Special effects used to fight arthritis

A virtual reality centre that includes equipment used to create special effects in films has been set up at Cardiff University to monitor how joints are moving.

The £500,000 investment includes cameras, a cinema screen and computers that enable experts to examine the movement of people with arthritis and other limb problems.

The first project is the analysis of a group of people with knee injuries who are each fitted with infra-red sensors and asked to take part in various exercises. The researchers then build a digital picture of the way each joint is performing and will then develop new rehabilitation tools to ease knee joint problems.

“Normally it would take us days or even years to calculate the measurements this tool allows us to gather,” explains Dr Paulien Roos from Cardiff University. “We can now get that information immediately so we can give real time feedback to patients. We can tell patients how they can improve their movement and hopefully alleviate future joint problems.”