Scott Uhlrich and other researchers from the Mobilize Center used computer simulations of a “digital human” and real-time feedback to teach people to walk in a way that decreased the stress on their knees. The results could change how we treat knee osteoarthritis in a way that does not require surgery. The study showed that it was possible to teach individuals to change how they coordinate their muscles during walking, which reduced harmful knee loading by an amount similar to losing 15-38% of body weight.
This approach of using “digital humans” is a paradigm shift for teaching humans how to move more optimally and has broad applications from sports performance to injury prevention to rehabilitation following stroke or amputations.
Read the full scientific article | Read the press release from Stanford | Watch the video
