Movement Analysis

Course Objective

After following this course, students will:
1. be able to systematically describe (pathological) human movement in
terms of basic kinematics, kinetics and/or muscle activity and interpret
these observations through basic biomechanical reasoning.
2. have gained knowledge of common data acquisition and processing
methods for physical quantities.
3. have gained knowledge of the underlying physics of measurements of
kinematics, kinetics and muscle activity and their use and limitations
in research.
4. be able to select an appropriate measurement set-up and data analysis
tool(s) in order to solve research questions using movement analysis in
clinical experimental research.
5. be able to acquire and process kinematic, kinetic and
electromyography data using standard data acquisition systems and data
processing tools.
6. To be able to interpret and report the results of the measurement
outcomes.

Course Content

Assessing movement of the musculoskeletal system is central in
musculoskeletal physiotherapy sciences. Movement deviations and
underlying disorders can be observed in many ways. In a clinical setting
this is often performed using the trained clinical eye of the therapist,
common clinimetry, scales and questionnaires. But technological
advancements also allow physiotherapists to use more objective,
quantitative techniques within research and practice. In this course you
will learn how to perform quantitative analysis of human movement using
various assessment tools. You will explore the basics of motion capture,
force and inertial measurement units (IMU), and electromyography (EMG).
You’ll be acquainted with the physical background of these measurement
tools and the signals they capture. You’ll be acquainted with the
signal processing that is required to arrive at relevant outcome
measures. But mostly, you will learn to use these tools and analyses, to
measure human movement in the context of physiotherapy sciences and to
interpret and report the results.

Additional Information Teaching Methods

This course will consist of lectures (9 x 2 hours), practicals (4 x 4-8
hours), and workgroups (7 x 4-6 hours).

Method of Assessment

Examination will be based on the written exam (multiple choice and

short open questions, 80% of final grade), one intermediate exam (10%) and a written report (10%). In addition, all

intermediate practical reports should be handed in and passed.

Literature

Syllabus Measuring Physical Quantities (Canvas)
Syllabus Signals in Motion (Canvas)
Textbook Physics (Canvas)
ABC of EMG (Canvas)

Additional Information Target Audience

This course is only open for students of the Master Musculoskeletal
Physiotherapy Sciences