Clinical biomechanics: biomechanical testing and functional assessment of injuries

An instrumental measurement of how a region of the body functions: how much it moves, how much force it exerts, how it fatigues, how it walks, or how it maintains balance. It is carried out using sensors, dynamometers, and platforms, and the result is compared with reference values to determine if there is a limitation and to what extent.

You will be asked to move the area being examined, exert force and, depending on the case, walk or stand on a platform, while sensors, a dynamometer and, in some protocols, surface adhesive electrodes record what occurs. Each exercise is repeated several times and performed gradually, always within the limits of what the injury permits. There are no needles, radiation or contrast agents; the most common outcome afterwards is mild fatigue or muscle soreness in the worked area. If you have heart disease, poorly controlled diabetes or a high-risk pregnancy, please mention this when booking your appointment so the doctor can evaluate it.

Around one hour per region. Bring the prescription indicating what needs to be evaluated, any medical reports and imaging tests you have, the accident or mutual insurance report if applicable, and comfortable clothing.

The report is a medical document containing objective measurements and effort consistency tests, and is drafted so that it can be submitted in legal proceedings. Who assesses it and the weight given to it is decided by the expert witness, the organisation or the judge who receives it.

No. A gait analysis evaluates foot support to prescribe insoles or correct running technique, and is carried out by Podiatry. Here, the function of any body region is assessed to document an injury. If your query is about gait analysis, it is on this other page.

It depends on who requests the assessment. If you are referred by your occupational accident mutual society or your insurance company, they will manage it. If you come on your own, call us on 900 52 52 84 and we will explain how it works.

They are reliable when performed using calibrated instruments, standardised protocols, and reference values by age and sex, although reliability varies depending on the method and test, and studies still point out weaknesses. The sensor records the degrees of movement, the dynamometer measures force, and the platform assesses balance, and the result is compared with expected values. They have three limitations worth knowing: they depend in part on your effort, they do not measure pain directly, but rather its effect on function, and they are a complementary test, which is interpreted alongside the clinical examination and imaging tests.

Protocols include consistency checks: each test is repeated, and it is verified that the results are consistent across repetitions and between different tests measuring the same parameter. If they are not, the report reflects this as insufficient co-operation or non-assessable results; no one is labelled, but that part of the test ceases to serve as usable data. Even so, the fact that the results do not align does not in itself prove that someone is exaggerating: pain, fear of hurting oneself, or the injury itself can also have an influence. The best thing for the patient is to perform each exercise with the maximum effort that pain allows: a real limitation is measured, and a consistent result is what gives value to the report for whoever receives it.

They are two distinct documents that complement each other. The biomechanical test measures how a body region functions at the time of the examination: mobility, strength, fatigue, gait or balance, expressed in figures. A personal injury assessment is the medico-legal report drawn up by a medical expert: it integrates the medical history, imaging tests, clinical progress and, if available, the biomechanical test, and is what applies the assessment scale or rules on fitness for work. We perform the former here; if you need the latter, your lawyer or medical expert will tell you how to incorporate our report.

Because the most useful reference point is yourself. Comparing the injured side with the healthy side, taking into account whether you are right- or left-handed, allows us to determine how much you have lost relative to your own baseline, rather than just compared to a population reference table. In regions without a counterpart, such as the spine, the comparison is made solely against reference values by age and sex.

Yes. The assessment is carried out with a referral or request specifying what needs to be evaluated: from your health insurance or mutual doctor, your sports doctor or GP, or a request from your lawyer or expert witness. Please also bring any imaging scans and previous reports. If you do not have one, ask whoever is handling your case or your doctor for it.

Yes. The report is your clinical documentation, and you have the right to access it and obtain a copy, regardless of who requested the test (Law 41/2002 on Patient Autonomy). The report describes the tests performed, the parameters measured, their comparison with reference values, and, if there was a previous assessment, your progress.