Physical therapy is going through a huge transformation right now - from analog to digital assessment and remote care services. Traditionally, this profession has built a reputation as a hands-on affair, involving knowledge and skill delivered through a physical consultation. Physical therapists get to the bottom of most problems by enquiring about signs and symptoms and cross-checking them with a range of clinical tests on joints and muscles to narrow down the underlying cause of pain and dysfunction. The more information therapists have at hand, the better informed are their decisions about the problem and what to do about it. For example, pain in the knee is not always because of a knee problem, but often secondary to dysfunction in the foot and/or hip. Measurement is a key component of this evidence-based profession. You will however still find old-school analog tools like a stopwatch, tape measure, goniometer, clipboard, and body chart on the desks of most physical therapists. Some clinics, like Postureworks in Los Angeles, are leading the way out of the dark ages and into the future of digi-physical consultations by looking at the quality of whole-body movements, not just isolated body parts or the integrity of the tissues. These clinics and their clients benefit from a holistic approach along with the speed, accuracy, and convenience of augmented intelligence and sensor technology, whilst maintaining the personal touch that only a human can provide - care, communication, empathy, hands-on excellence, and a pinch of intuition.

Postureworks in the very first physical therapy clinic in the USA to add Moovment® services from Sweden to their way of working. Postureworks are well known for their focus on restoring optimal function in people of all ages. They use detailed assessment of whole-body movement such as weak-link testing from the Neurac® method, as well as the classic orthopedic approach to testing and treating isolated body parts. Although not a diagnostic tool, Moovment software enables them to record, measure and visualise human movement in 3D - something that cannot be done with the human eye. They now evaluate the way their clients move in fine detail and communicate it to them and to colleagues in a way that has never been seen before in the USA. They create a moving digital twin for clients in just a matter of minutes from their dedicated 3D Moovment Scan station. This digital twin is analysed by Moovment’s augmented intelligence in order to illustrate movement quality and to help educate clients about their strengths and weaknesses. The detail is down to pixels, degrees and milliseconds. The animated feedback helps to remove confusion and to explain to clients what they need to improve, and how they are improving over time. It is an immersive experience that is incredible for awareness and client satisfaction.

1 in 2 Americans has a musculoskeletal (MSK) problem, many of which could be avoided if detected earlier. Postureworks say that ‘When you are in Optimal alignment, you discover the intelligence of your mind and body’. We can all find our own Optimal positions - free from compensations, minimal stress on the body, and without unnecessary fatigue - but only when we are aware of where we can improve, and with the right individualised guidance. That’s where the combination of expertise and technology at Postureworks seemingly performs miracles, when in fact it is simply solid biomechanical principles at work. We can make a big difference to the $960 billion/year spent on MSK in the USA, and the enormous costs attributed to a sedentary lifestyle - obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, falls - if we just tapped into that Intelligence of mind and body, with the help of intelligent technology.

Find out more about Postureworks in LA and their Moovment service here.
Connect with Moovment here.

Keep reading for a few case studies provided by Postureworks (with permission).
Qinematic makes no claims about diagnosis or clinical outcomes from using the software. Decisions about assessment and treatment choices are entirely up to the health and fitness provider.

Scan of a 40+ yro lady with chronic lower back pain and jaw pain showed that her body weight was too far forward due to a sway back (Kendell et al) and forward head posture. Showing her the posture helped her to understand the problem, and she was able to change her posture with 2 months of targetted intervention involving posture re-education with the physical therapist.

The initial scan shows from the front that she is leaning to the left, and for the side that she has a sway back and forward head posture. From the overhead view, it is clear that her shoulders and hips are rotated to the right.

On follow-up scan, her posture from the side and the front has improved considerably, but she still has some rotation in the hips and shoulders that may need some more attention in order to prevent the back pain from returning.

Scan of a 60+ yro lady, who had an accident and injured her right leg, showed that she was favoring her left leg and that her right leg had poor control during the squat. The scan helped establish an objective baseline for her knee control, revealing her imbalances and showing evidence of significant progress and improvement after 9 visits to the clinic.

The initial scan shows the right foot turned out, and the knee traveling towards the inside of the foot and crossing over the line of the foot (Knee Over Foot Position (Ageberg, Bennell, Crossley)) which typically aggravates knee pain. She was reluctant to put weight on the right leg during the single squat.

The second scan showed much improved right knee control and the knee traveling outwards rather than inwards. Her ability to bear weight on the right leg during single-leg squat was much improved.

Scan of a 40+ yro former professional athlete soccer player, with lateral R knee pain and intermittent swelling, showed that he shifted his weight away from the right leg by pushing the left knee outwards and shifting the hips to the left in double leg squat. In single leg squat, he had a significant inward (medial) shift of the knee towards the middle of the foot, which became more pronounced when seen from above and when viewed from a forward-facing foot position. He also compensated for the knee dysfunction by moving his shoulders (Postural Orientation Error)(Crossley, Nae).

The scan helped to reveal details that are usually not noticeable to the naked eye. Despite their athleticism and superb body awareness, even a pro athlete can develop compensations and can lose touch with certain key muscles, contributing to biomechanical faults and increasing the risk of re/injury.