In-lab and out-of-lab measurement of the habitual movement path using wearable technology as a risk factor for musculoskeletal injury in runners
Allison Wozniak
Undergraduate Researcher
Physics Major (College of Arts & Sciences)
Allison Gruber
Faculty Mentor
Allison Gruber (School of Public Health)
Project Description
The biomechanics and mechanisms of overuse musculoskeletal injuries experienced by runners have been investigated for over 40 years but the risk of developing these injuries remains high. The chance of experiencing a running related injury is like flipping a coin – approximately 50% of runners will experience at least one injury per year. Many running gait (i.e. running form) and running training risk factors for running injuries have been investigated, including running mileage, skeletal malalignment, and the loading to the body that occurs every time the foot makes contact with the ground. Recent evidence suggests that deviating from an individual’s “habitual movement path” increases the risk for musculoskeletal injury. The habitual movement path is dictated by the individual’s anatomy and results in minimal resistance to movement. When there is minimal resistance to movement, movement is optimized to reduce loading on the passive joint structures. Several factors can cause deviations from this habitual movement path including fatigue, running surface or slope, and poor fitting footwear. Currently, measuring the habitual movement path and deviations from that path under various running conditions are limited to lab-based measurements using expensive motion-capture and force measurement equipment, which makes it difficult to monitor deviations to the habitual movement path in the field, under real-world conditions. The IU Biomechanics Laboratory is currently working with an industry partner to develop a method to measure habitual movement path and monitor deviations from the habitual movement path with commercial wearable technology. Additional research aims for this partnership include: examine running gait fatigue patterns in the lab then develop methods for measuring fatigue patterns during free-living running with commercial wearable technology; and reduce the cognitive energy perceived physical effort of running to combat fatigue onset. This research involve in-lab measurement of gait using 3D-Motion Capture and out-of-the-lab measurements using wearable technology devices (activity monitors, foot pods, GPS, and inertial measurement units or “IMU’s”). Your role as an Emerging Scholar research assistant will be to assist with collecting and analyzing data captured from these sources.
Technology or Computational Component
The student mentee will assist with three-dimensional motion capture and wearable device data collection and processing. The three-dimensional motion capture system in the IU Biomechanics Laboratory is the same technology used to create animations of real people for video games and movie characters such as into movies like Groot and Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. The student mentee would also assist in using software programs that build models of the human body based on an individual’s measured motion capture data and organize wearable device data for analysis by the lab’s custom written software (e.g. MATLAB, Python). These technologies are essential for anyone wishing to pursue careers in clinical gait and movement analysis, biomedical engineering, ergonomics, sports equipment and design, sports performance, sport data science, motor vehicle safety and many other fields within biomechanics and across sport and health related disciplines.