Medical Minute: Technology Helping To Prevent Sports Injuries

More than 30 million kids across the country play some type of organized sports.

But when you play a sport often enough, you know, there’s going to be injuries.

If you play sports, you know pain is just part of the game

But more than three and a half million kids are sidelined by injuries each year.

Of course, there’s always a hard hit or broken bone, but a lot of sports injuries can be caused by overuse and wrong form.

Now, a technology once reserved for the pros is helping kids take their game to the next level.

Quin Brigham has thrown hundreds, probably thousands, of baseballs throughout his life.

“I've been playing baseball since I was, forever, three years old,” he said.

And he’s played through some serious pain.

“I started to get pain up here, and I didn't really think anything of it. I just kept playing through, and then slowly, it started to go down to my elbow,” he said.

He tried motion capture technology to pinpoint the problem. Athletic trainer Dave Heidloff at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Sports Performance Center uses 3-D models to break down the mechanics of Quin’s throw.

“We're able to see what things look good, where you're efficient and where you're inefficient,” he said. “And those inefficiencies are, really, a big factor in reducing your, you know, speed or velocity on your throws, but they're also, likely, going to overstress tissues and predispose you to injury risk.”

The technology analyzes 13 different joint measurements in real-time, details timing, measures nine different stresses through the shoulder and elbow. And can track velocity, strength, and balance.

Trainers know immediately if their interventions are working or not.

“I used to be, like, way down here with my arm, just right here. And now, I'm more here, and I'm driving through,” Quin said.

After tweaking his technique, Quin is pain-free and now hopes this technology will be a real game-changer.

“It's been my dream to play in college, so I'm gonna try to take it as far as I can,” he said.

3-D motion capture technology is beneficial not only for baseball players but also for anyone who plays sports and experiences reoccurring pain.