The runners of the 173rd Fighter Wing
On 16 March, First Sergeant J. Thompson published a post on the United States Air National Guard website describing how they use STT Systems’ 3D motion analysis technology.
“J. Lafon stares at the image of a skeleton running. He watches the legs, feet and knees working in unison. The knee moves forward (a tracking line represents the path it takes). The bones he is looking at represent his own. It is the first time he has seen his running from the outside, particularly with a detailed tracking analysis showing the exact path all his joints are taking,” Thompson recounts.
It is a completely new programme presented to aviators of the 173rd Fighter Wing by the Health Education and Awareness Team (HEAT). It involves 3D motion capture and represents an opportunity for all aviators to avoid injury while training for their fitness test or enjoying running.
‘Running is a major source of injury,’ says Amy Jones, a certified corrective exercise specialist with RunDNA, a company that distributes, trains and certifies in the use of this system.
‘Usually, this is due to overworking: not knowing how to run in terms of intensity level and running too hard for too long. Running is part of your life in the military, whether you choose to do it all year round or one month a year for the fitness test,’ she says.
What does it involve?
The mechanics involve placing 18 reflective markers on the legs, knees, hips, ankles and feet and then using an optical capture and 3D analysis system.
‘We can take a single capture,’ she says, referring to the video file, ‘and then view it from all angles.’ ‘It’s a recipe for injury,’ she says. ‘You’re going to go from a state of rest where your body is not used to any kind of physical activity, and you go straight into running and running every day and running hard.’
The analysis provided by the Run DNA software is instantaneous and offers solutions to gait problems, corrections for issues such as excessive stride length or asymmetry. If a runner wishes to save the file for future reference, they can do so.
These systems are already available at many U.S. Air Force and National Guard bases.