Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Center for Gait and Movement Analysis serves as the only accredited clinical gait and movement analysis lab in its region, evaluating hundreds of pediatric patients with movement disorders annually. The Aurora-based facility recently upgraded to Vicon’s Valkyrie camera technology, the newest system from the motion capture company whose technology the hospital has used for more than 25 years.
Key Points
- The Center for Gait and Movement Analysis is the only accredited clinical gait and movement analysis lab in its region, serving patients from Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Nebraska and surrounding states. The facility typically evaluates 550 patients annually.
- The Valkyrie system provides motion capture capabilities including 3D motion kinetics and kinematics, creating digital avatars of patient movement. This technology, similar to that used in film and video game production, allows real-time analysis during clinical gait assessments.
- The lab serves patients with various neuromuscular and musculoskeletal conditions including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, brain or spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophies, hip and joint issues, balance disorders, brace or prosthetic device modifications, and sports-related injuries. Assessments help determine appropriate treatments including walker use, crutches, or specialized braces.
- The multidisciplinary team includes specialists from physical therapy, kinesiology, orthopedic surgery, physiatry, and engineering who analyze the motion capture data to develop treatment plans.
This technology upgrade aims to enhance the facility’s ability to diagnose movement disorders and create treatment plans for pediatric patients with mobility challenges across the Rocky Mountain region.
The Data
- The facility sees approximately 550 patients per year from multiple states in the region.
- Children’s Hospital Colorado is one of only 18 accredited gait labs in the United States.
- The hospital has used Vicon technology for more than 25 years, with five different camera system implementations since 2007.
- Vicon introduced the Valkyrie system to market in 2024.
Industry Context
We are thrilled we can now offer new technology. With updated camera capabilities, our ability to better see how a patient’s body moves during a clinical gait analysis – done to see how a child walks with or without the assistance of a walker, crutches or special braces – helps our team of experts evaluate data quicker and craft the best treatment plans for our patients.
Lucas Moore, program developer for Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Gait Lab
The gait analysis process involves using video recording techniques and 3D motion capture technology to analyze patient body movement and muscle activity during walking. The system creates an electronic avatar representing the patient’s movement patterns, which specialists can then analyze to identify abnormalities and determine appropriate interventions. This approach to movement analysis has applications across multiple pediatric conditions, from congenital disorders like cerebral palsy to acquired injuries affecting mobility.
Vicon, established in 1984 and headquartered in Denver with parent company Oxford Metrics listed on the London Stock Exchange, provides motion capture systems for life sciences, entertainment and media, virtual reality applications, and engineering sectors. The company’s client base includes academic institutions, hospitals, and sports organizations globally.
