SINTESI:
Comprendere e misurare il movimento umano è fondamentale in molteplici ambiti, tra cui le neuroscienze, la riabilitazione e la biomeccanica sportiva. Tradizionalmente, l’analisi del movimento si è basata su sistemi con marker e tecnologie di motion capture a che, pur essendo precise e affidabili, risultano spesso costose, ingombranti e dispendiose in termini di tempo. Per superare queste limitazioni, sono emerse di recente tecniche markerless, che offrono alternative più accessibili, potenzialmente essere adatte sia a contesti sia clinici sia ad ambienti di vita quotidiana. In particolare, l’integrazione della visione artificiale e dell’apprendimento automatico ha reso possibile l’analisi di semplici registrazioni video RGB per l’estrazione di caratteristiche qualitative e quantitative del movimento. Questo approccio innovativo consente la rilevazione e la caratterizzazione di comportamenti motori e deficit, in particolare quelli associati a condizioni neurologiche. Questa presentazione esaminerà le potenzialità e i limiti dell’analisi markerless del movimento basata su video RGB, con un focus sui movimenti spontanei nei neonati e sui pattern del cammino in soggetti con disturbi neurologici.
SINTESI:
La realizzazione di una protesi su misura per persone con amputazione dell’arto superiore si inserisce in un programma protesico-riabilitativo individualizzato che deve tenere in considerazione la condizione clinica, le aspettative personali, il contesto sociale e familiare, oltre alla situazione lavorativa e alle modalità di copertura delle spese. Il panorama delle soluzioni che possono essere offerte si è estenso in modo sostanziale negli ultimi 15 anni, con importanti innovazioni per molti dei livelli di amputazione, pur permanendo limitazioni per i distretti più prossimali. Alcune innovazioni chiave non hanno riguardato aspetti tecnologici, ma chirurgico-protesici, volti a “preparare il corpo del paziente” all’utilizzo della protesi. La presentazione avrà lo scopo di offrire un quadro delle soluzioni immediatamente fruibili, offrendo al contempo spunti sulle prospettive più prossime.
SINTESI:
Three-dimensional (3D) clinical gait analysis has evolved into a cornerstone tool to support clinical decision making in rehabilitation and surgical care. By providing objective and comprehensive insights into how patients move, gait analysis enables clinicians to better understand the underlying neuromuscular and biomechanical impairments that shape pathological walking patterns. This presentation will illustrate the role of 3D gait analysis in guiding interventions, monitoring progress, and tailoring treatment strategies for individuals with diverse conditions.
In the first part, the fundamentals of 3D clinical gait analysis will be introduced, with an emphasis on how data are collected and interpreted in daily clinical practice. The discussion will highlight the unique ability of 3D gait analysis to translate complex biomechanical measurements into clinically meaningful information.
The second part will focus on three main aspects where gait analysis provides substantial added value.
The first aspect concerns the optimization of gait training. 3D gait analysis helps to identify the specific phases of the gait cycle that are impaired, and thereby guides therapists in setting up exercise programs that respect the functional role of muscles during walking. Since muscles operate differently throughout the gait cycle, often in closed-chain conditions, alternating between concentric, eccentric, and isometric contractions, and at varying muscle lengths, training should mimic these conditions to achieve transfer to gait performance. Illustrative examples will be presented to show how targeted training can be designed based on gait analysis outcomes.
The second aspect addresses the objective evaluation of treatment outcomes. Pathological gait patterns are often highly heterogeneous, even within the same diagnosis. Therefore, classification of gait into subtypes is essential to assess the effect of treatment interventions in a patient-specific manner. 3D gait analysis provides an efficient and reliable framework to evaluate a wide range of interventions, including orthotic management (ankle-foot orthoses), pharmacological treatment (botulinum toxin), and neurosurgical interventions (such as selective dorsal rhizotomy), in children with cerebral palsy. Examples will demonstrate how objective gait data enable clinicians to go beyond subjective impressions and reliably measure treatment impact.
The third aspect expands on the versatility of gait analysis across populations. While originally established in children with cerebral palsy, gait analysis has since been successfully applied in many other domains, including neurological disorders (e.g., stroke), neuromuscular diseases (e.g., Duchenne muscular dystrophy), orthopedic conditions (e.g., knee replacement, adult spinal deformity), and oncology (e.g., patients with sarcoma). This wide applicability underscores the robustness of gait analysis in addressing diverse clinical questions and supporting individualized rehabilitation planning.
In conclusion, 3D gait analysis is not only an advanced research tool but also a clinically indispensable method. It enhances our understanding of complex gait impairments, supports targeted therapy planning, and provides an objective framework to evaluate treatment effectiveness across patient populations. Its continued integration into clinical practice promises to advance personalized rehabilitation and improve functional outcomes for individuals with mobility disorders.
