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Movement Science + Olympic Sprinter = FAST

Movement Science + Olympic Sprinter = FAST

by | Jul 3, 2024 | Sports Medicine

Previously published in Rite Up, 2024 – Issue 2.

New and novel research that focuses on adolescent sprinters is coming off the blocks at Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center in Frisco. FAST, short for Functional Analysis and Speed Training, is a series of data collection clinics led by Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., director of the Movement Science Laboratory. She and her team are partnering with Mechelle Lewis Freeman, USA Track and Field Olympian, Olympic coach and CEO/ Founder of TrackGirlz, a Frisco nonprofit that gives girls access to mentorship and sport through track and field empowerment programs. 

The goal of FAST is to reduce the risk of injury in the adolescent sprinting population. To achieve this, Ulman’s team collects data that measures a sprinter’s mobility, stability, strength and power. “A lot of sprinting data in the research community is in collegiate or Olympic athletes,” Ulman says. “No one has really tapped into sprinting at the adolescent level.” Analyzing this data helps determine the mechanical weaknesses or deficiencies that young sprinters have, which could lead to injuries. Athletes receive their data on report cards that include recommended exercises, or correctives, which sprinters can do to improve their specific areas of weakness. By participating in FAST clinics, young sprinters learn how to move correctly so that they can improve their speed and reduce their risk of injuries. 

On the inaugural day of FAST, Freeman brought middle and high school sprinters from TrackGirlz to participate in a variety of functional tests on the track and in the lab at Scottish Rite. A month prior, she completed the tests herself, providing Olympic-level counsel to help identify the appropriate sprinting metrics. “When watching the girls move, it was interesting to see how the data we measured correlated to what I observed with my eye,” Freeman says. “The data gives you confirmation on weaknesses that need to be addressed, removing the guesswork from their athletic development.” 

Beyond movement, researchers surveyed participants on their nutrition habits, sleep routines and training hours. “We can relate mechanical issues and movement deficiencies to these factors as well, which provides a more holistic message,” Ulman says. 

Once a large dataset is collected, the team aims to answer questions that will determine prevalence. “For example, 98% of sprinters have this mechanical deficiency or have a weakness in power that leads to this injury,” Ulman says. “These overarching data points are extremely helpful and will allow us to better target our interventions for these young athletes.” 

Freeman punctuates the importance of TrackGirlz’ collaboration with Scottish Rite. “Through the expertise of the Movement Science team, we are giving these girls world-class information, education and motivation to perform their best.”

Read the full issue.

Movement Science – Breaking Down Movements in Young Baseball Players

Movement Science – Breaking Down Movements in Young Baseball Players

by | Oct 27, 2023 | Sports Medicine

As part of SAFE (Sports-specific Assessment and Functional Evaluation), our team is developing sport-specific protocols for the use of motion capture technology in sports medicine that are being used across the country. There are only a handful of sports that have received attention in the motion capture world, and those are typically performance-based models. The models that our team are creating evaluate foundational movements to help us predict injuries and improve return to play protocols. To do this, we will need to record a great deal of data from a large number of athletes.

For the past two summers, our Movement Science Lab team in Frisco has collected data sets on our baseball program participants and some other volunteers. Though we are just getting started on the total number of athletes to test, we are making great progress on tweaking the protocol and looking at preliminary results to understand where to go next. Here are a few things that we are looking at in the study:

Trunk mobility – specifically in the thoracic spine. We’ve identified the best way to capture the mobility of the upper spine. We believe that tightness there may affect the stress on the shoulder during throwing.

 
Motion throughout the body while throwing. Because our movement science lab is spacious, with 14-camera motion capture system, we can monitor joint angles, speed and forces throughout the body during high velocity pitching. We believe some movements are directly related to the development of elbow and shoulder injuries, particularly when there is a high volume of throws without rest.

 
Single leg stability with motion. Most sports require movement of the legs, and most of the time, only one leg is in contact with the ground. We are measuring the differences from side to side and between athletes to identify asymmetry in static and dynamic single leg movements. We believe asymmetry is a factor for increased injury risk in all athletes.

 
Leader of the project and assistant director of the Movement Science Lab in Frisco, Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., says, “Early results from this study are helping us to establish an evidence-based return to play decision-making model.” Many have heard of functional testing or return to play testing for athletes returning to sport after a significant knee surgery, such as an ACL reconstruction. This new upper extremity program is much needed in the pediatric sports medicine community. As we continue to collect information about healthy athletes, we will use the results to continue to modify the upper extremity return to play program. This is an example of where our clinical teams of physicians, physician assistants and physical therapists collaborate with our research team to make changes that impact athletes today.

We are continuing to work on this baseball project and invite healthy young athletes to help us. We schedule testing dates periodically and would be happy to send you the calendar to sign up or work with your team to find a date to do testing together.

To learn more about Movement Science, please call 469-515-7160 or email MSL.Frisco@tsrh.org. 

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

by | Nov 28, 2022 | Sports Medicine

Article previously published in Rite Up, 2022 – Issue 3.

What if you could prevent a sports injury before it happens? That is exactly what the experts in the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine at Scottish Rite for Children aim to achieve. Led by Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., the SAFE (Sports-specific Assessment and Functional Evaluation) program uses 3D motion capture technology — the same technology used to create special effects in movies and video games — to assess injury risk by studying the movements of young athletes.

The goal of the SAFE program is to develop injury prevention tools that will reduce sport-related injuries in young athletes here and beyond, creating a new standard of care. “Current injury prevention methods are falling short, as sports injuries in young athletes are skyrocketing,” Ulman says. “We are the first to use machine learning techniques to assess a young athlete’s risk for injury by considering risk factors such as movement characteristics, demographics, sports participation characteristics, psychological measures, nutrition, and sleep patterns.”

Uninjured athletes are invited to the Scottish Rite’s Movement Science Laboratory, where they are fitted with reflective markers. The markers are used to collect the athlete’s movement patterns to evaluate their mobility, speed, agility, and power in 3D. Participants are asked to jump, squat, run, pivot, and perform sport specific movements like penalty kicks, layups, or back handsprings. “The data is analyzed to learn more about how young athletes move and to determine if certain movement patterns lead to future sports injuries that would require treatment,” Ulman says.

The SAFE program has tested the movements of approximately 340 athletes across sports, such as baseball, basketball, gymnastics, softball, track, and more. “After initial testing, we follow athletes for one year and note if any athlete experiences an injury,” Ulman says. “This data is helping us compare the movements of athletes who remained healthy versus athletes who were subsequently injured to determine what may have led to the injury.”

Researchers at Scottish Rite have already identified findings that might help predict injury risk in young athletes. “We have found that current tools for assessing injuries of the knee may be unreliable in some instances,” Ulman says. “Current methods commonly rely on 2D video to assess injury risk, but our research using 3D modeling is identifying potential risk factors that the 2D assessment cannot.” Through this innovative program, Scottish Rite researchers collaborate with medical professionals and sports medicine experts across the field to advance the treatment of young athletes throughout the country.

The SAFE program is poised to change the way health care professionals assess athletes for injury risk and, best of all, will help keep young athletes in the game.

To learn more about Movement Science, please call 469-515-7160 or email MSL.Frisco@tsrh.org.

Read the full issue.

World-Renowned Hip Care

World-Renowned Hip Care

by | May 3, 2022 | Hip Disorders

Scottish Rite for Children’s Center for Excellence in Hip has a long tradition of providing the highest-quality medical care to thousands of children, from newborns to adolescents and young adults. Led by director and pediatric orthopedic surgeon Harry Kim, M.D., M.S., the team provides a coordinated and comprehensive approach to care that brings together hip specialists from orthopedics, radiology, physical therapy, psychology and more. This multidisciplinary team approach allows us to offer a broad spectrum of operative and nonoperative care options to preserve, improve and repair the native hip joint. At the Forefront of Innovation  Our experts are committed to advancing clinically important research to provide the best care to our patients. Several of the center’s research projects have led to revolutionary, life-changing results. Patients who had evaluation and treatment at our center have the opportunity to participate in large patient registries to allow for evaluation of treatment outcomes for a variety of conditions. These studies lead to new insight and significant improvement as our team modifies treatment algorithms based on these results. In addition, doctors and researchers are involved in multicenter hip research groups with peers at top-tier institutions around the country. They regularly collaborate to discuss the latest innovations and treatment techniques regarding patients diagnosed with pediatric hip conditions and injuries. Movement Science Laboratory The accredited movement science laboratory is an integral part of the treatment of our patients. The multidisciplinary team of engineers and kinesiologists use leading-edge technology to evaluate and identify joint motion, net joint forces, muscle activity, strength, foot plantar pressures and oxygen consumption. These analyses guide the development of individualized treatment plans for our patients and support research. The clinical research team partners with movement science to study the changes experienced with surgical intervention to ensure each patient continues to maintain improved hip functions. Multidisciplinary Complex Hip Clinic This clinic brings all of our hip experts together in one clinic to review and evaluate each patient in person together. The history, physical examination and images are evaluated, and various options are discussed for treatment. The multidisciplinary approach also includes experts in the fields of physical therapy, psychology, pain management and nursing. A comprehensive diagnostic (if necessary) and treatment plan is then developed specifically for each patient. If surgical treatment is necessary, the full range of procedures are available with the experts in the field to include hip preservation surgery (both open and arthroscopic options) as well as the potential for utilizing total hip arthroplasty (replacement) when appropriate. This clinic occurs every month and only those patients requiring this multidisciplinary approach are included. Patients may request to be seen in this clinic. Hip Team All of our pediatric orthopedic surgeons are board certified in orthopedic surgery and also completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics. Several of our medical staff have a particular interest in treating and studying pediatric and adolescent hip conditions. Harry Kim, M.D., M.S. 
  • Special interest in treating patients with Perthes disease, adolescent and young adult avascular necrosis, and developmental dysplasia of the hip (a member of International Hip Dysplasia Institute).
  • Leader and chair of the International Perthes Study Group – multicenter research study focused on advancing the care of children diagnosed with Perthes disease.
  • Extensive basic and clinical research on Perthes disease and avascular necrosis.
Daniel J. Sucato, M.D., M.S. 
  • Special interest in treating adolescent patients with various hip conditions including hip dysplasia, adolescents and young adults with Perthes disease, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and femoroacetabular impingement.
  • A member of the Academic Network of Conservational Hip Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) study. A multi-center project that analyzes hip function and pain, quality of life and other factors on patients who undergo hip preservation surgeries.
Henry B. Ellis, M.D. 
  • Special interest in treating femoral acetabular impingement, labral tears and other sport-related injuries and conditions in the hip.
  • Involved in multi-center research projects with a special interest in hip arthroscopy.
  • A member of the Academic Network of Conservational Hip Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) study.
David A. Podeszwa, M.D. 
  • Special interest in treating patients with hip dysplasia, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and femoroacetabular impingement.
  • A member of the Academic Network of Conservational Hip Outcomes Research (ANCHOR) study.
William Z. Morris, M.D. 
  • Special interest in treating patients with hip dysplasia, slipped capital femoral epiphysis and femoroacetabular impingement.
  • Extensive clinical research in the pediatric and adolescent developing hip with expertise in the pathogenesis of slipped capital femoral epiphysis and femoroacetabular impingement.
Corey S. Gill, M.D. 
  • Special interest in treating infants with hip dysplasia and patients with cerebral palsy with various hip disorders/dysplasia.
  • Other common hip conditions seen include slipped capital femoral epiphysis, Perthes disease, transient synovitis of the hip, osteoid osteoma and proximal femur cysts.
Learn more about the Center for Excellence in Hip.
SAFE Program

SAFE Program

by | Sep 9, 2020 | Sports Medicine

As experts in caring for young athletes, our Sports Medicine team at Scottish Rite for Children is focused on providing tips and tools for kids to stay healthy – before they might need us. Sometimes the best way to learn how injuries occur is to evaluate children and young athletes who are not injured. Towards this effort, the Movement Science Lab in Frisco is leading a research initiative called the SAFE Program. The Specialized Athlete Functional Evaluation is a project which invites sports teams of all skill levels and ages to perform a variety of sports-related and other tasks to assess balance, mobility, agility and strength.

The Purpose
Sports specialization occurs when an athlete focuses on only one sport, year-round. More than ever, young athletes are concentrating on a single sport, which has resulted in an increase of overuse injuries due to a lack of variation in their training and no real off-season. Data collected from the SAFE Program will be a great resource to help our team identify who might be at the greatest risk of injury. 

The Process
Through the SAFE Program, healthy athletes go through a series of performance tests that evaluate their strength, speed, agility and flexibility. In addition, the Movement Science team uses high-speed motion capture to analyze each athlete’s motion during dynamic movements, such as running and jumping, and sport-specific tasks based on their primary sport, like penalty kicks, layups or back handsprings. Small reflective markers are placed on the athlete’s body during this motion analysis testing help our team accurately measure how each joint moves in 3D. 

One of the most important aspects of the SAFE program is injury surveillance. Each athlete receives a monthly survey asking if they have sustained an injury in the previous month. If so, they are asked follow-up questions regarding details about where and how the injury occurred. Athletes who are interested may come back for a second round of testing after six months or a year. This will provide our team the opportunity to analyze changes in performance due to growth, improvement or an injury.

The Goal
The SAFE program will allow the Movement Science team to create a database of assessments in hundreds of athletes across all ages, sports and skill level. Then, injury surveillance after SAFE testing will provide our experts with additional information to see if any of the movement or performance measures could potentially point to a future injury. Ultimately, the goal is to create an injury prevention program, using these same SAFE tests, that can provide athletes with an individualized, comprehensive performance report which includes an injury risk assessment.  

Leader of the project and assistant director of the Movement Science Lab in Frisco, Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., is excited to see this initiative come to life. “I have a passion for sports and the SAFE Program is a project that can really make an impact in the lives of young athletes,” says Ulman. “Although we are still in the data collection phase, once we have enough information, we hope to be a resource for our highly athletic community. We want to be a go-to center for young athletes – before, during and after an injury. This program will eventually allow us to provide injury prevention assessments, help determine injury risk and interpret prevention strategies – helping athletes stay safe and in the game.”

To learn more about Movement Science, please call 469-515-7160 or email MSL.Frisco@tsrh.org.