A modern Health Care Research Center opens at the Academy of Sports Pedagogy / Article / LSM.lv

On Friday, the Latvian Academy of Sports Pedagogy (LSPA) opened a modern Health Care in Sports Research Center, which will help athletes and people with movement disorders improve their physical abilities and improve their health.

With modern testing devices, simulators, as well as rehabilitation and sports medical equipment, specialists plan to conduct research on the improvement of human physical well-being and the improvement of the body’s abilities, LSPA informed. The effects of loads on the body, as well as the importance of eating, fluid intake and changes in oxygen intake for optimal body performance will also be studied. Many other interdisciplinary scientific studies are also planned.

The scientific equipment of the new center will significantly improve not only the research and academic study work of LASE, preparing new sports and health care specialists, but will also make a positive contribution to the development of the Latvian sports industry.

By synchronizing the operation of six infrared high-speed cameras with a sensor-sensitive floor and a wireless electromyograph, the new center will be able to perform a three-dimensional analysis of body movement techniques, assessing posture, foot arch position, gait, and asymmetry of balance and body weight distribution.

For cardiac performance assessment and functional diagnostics, a cardiopulmonary device has been purchased, which assesses the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory tract at rest and under increasing load conditions. Researchers will have a stationary lactate and glucose analyzer in their blood samples, as well as a running, cycling and arm ergometer. The bicycle ergometer has a function that allows you to detect the parameters of the applied force and the asymmetry of the legs.

On the other hand, testing on an extra-wide treadmill can be performed not only by running, but also by driving a wheelchair, bicycle, roller skis and roller skates. You can change the slope of the treadmill by simulating uphill and downhill movements.

The research center also has the latest generation diagnostic device – an isokinetic dynamometer – for testing the strength of arm and leg muscles in various work modes, for their training and rehabilitation. For the study of post-traumatic rehabilitation, a general body cryocabin is available, in which cold therapy is performed at a temperature of -160 degrees.

1.2 million euros have been invested in the establishment of the LASE Health Care Research Center, attracting funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the state budget and the LASE.

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