Analyzing chronic pain, Matrix style
High-tech U of L motion capture system used to analyze muscle use in musicians
In the bowels of the Jack Singer Concert Hall recently, a group of scientists dressed a violinist in a science fiction outfit and surrounded her with state-of-the-art machines in the hopes she could help them improve the lifestyle of all musicians.
The exercise was conducted by two unlikely partners from the University of Lethbridge who are using some ultra-modern technology to record the movements of musicians in the hopes of better understanding chronic pain. Peter Visentin, an associate professor of music, and Gong Bong Shan, an assistant professor of kinesiology, are behind the project, and Visentin says in this case, their partnership is a natural.
"Our goal is really to help enlarge the body of work on overuse injuries in performing instrumentalists," Visentin says. "I’m a violinist… and by partnering with somebody who is a biomechanist, it’s a complementary partnership. We couldn’t do it without each other."
The pioneering project uses technology similar to that used to create special effects in big budget Hollywood films like The Matrix. The test subject is wired with small reflective markers and placed in the middle of a series of instruments that captures muscle movement, and even muscle tension, on a computer. Those images are then analyzed to determine how musicians use their muscles and how that may contribute to chronic pain.
Visentin says he hopes to develop methods of preventing and dealing with such pain by suggesting better ways of utilizing muscles or creating new exercises for musicians of all ages.
"It’s not just a matter of correcting or changing habits because even if you’re using the muscle in a correct way, it can lead to chronic pain," he says.
He explains that chronic pain afflicts between 40 and 60 per cent of musicians, and by developing a body of knowledge to deal with such pain, the career, lifestyle and performance of musicians can be improved.
"It’s no longer desirable to play through the pain," he adds.
Physiotherapist Mimi Chru, who was on hand for the project, compares the goal of the project to adjusting athletic training in competitive runners to improve performance and reduce the chances of injury.
"If you’re a runner, it’s like instead of pounding 60 (kilometres) a week, it’s practicing intelligently,’ says Chru, who regularly treats musicians for muscle pain.
The transportable motion capture lab used in the project includes North America’s first Vicon 8i system, and Visentin says its applications reach out much farther than the music industry.
"Sports, medical applications, preventative research, computer animation… dance, kineseology. A lot of different ground is being covered."
In addition to Visentin’s research, the motion capture system will be used by students in a number of faculties at the U of L, including those in multi-media programs. After the three-dimensional motion of a subject is captured, it can quickly be loaded up with flesh, fur or samurai armour for animation projects.
"This is a multi-year project," Visentin says. "I’ve got 25 years of teaching left, and I don’t think I’ll ever run out of things to do with this." |
