I recently just accepted a job in Wyoming, where I completed my 2nd clinical site, and I am very excited as it is in the setting I want to practice. I have also been reviewing my orthopedic notes like crazy so I feel more confident going in day 1 while I am waiting on my license to come in the mail.
Anyways, in this post I want to discuss the use of video feedback. In an earlier post I talked about the use of Coache's Eye to analyze client's movement and having the ability to time certain parts of the recording, use tools to measure angles, and playback in slow motion or even in reverse.
In my last Rehab setting for clinicals, I had a very large man for a patient who had thoracic surgery, that consequently decreased proprioception in his knee, and due to his large abdominal region or use of a stand aid he could not see his knee and ankle move during transfers or bed mobility. We tried a mirror but still his view was obstructed by the stand aid.
I resorted to finding the app WiFi Camera which displays your iPhone's camera to your iPad's display when the app is open on both devices. It works through bluetooth or WiFi and connects seamlessly. I was able record the patient's knees while he was in the stand aid to work on knee extension while another therapist held the iPad in his view. Another example was providing visual feedback while he moved his ankles to make transfers more effective with less physical assist needed from a therapist. This method seemed to work fantastic for him and aided very well in improving his motor learning. (I have also used this app to look for objects I accidently drop behind the washing machine without having to move it)
Recently the 3rd Generation Apple TV received a software update that allows iPhone/Mac to communicate directly rather than through a WiFi router, which has drastically reduced latency, when Air Displaying your TV. This could be another great option is to get a 30"+ TV and display the iPhone's camera to it so you can show your patient parts of their body that are hard to see, even with the use of mirror. I can't attest to how well using Chrome Cast is to display an Android phone to a TV in terms of latency.
Amazon has an incredibly cheap tripod I recently purchased (works on many phones) which could be a good stand to provide instant visual feedback with the methods I have described. It's also great to take pictures to analyze posture or record movement which I will discuss further in a future post. Apple Watch has a nifty tool to show you your camera's view and has a 3 second countdown timer for that perfect photo opportunity (such as your clinics Christmas Card).
I have tried the use of video calling each device through either Google Hangout's or FaceTime but there's too much latency for instantaneous visual feedback. I foresee using this method with other patient populations to give them different perspectives of them moving out of certain planes during exercise.
