Evaluating Pediatric Orthopaedic Disorders
The Movement Analysis Laboratory (MAL) is located at Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) and is staffed by physical therapists, a coordinator, and a PhD biomechanical engineer. Major equipment in the laboratory includes a 10-camera motion collection system integrated with four force plates and a 10-channel EMG system. Additional equipment includes a metabolic measurement system and a pedobarograph.
Aiding Treatment
The laboratory evaluates pediatric subjects with movement or structural orthopaedic disorders. Patients are referred to the laboratory by SHC or University of Utah physicians.
Evaluations are performed with the goal of aiding the treatment decision process, evaluating treatments, or monitoring longitudinal progress. All data are evaluated by a multidisciplinary team.
Committed to Research
The MAL is also committed to supporting the research of both SHC and U of U 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.
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.
