Movement Analysis Laboratory, Shriners Hospital for Children - SLC
The Movement Analysis Laboratory (MAL) is located at Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) - SLC and is staffed by two full time physical therapists, a coordinator, and a Ph.D. biomechanical engineer. Major equipment in the laboratory includes a ten-camera motion collection system integrated with four force plates and a twelve sensor EMG system. Additional equipment includes a metabolic measurement system and a pedobarograph. The laboratory is fully funded by the hospital to perform movement analysis studies on SHC patients. Because this is the only laboratory of its kind in Utah, and one of only two in the Intermountain West, we have established an informal policy of performing studies for pediatric patients under the care of University of Utah physicians. These studies are performed at no cost to the patient and without any compensation to the laboratory. The MAL is also committed to supporting the research of both SHC and University of Utah physicians. Both funded and non-funded projects may be executed in the lab. We are often able to accommodate smaller projects using our own clinical staff. For larger projects, we will often train outside personnel on use of the equipment and provide necessary supervision in order to not overburden our clinical employees. The MAL has been operating since 1997 and has been an establish leader in developing and integrating new models and technologies for clinical gait analysis. SHC maintains the only system of movement analysis laboratories in the world. The close affiliation between laboratories facilitates the ability to perform multicenter studies. The SLC laboratory has been a major participant in these efforts. Additionally, the independent funding provided by SHC enables laboratories to perform studies without third party compensations, greatly facilitating our ability to see patients both for pretreatment analyses and for follow up assessments.