The IBV explores the use of dynamic body scanning to analyse muscle and joint disorders
The use of dynamic body scanning opens up a new avenue for the study of muscle morphology and human movement, including the analysis of the volumes and shapes of body segments of the dynamic deformation of soft tissues, which can help clinicians make more accurate decisions when examining muscle, joint or nervous system pathologies.
The Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV), a world leader in the field of 3D Anthropometry, has launched the 4DMOVEMENT project to investigate the use and potential benefits of dynamic body scanning in the analysis of muscle, joint or nervous system pathologies. “Dynamic body scanning opens up countless possibilities in the analysis of human movement and in the field of healthcare applications. The precise measurement of joint and muscle movements provides information that facilitates key medical decisions in the diagnosis of pathologies and rehabilitation”, says Beatriz Mañas, Director of Technological Innovation at IBV.
To this end, the IBV is using its MOVE4D technology, a state-of-the art dynamic body scanner that makes it possible to obtain a complete digital model of a person in movement through the acquisition of high-precision and high-frequency 4D sequences using a with consistent mesh topology and automatic processing.
Dynamic body scanning overcomes some of the limitations of human movement analysis systems traditionally used in clinical settings, such as marker-based video-photogrammetry. “MOVE4D allows us to study human movement without the need for the clinician to attach instruments to the patient, thus avoiding certain problems such as the lack of accuracy caused by markers that are inaccurately placed or move as the patient performs the movement being studied, or the occlusion of markers when studying certain joints, such as the wrist, ankle or elbow. This technology also allows us to obtain information from up to 50,000 points on the human body, compared to the few dozen that can be measured using video-photogrammetry”, adds Mañas. This results in greater accuracy in the measurement of muscle and joint movements when assessing a patient’s functional capacity, both in diagnosis and rehabilitation.
Moreover, dynamic body scanning makes it possible to study the kinematics of patients with pathologies that are difficult to measure using traditional techniques, such as neurological patients.
Countless potential applications
Dynamic body scanning also has great potential in other areas of healthcare. In trauma surgery, it enables precise pre-operative planning and effective post-operative follow-up. In sports medicine, it facilitates the analysis of an athlete’s technique in order to optimise their performance and prevent injuries. In orthopaedics, it can be used to design, evaluate and monitor customised orthoses and prostheses. Finally, in neurology, it enables the assessment of patterns of body deformation associated with motor function in a patient with stroke or neurodegenerative disease, facilitating the formulation of a personalised rehabilitation plan.
Several healthcare companies and institutions are collaborating in the initiative, such as Inia Neural, in the field of neurological rehabilitation and neurodevelopment, the Vithas 9 de Octubre Hospital, a benchmark in the health and clinical sector that covers all the medical and surgical specialities; the Unión de Mutuas and Umivale Activa, which has extensive experience in the management of occupational disability.
Finally, the 4DMOVEMENT project is supported by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Autonomous Government of Valencia, through the IVACE+i programme, and receives funding from the European Union through the FEDER Community of Valencia 2021- 2027 Programme (IMDEEA/2024/17).
