Trojan Football Team, Troy University in Alabama, has become the first collegiate programs and the first football program ever to undergo testing for a movement analysis system known as DorsaVi. DorsaVi is a wearable sensor technology which was developed in Australia about 8 years ago.
DorsaVi, with the help of cameras and sensors, provides 2D and 3D analysis and the objective data on specific movements. Every movement the athletes perform while wearing the sensors is synced due to the HD cameras. The instant data is provided to the users with the help of this device. After the data is collected, the users can now determine the guide training, injury risk with the help of it. Now, the users can gauge if the users are ok to play or not.
Lesley Parrish, Champion Sports Medicine Clinic Director stated:
“The DorsaVi quantifies the movement based on degrees and shows the degree of change within a movement to give a third dimension that a 2D image can’t give you. It takes the subjectivity out of it; it’s extremely objective and measurable.”
DorsaVi contains sensors which have a magnetometer, gyrometer, and an accelerometer. With the help of these, the wearable sensors can measure all the planes of movements that the body produces.
Trent Nessler, National Director of Sports Medicine Innovation for Select Medical (Champion’s parent company) noted:
“The DorsaVi detects motion and rotation within one degree of Vicon, which is the gold standard in biomechanics. This is the first time we are able to integrate full movement science into technology and scale in an efficient way so you can have a broader impact.”
Nessler has tested smaller teams like Division 1 soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams and saw results that reduced non-contact injuries by 58%. It decreases the injuries of the players by a great margin and improves their performance. Testing the device on the Troy football team was the first time the scientist analyzes it through mass physicals.
Head Coach of the team, Neal Brown, stated:
“A lot of people in the football world are focused on how to rehab once injuries happen, but I’m always intrigued about how we can prevent those injuries.”
A few weeks ago, each student-athlete on the Trojan’s football roster went through the 12-minute Athletic Measurement Index testing. The test consists of seven exercises measuring core and single limb performance. Not only does it measure variances between the right and left the side, it also takes into account how your body reacts in a fatigued state.
Both the team’s analyst and the sports scientists from DorsaVi have found various areas where the sensors could improve. Both the sides are interested in making the product better for the players and athletes all over the world. The training is programmed through the PhysioSports app. The app was developed as part of PhysioSport’s ACL Program by Nessler’s team.
The app features four different levels and includes exercises for a pre-practice routine and a post-practice routine. Both the routines help the athletes with corrective exercises in a fatigued state. The program focuses on preventing injury through performance improvement. The strength and endurance built from working in a fatigued state will power up the players when in need.
Different collegiate football teams are all gearing up for the country camps in the coming weeks. This time, the Trojan team will be training in a different way. Let’s see how DorsaVi helps the student-athletes will train with the help of these sensors.