more common among older workers (12). Older adults are also at the greatest risk of falling and suffering a serious fall-related injury (13). This is due in large part to balance and gait impairments that are present in older individuals (14, 15). A consequence of falls of this nature is an increased risk of fractures, specifically hip fractures (16).

The Solution

Kinetisense uses an Intel d415 sensor, which has the capability to capture anywhere from 30 to 90 frames per second (fps) and is processed in real-time. This allows the system to accurately capture and measure quick, explosive movements.

Kinetisense has been designed to provide an affordable means of acquiring 3D joint tracking. The software itself provides real-time analysis and easy to understand reporting for motion capture. The real-time representation of human motion data and the increased inter and intra-examiner reliability in assessment separate Kinetisense from other movement analysis tools.

The 3D capture of joint and body-position replaces the need for wearable sensor technology that is both difficult to place on the body and time consuming. Wearable sensors also have issues with inter and intra-examiner accuracy and reproducibility in assessment, as placement of the sensors on the skin can vary and anatomical landmarking is often subjective.

Analyzing Risk of Injury Through KAMS

The Kinetisense Advanced Movement Screen (KAMS) is a 12-part functional movement screen that is able to identify an individual’s risk of injury. The software is able to analyze asymmetries and restrictions in range of motion for key movements such as single leg hop and posture angel. Each movement is scored on a 12 point scale, which allows for injury risk to be quantitatively represented.

The system analyzes human biomechanics and the subsequent “compensatory movement patterns” in 3 planes (sagittal, frontal, transverse). The 3-4 minute comprehensive movement screen provides invaluable information on compensations and movements that may put the employee “at-risk” of injury.

The FPM (functional planar mapping) tool “maps” the joints and respective movement planes of dysfunction from the overall findings of the 12 movements. The customized FPM outputs provide valuable insights into the risk of injury and specific strategies for injury prevention.

Single Leg Hop Assessment Screen. In the Single Leg Hop Assessment screen, the user is able to see frontal and transverse plane information. The joints that are being assessed during the movement are highlighted with green circles

University Validation on the Accuracy of the Kinetisense System

The Kinetisense markerless motion system and associated SDK have been validated for accuracy as a biomechanical analysis tool in a variety of studies. It has shown reliability in measurement and inter-reliability in assessment and reassessment.

A study by Harsted et al. entitled “The performance of two in-clinic markerless motion capture systems compared to a laboratory standard” found that Kinetisense showed good accuracy when compared to the Vicon marker-based system. This study concluded that the Kinetisense markerless system was “sufficiently similar to the laboratory standard” of the Vicon system (17).

A third party University study conducted at the University of Calgary compared the accuracy of the Kinetisense system to the Vicon research system. The study compared the accuracy of the Kinetisense markerless system to the Vicon research system and force plate technology.

This study concluded that “Kinetisense may be a valid alternative to expensive and cumbersome force plate or multi-camera motion analysis systems for clinical assessment. The objective scoring provided by the 3D tool improves upon current clinical standards that rely on scoring sheets or subjective interpretation of 2D video. The ease of set-up and the quick turnaround of objective balance data allow the clinician to fully dedicate themselves to interacting with and assessing the patient. Instead of calibrating cameras, placing markers, and processing data the clinician can spend their time working with the patient to interpret the results, discuss their progress, and develop training plans.”

A third party validation study conducted by Dr. Jon Doan from the University of Lethbridge compared the accuracy of the Kinetisense system to the Vicon research system. In this study, 24 healthy young adults performed 8 different actions, each to two different levels (specific normal range deflection, maximal deflection) and at one of two different clinically relevant camera-subject distances, inside the shared calibration volume of the Kinetisense and VICON Peak motion capture systems.

The Conclusion

Given what is known about workplace injuries and the negative effects they can have, it is crucial that preventative measures such as pre-employment screening be implemented. Utilizing a tool such as KAMS will not only help prevent workplace injuries from occurring, it will also allow employers to ensure workers are fit to perform the tasks required of them while on the job. The Kinetisense system is also portable and easy to use, making it perfect for use in any workplace.