The Motion Analysis Lab seeks to improve the physical capabilities of those who suffer from musculoskeletal ailments through our research and clinical activities. We study the functional performance of people during activities of daily living, measuring the kinematics and kinetics of natural and artificial joints.
Our current research foci explore the pathomechanism of abnormal gait on osteoarthritic joints, and the development of rehabilitation strategies to either delay or halt the progression of cartilage wear.
Our work
Normal human motion incorporates the intricate combination of muscles, bones, nerves and sensation to perform the simplest of motor tasks. Any change to the balance of the body’s systems, such as injury, disease progression or surgical intervention, can affect the ability to continue to perform the same tasks.
By studying how the body moves prior to and after these changes, our researchers seek to gain new insights into how the changes affect the loading at the joints, the musculoskeletal system reacts to the changes and the recovery of the body affects the loading over time.
Currently our group is investigating the following:
- Impact of implant design on functional outcomes of total knee arthroplasty
- Custom footwear and its effect on knee load
- Gait retraining to improve lower extremity joint biomechanics
- Recovery after surgical repair of femoral acetabular impingement
- Muscular activation of spinal fusion subjects (pre-and post-op)
- Sports biomechanics/injury (pitching, ACL reconstruction)
Our technology
The Motion Analysis Lab combines 3D motion of the human body with other biomechanical input to recreate the movement, loading and muscular contribution during a variety of tasks. We are equipped to quantify detailed movement of the feet, ankles, knees and hips during functional tasks including walking on level or ramped surfaces, ascending or descending stairs, and sitting into, or rising from, a chair.
The laboratory is also outfitted to assess upper extremity and full body motion for dynamic activities such as pitching, as well as functional tasks. Some of our equipment includes the following:
- Twelve optoeletronic cameras from Qualisys AB
- Twenty opoelectronic camera system from OptiTrack
- Five multicomponent forceplates from Bertec Corporation
- A 16-channel wireless EMG from Noraxon USA
- Fifteen IMU wearable sensors from APDM Wearable Technologies
- Balance Trainer platform from Biodex Medical Systems
- System 4 Pro advanced dynamometer from Biodex Medical Systems
- Emed high resolution pressure platform from Novel GmbH
- Pedar portable pressure insole system from Novel GmbH
- OpenGo wireless pressure-detecting shoe insole system from Moticon GmbH
- 14 camera “markerless” motion capture system from Organic Motion Inc.
- The MotionMonitor data collection & analysis software from Innovative Sports, Inc.
- Visual3D Pro research software from C-Motion
- BioMove point cluster processing software from Stanford BioMotion Lab
Our funding
Our work is made possible by funds from the National Institutes of Health, the Arthritis Foundation, philanthropic research grants and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
- Arthritis Foundation Grant: “Augmented Feedback Using Pressure Detecting Insoles to Reduce Knee Loading”
- NIH R01AR059843: “Wear Testing for Enhanced Prediction of TKR Clinical Performance”
- Philanthropic: “Motion Analysis of Bicruciate Retaining Total Knee Replacement”
- Departmental funding to evaluate patient function before and after arthroscopic treatment for FAI
Our team
- Markus Wimmer, PhD, professor and laboratory director
- Christopher Ferrigno, MPT, PhD, assistant professor
- Hannah Lundberg, PhD, associate professor
- Christopher Knowlton, PhD candidate, laboratory manager
- Jade He, PhD student, Graduate College, Rush University
- Jacqueline Simon, PhD candidate, Graduate College, Rush University
- Kathin Ebinger, MD, postdoctoral fellow
- Erica Ramirez, MS, postgraduate student
Key publications
- Foucher, K.C., Hurwitz, D.E., Wimmer, M.A. (2009) Relative importance of gait vs. joint positioning on hip contact forces after total hip replacement. J Orthop Res 27(12):1576-82
- Foucher, K.C., Wimmer, M.A. (2012) Contralateral hip and knee gait biomechanics are unchanged by total hip replacement for unilateral hip osteoarthritis. Gait & Posture 35(1):61-5.
- O’Keefe J.A., Espinoza Orías A.A., Kahn H., Hall D.A., Berry-Kravis E., Wimmer, M.A. (2014) Implementation of a Markerless Motion Analysis Method to Quantify Hyperkinesis in Males with Fragile X Syndrome. Gait & Posture 39:827-830
- Lundberg HJ, Swanson A, Knowlton C, Inoue N, Wimmer MA. Methods for Locating the Tibio-Femoral Contact Pathway in Total Knee Replacements using Marker-Based Gait Analysis and Standard Radiography, Iowa Orthopaedic Journal, 34:94-101, 2014 PMCID: PMC4127717.
- Lundberg HJ, Rojas IL, Foucher KC, Wimmer MA. Comparison of Antagonist Muscle Activity During Walking Between Total Knee Replacement and Control Subjects Using Unnormalized Electromyography. Journal of Arthroplasty, 2015 Dec, in press, DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2015.12.006.
- Farkas GJ, Cvetanovich GL, Rajan KB, Espinoza Orías AA, Nho SJ. Impact of Femoroacetabular Impingement Morphology on Gait Assessment in Symptomatic Patients. Sports Health. 2015 Sep-Oct;7(5):429-36. doi: 10.1177/1941738115592827. Epub 2015 Jun 25. PubMed PMID: 26502419; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4547117.
- Ngai, V., Wimmer, M.A. (2015) Variability of TKR knee kinematics and relationship to gait kinetics: Implications for total knee wear. Biomed Res Int, 2015: 284513 doi: 10.1155/2015/284513
- Ferrigno C, Stoller IS, Shakoor N, Thorp LE, Wimmer MA. The Feasibility of Using Augmented Auditory Feedback From a Pressure Detecting Insole to Reduce the Knee Adduction Moment: A Proof of Concept Study. J Biomech Eng. 2016 Feb 1;138(2). doi: 10.1115/1.4032123.
- Ardestani MM, Amenábar Edwards PP, Wimmer MA. Prediction of Polyethylene Wear Rates from Gait Biomechanics and Implant Positioning in Total Hip Replacement. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2017 Aug;475(8):2027-2042.
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Freed RD, Simon JC, Knowlton CB, Orozco Villaseñor DA, Wimmer MA, Lundberg HJ. Are Instrumented Knee Forces Representative of a Larger Population of Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasties? J Arthroplasty. 2017 Jul;32(7):2268-227
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Simon JC, Della Valle CJ, Wimmer MA. Level and Downhill Walking to Assess Implant Functionality in Bicruciate- and Posterior Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2018 Sep;33(9):2884-2889.
Contact us
To learn more about the Human Motion Lab and opportunities to get involved with research, please contact Chris Knowlton.