Gait analysis seminar in Tokyo - Now comes the practice

Now comes the practice

Walking through the room, the participants are trying out the four gait phases for themselves.

In the afternoon more and more exercises were included, such as "feeling our own muscles" at the buttocks and the stomach while walking, more than likely to fight the usual energy low after lunch.

This was followed by the technically supported gait analysis: Dr. Ludwig explained how to feel prominent spots at the foot, leg and pelvis and how to mark them with markers or pens. Supported by Dartfish and using Fukushi-San as proband, we were shown how we can work with video software in practice. With further palpations tricks to test the flexibility or the angles for example in the knee or in the hip joint the first day of the seminar came to an end.

The second seminar day usually is more relaxed. Still we started punctually as on Sunday with the pedobarography. The speaker showed us the possibilities of this tool and what to look out for. Creact as representative of Novel in Japan supported us technically. Using print images of different feet, Dr. Ludwig showed us the illustration of the individual disease, but he also pointed out the limits of the illustration. With the help of "Pedar" orthotics, our probands could lap again and we observed what happened.

The afternoon of the second day was dedicated to the posture analyses in children and juveniles. But Dr. Ludwig showed us first what the situation was like in Germany using photos and statistics. Understanding nods from the audience showed that there are similar developments in Japan. Physical inactivity has long since become an international health problem.

Dr. Oliver Ludwig glues on markers to demonstrate the posture analysis in children and adolescents.

Our 14-years-old proband, who came from Nagano especially for the seminar, proved to be very cooperative, in spite of the tests and exercises that could be quite challenging. It was very useful that he is bilingual in Japanese and German and thus could take the pressure of our interpreter.

This posture analysis focus that we had planned according to the wish of various participants, was met with interest and Dr. Ludwig was able to present this topic in a detailed and still easy-to-understand way.