Run Lab Gait Analysis

Highlighting and Correcting Imbalance and Performance Issues with Markerless Technology

Our specialist run lab is the only public service of its kind in the whole of the South East of England, accessible to every level of sports person!

Our Run Lab In Action

The gold standard in Identifying limitations and weaknesses in movement that negatively affect performance and act as precursor to injury

Our state of the art run lab has been specifically designed and created to provide a revolutionary ‘one stop shop’ for runners, athletes, coaches, clubs and healthcare professionals alike.

Every individual is unique in their movement, which is why we focus on understanding and educating you on your unique running profile. Combining our passion for movement and running, with a variety of quantifiable on-site tests and data referral services, to help you with the knowledge and data you require, to understand, resolve and prevent Injuries while improving performances through expert analysis and strength and conditioning implementation.

The lab consists of a Mar-Labs Markerless 3D gait, run analysis system, alongside which we use AM Cubes dynamic pressure plate analysis and their FootWork Pro global footwork database, all of which enable scientific analysis across multiple planes of movement in a time efficient and easily interpreted manner.  Find out more about the equipment in our Gait Lab.

The ability to utilise this specialist equipment provides the perfect solution for scientifically identifying and resolving biomechanical issues. Highlighting and correcting imbalances, restrictions, weakness, structural movement and performance issues. Improving efficiency, performances and aiding in injury prevention! Our service also takes the guess work out of knowing what trainer is best suited to your foot type, by using the gait and biomechanics data to select the best footwear for you!

Issues Commonly Identified:
  • Tendon ‘stretch shortening cycle’ efficiency or weakness
  • Bilateral elastic exchanges (Hips, knees, ankles)
  • Stride rate (cadence) – differences, speed and capacity.
  • Hip position and control issues.
  • Individual Knee position and movement issues.
  • Forces absorbed by the individual joints.
  • Running style (bouncer or glider) and the weakness’ associated to your profile
  • Joint Range of motion restrictions through the 3 phases (stance, transitional and terminal) 
  • Muscle firing patters and how they function when fatigued
  • Eccentric muscular control and tendon health 
  • Weakness’s that lead to deceleration control issues and thus injury. 
  • Compensation injuries 
  • Torso positioning
  • Biomechanical lateral forces that affect energy expenditure (one of many)

Tailored to your requirements

Whether you are an individual looking to improve your PB, a sports team or coach looking for the edge in assessing athletes or a healthcare professional requiring in-depth data to help in the treatment of patients, we tailor our Rub Lab service to provide exactly what is needed at an affordable cost. Let our gold standard lab change your performance, movement and life!

I’m a runner

Our Run Lab is suited for everyone! From recreational runners, to semi-pro and professional elites, who are wanting to understand their running biomechanics, efficiency, and how to improve performances (level 1), through assessing limitations, weakness, restriction, forces and movement discrepancies which may be leading to injuries, or reduced performance (level 2).

I’m a coach

Having worked closely with multiple high-level teams and GB athletes and coaches, we have seen the dramatic effects our analysis has for all athletes in performance enhancement and injury reduction/prevention. We provide quantifiable data that team physios and strength and conditioning teams can utilize to reduce injury and imbalances while improving performance.

I’m a health care professional

Any healthcare professional from physiotherapists, sports therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and GP’s can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of their diagnosis and treatments, by utilising our referral service. Simply refer your patient over for analysis and receive a full report of MSK issues, identifying the key areas relating to the appropriate ongoing injury.

What you’ll experience using the Run Lab

On arrival a brief consultation will occur, followed by a warm up, dynamic testing and then the run lab analysis. You physically run for 40-50seconds per test. There may be multiple tests.

On completion, we’ll run through 3 pages of data and possibly history charts, explaining what they mean and how they are relative to you, your injury or performance and movement issues. We then implement any relevant strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, mobility and running technique or movement cues.

A few retests may then follow, allowing for adjustment in the above, and by overlapping pre and post data, you can visibly see the outcomes and improvements. After which a full report is then emailed to you, your coach or healthcare professional.

What to wear: Due to the sensors in use please don’t wear baggy or reflective clothing to your appointment. Any long or large hair as well as bald heads are best covered by a cap or hat (no ponytails please). Please bring your current running trainers.

The Results

“A huge thank you to john for his biomechanics knowledge and the amazing run lab. I have been given an insight into my running that I’d never thought possible and now adjusting my technique which is reducing the pressure and pain on my hips and knees – here is to longevity in my passion of running. Highly recommended.”

Karine Puech

“I visited John to complete a level 2 analysis….AMAZING. After analysing my running profile in 3D. John explained in detail my technique flaws, weaknesses, restrictions and strengths. After a few manual therapy adjustments and technique pointers, we retested and HUGE improvements to my efficiency and tendon recoil showed straight away. For the price of a good pair of trainers, I’d recommend this for every runner. Get to know how you run and prevent injuries while improving performance.”

Paul Knight

“My daughter (elite runner) had a fantastic gait analysis recently. It gave great focus on how to improve her technique and performance. Which is already proving successful on the track with PB’s being broken. A very professional, enjoyable, interesting and informative experience.”

Helena Tar Millard

“8th Elements run lab has created an excitement in our club, peak performances, educated athletes and guidance for coaches to prevent injuries and target areas of each athlete which need adjustments. PB’s are dropping rapidly and injuries have reduced ten fold. A must for every runners training plan. Amazing bit of kit and service.”

Mike BothaRunning Coach

“What a fantastic session in the run lab! I’m already seeing an impact on my running pace and some relatively simple tweaks to my technique, that no one has picked up before.”

Pricilla Bush

“After hearing raving reviews on their triathlete and Iron man services, I headed in for a run lab session and was blown away. The reason for my knee pain was identified, and I came away motivated, with a structured plan, including specific gait retraining and movement control with strength and stability rehab. I’m now running pain free and better than ever.”

Dan Sullivan

Pricing

Markerless 3D Run/Gait Analysis – Level 1

£90.00

60min Session

Advanced and rare analysis of your 3D running profile – allowing for technique adjustments and S&C prescription to enhance efficiency and performance while aiding in injury prevention.

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Markerless 3D Run/Gait Analysis – Level 2

£150.00

90min Session

An in-depth analysis of joint forces, ROM, and technique, assessing where limitations, weaknesses, restrictions and issues lay, to determine WHY you suffer from chronic injuries/niggles and implementing S&C with rehab prescription to correct biomechanics and technique.

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Custom Orthotic Casting

£310.00

30min Session

Includes Casting, manufacture and fitting apointment, specialised to your activities and sport.

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Trainer Selector Analysis

£TBC

Coming Soon

Customised pressure plate analysis, measuring every aspect of your foot width, length, arch type, drop, foot strike and ankle stability. Providing you with the best out the box trainer for your sporting needs worldwide – take the guesswork out of buying trainers.

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Behind the Service

John Martin

BSc(hons) Sports Therapy, MSST, STO

Over the years, John’s helped a huge range of workers and athletes from those who have been told they can’t be helped to those looking to shave off tenths of a second from their Personal Bests!

Meet the wider Team

Many Disciplines in one place

The 8th-Element Hub is a community of professionals brought together under one roof to provide specialist sports, performance and massage services and treatments.

View our Facilities

State-of-the-art Equipment

Our dedicated luxury sports facilities are truly a one-of-a-kind in Medway and the surrounding South-East of England, boasting comfortable treatment rooms and specialised equipment.

What equipment is in the Run-Lab?

Capturing Running Motion with MAR-Systems 3D Analysis

How it works
A depth-sensitive camera is like an ordinary digital camera but each pixel also contains information about the distance to the object. Therefore, you can digitally reconstruct any object or scene in 3D, quickly and with millimetre precision. We use these cameras to capture the running motion.

In contrast to traditional motion capture systems, depth cameras do not rely on physical body markers. Instead, they use a pattern of near-infrared light to perceive depth. In a way, one can say that a depth camera generates its own body markers made of light. Therefore, no special suits or body stickers need to be worn which makes running analysis with MotionMetrix very fast and easy. You just need to step on the treadmill and run and that’s it.

Most depth cameras have built-in motion tracking functionality and it works well for general purpose applications where precision and speed is less crucial. For running, however, the built-in tracking is simply not adequate. This is why 8th Element use MotionMetrix, as they use their own algorithms for 3D reconstruction and recognition of individual body segments so that the running motion can be described with the highest possible accuracy.

Validation
When introducing a new technology, it is essential to demonstrate that it fulfils its intended purpose. Best practice is to do this by third-party validation. MotionMetrix have successfully validated all the relevant parameters used in MotionMetrix at different independent institutes using standardized reference equipment, for instance

  • Position, angles and stride parameters against Qualisys Oqus 4 marker-based motion capture system
  • Forces and temporal parameters against Kistler Gaitway system
  • Running economy against VO2 using Oxycon Pro

Therefore, you can be safe in the knowledge that the data produced in 8th Elements run lab is as accurate and more time efficient than the marker based systems.

Run in your most natural form with the Sprintex Treadmill

Specifically developed for professional sports, rehabilitation and run analysis, the SPRINTEX slat-belt treadmills let you run in your most natural, undistorted form.

Conventional treadmills create a stop effect between the belt surface and the running surface (dynamic friction) when the foot lands, directing a significant portion of the landing energy back into joints. This negative effect can cause unnecessary strain and the effect increases as the client’s weight goes up or the running speed increases.

Slat technology does not permit any dynamic friction since the majority of the landing energy is absorbed by a special combination of rubber pads with air channels, free-floating slats, dampened drive belts and approx. 120 high-tech ball bearings. The landing energy is transformed into rolling friction.

Which is why our Sprintex Slat Treadmill is the only treadmill we’d select for our testing!

Evaluate Plantar Pressure with AM Cube ‘Footwork Pro’ Pressure Plate

Our FootWork Pro pressure plate accurately records and displays barefoot plantar pressure data for clinical/physical examination. Unlike other systems FootWork can record a multitude of samples displaying the results as an ‘average’, greatly improving accuracy and interpretation.

Evaluate: Pressure | Function | Symmetry | Timing | Balance | Orthotics | Footwear

Supporting diagnosis and mode of treatment, our FootWork Pro Pressure Plate simplifies the understanding of foot loading, timing and symmetry instantly. It is uniquely intuitive to use with fast data processing and excellent graphics. All sensor data can be exported in neat CSV files for those who wish to use the Footwork Pro as a research tool.

Dynamic scan, overview – With Footwork Pro you can capture as many foot strikes as you like before the software displays the ‘mean’ (you can delete misplaced/poor foot strikes). The general overview is the 1stscreen you will see and it displays pressure as a mean, a maximum, a pressure time integral or a based on contact time. You can also see the Centre of Pressure progression line (gait line), peak pressure line and foot axis angles

Dynamic scan, force time curves – Full screen display of force time curves for each foot. The display  allows you to view the mean the mode and the standard deviation of all foot strikes. Alternatively, you can click through individual foot strikes and delete any anomalies.

Dynamic Scan, 3D pressure – Pressure can be displayed in 3D and assessed as mean or max pressure as well as time of contact or a pressure time integral. The higher the pressure the higher the peak. On this screen you can change the display colour, rotate the image and adjust the speed of the scan playback

Dynamic Scan, Velocity assessment – Study the velocity of the foot in relation to the centre of pressure. Assess current, mean, minimum and maximum speed and acceleration throughout the foot strike

Static Scan, Overview – Static data taken over a set time – not just a snapshot. Each foot displays its centre and its maximum point of pressure. The position of each foots CoP to the overall CoP is automatically displayed in cm’s. The software calculates pressure distribution, left and right feet as well as forefoot and rearfoot. Tools for measuring angles and distance are also available. Other Static scan options include single leg stance, 3d image and video.

Static Scan, Stabilometry – Graphical displays of oscillation of CoP in both Left and Right and overall CoP. Temporal displays of lateral/medial and anterior/posterior sway. All measurements are highlighted and displayed.

Running Shoe Selection with AM Cube Pro + NEO software

A beautifully designed shoe & insole identification console featuring NEO software allows us to find the shoes that are suitable to you or your clients!

The award-winning touch screen interface, Automatically identifies your dynamic foot profile and stability using our AM Cube Pro pressure plate mapping system, which reads your foots running behaviors 100 times per second, then classifies your foot into a support category, whilst measuring length and width.

Once your walking and running dynamic profile has been created, we’ll automatically be able to display your running profile, including knee tracking, gait behaviour, foot stability and pressure distribution.

Which will highlight features including cushioning, rebound and drop measurements, allowing us to recommend your ideal trainer from our constantly updated global database of trainers.

Our special interactive reports can then be emailed to each customer, detailing which trainers are best suited – taking the guesswork away from an expensive purchase.

Lastly, we’ll email interactive reports across to you, giving you the availability to share as an interactive social media report.