How Gillette Children’s Gait and Motion Lab brings fun to therapy

Gillette Children's Gait and Motion Lab helps kids improve walking

Gillette Children's Gait and Motion Lab is using innovative animation technology to make therapy fun for kids. FOX 9'S Leah Beno explains how the lab helps kids move better.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Gillette Children's Gait and Motion Lab is using innovative animation technology to make therapy fun for kids. 

FOX 9’s Leah Beno takes a look at how the lab helps kids move better.

Gillette Children’s Hospital Gait and Motion Lab

What we know:

The Gait and Motion Lab at Gillette Children's St. Paul Hospital Campus uses advanced technology to help children with complex medical conditions like cerebral palsy improve their mobility. 

The lab employs video and computer technology to capture movements, muscle activity, and forces that are not visible to the naked eye. This data helps recommend effective treatments, therapies, and surgeries. The lab's motion capture technology, similar to that used in movies, tracks movements with sensors and cameras attached to children's bodies. 

This allows therapists to analyze and recommend fewer, clinically backed treatments that have been successful over time.

Bringing fun to therapy with animations

What they're saying:

Jennifer Nelson, a Gillette Children's physical therapist, works with patients and families in the Gait Lab, setting up and conducting assessments. She notes the lab's success in helping kids move from wheelchairs to walkers and even walking unassisted. 

Bradley Wanke, a motion analysis technician at Gillette Children's, created and implemented new animations featuring dinosaurs and unicorns. He shares that these animations are designed to make therapy sessions more engaging and enjoyable for kids. During appointments, Wanke interacts with children, sharing fun anecdotes and examples of how the animations are received by families. The animations help children have fun while improving their walking ability, making the therapy experience more enjoyable for both kids and their families.

See the technology in action by watching this video explainer.