Spending too much time injured? And no-one can quite put their finger on what’s happening? As a running coach, I know this is an all too familiar scenario that can lead to an expensive merry-go-round of referral, treatment and rehab.
Often injuries stem from imbalances in the body or movement patterns that may lead to overuse and the inevitable breakdowns associated. Fully understanding what’s happening at a functional level can be vital to quickly pinpointing problem areas and getting you back on the road to recovery. In other words, it’s critical to understand the way each of us move.
The reason I’m telling you this is because I recently met with the makers of DorsaVi, a new wearable sensor tenchnology that’s recently hit the Australian market. Offering runners a full analysis of their running motion, with important metrics such as ground force and contact time, steps per minute (cadence), the technology also shows symmetrical comparison of right versus left and it provides runners, coaches and physicians with data needed to help identify injury problem areas.
The technology can be worn outdoors, in the real running environment, by means of its mobile sensors, which are attached directly to the body and relay messaging wirelessly to the data collection unit. With no need for wires, you aren’t restricted to a treadmill and can experience full freedom of movement. Given the changes in gait bought about by the motion of the treadmill, this point of difference places dorsaVi in a good position when compared to other similar technology.
Running over varied terrain for extended periods provides valuable data on how the body reacts to the things we commonly encounter – change of speed, change of incline and the impact of fatigue.
Once the dorsaVi data is downloaded a full raft of reporting becomes available. The analysis of this data can not only be broken into the various phases of the run, but also compared to previous sessions for the same runner and to a repository of ‘norms’ set for the running community. In doing so a good clinician can identify why injuries are occurring, monitor progress post injury and develop treatments aimed at preventing reoccurrence.
DorsaVi is now available at a number of Sports Medicine clinics across Australia. For more information go to http://dorsavi.com.
