Hollywood Special Effects Can Spot Injuries - Hi-tech Labs Turn To 3-D Animation Techniques To Find & Treat Injuries

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 12 May 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Whether it's medical dramas on TV, or sci-fi thrillers on the big screen, Hollywood is often inspired by medicine for their story lines. Now, the tables have been turned. Some in the medical field are looking to Hollywood for ideas on innovative ways to find and treat injuries.

Normally, when Christine Glendon goes for a run, it's just her and the open road. Her most recent workout involved a little more - like strategically placed reflectors, eight hi-tech, high speed cameras and a 3D motion-tracking computer. None of which Christine seemed to mind.

"I thought that this would be a really interesting way to help increase the evidence-based knowledge we have about running and improving running," says Glendon.

That's one of the ideas behind a new state-of-the-art laboratory at Ohio State University Medical Center. Hoping to find some very subtle injuries in joints like knees or shoulders, doctors at Ohio State are taking a page from Hollywood.

"It's the same kind of equipment that they use for special effects in movies like The Matrix or some of these really fancy video games," says Ajit Chaudhari, PhD, with Ohio State University Medical Center.

Here's how it works: Doctors put reflectors at various points on a patient and, using specialized cameras, they track their every move on a motion-sensing floor. By analyzing the patient on computer, doctors say they can detect even the slightest risk of injury.

"The human eye cannot see the movements, because they're just so quick. So being able to get them on camera and slow things down really helps you see what's going on," says Chaudhari.

It's technology that could pay off for athletes like runners or pitchers, and it could be used to catch very subtle injuries and risks in a variety of patients.

"For example, in a factory, how do workers move when they're moving boxes or assembling cars," says Chaudhari.

Catching those problems early could help researchers make huge strides in learning how to prevent them in the first place.

Because of the cost to build them, bio-mechanical labs like the one at Ohio State are still rare. Researchers say the more common this technology becomes, the more patients they'll be able to help in the future.

Ohio State University