A number of research and improvement projects are developed within MUSCO to optimize the care offered to patients. These projects aim to help caregivers develop a better knowledge and understanding of the needs of families and the health status of patients. The goal is to allow patients to feel more supported as they receive personalized care tailored to their conditions.

MUSCO Projects

Patient Database

Quality of Life Questionnaires

Support for Clinical Research in Rehabilitation

URCO Clinical Research Work

Movement Lab

Clinician Scientist Specializing in Spinal Disorders

Collaboration

Movement Lab

Project leaders

Louis Nicolas Veilleux Coordinator and principal investigator at the Center for Movement Analysis, Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada

Philippe Dixon Assistant professor at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine – School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences

The project

Extend the project to harmonize practices among the clinical gait analysis (CGA) centers in Quebec by integrating a model for pathological foot assessment

MUSCO Strategic Goal

Facilitate inter-institutional collaboration for the benefit of patients, across the Initiative and beyond

Project Objectives

1

Extend CGA harmonization to other patient populations
2

Expand gait analysis beyond lower limbs
3

Develop an open-access MSFM
4

Evaluate the impact of optimization algorithms on the
reliability of results
5

Determine whether greater reliability improves the capacity
of models to identify complex foot pathologies

Progress Report

Photo credit: Shriners Hospital for children - Canada

Approved by the Executive Committee as a collaborative project within the Initiative in 2021, it brings together not only the four MUSCO partner establishments, but also the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS) and Université Laval. It is based on a multi-centric research approach and harmonization of practices, with two main interlocking components:

Component 1 – aims to harmonize practices between the centers of expertise in quantified gait analysis (AQM) in Quebec;
Component 2 – aims to implement a foot model.

Based on a project to integrate a movement model for foot assessment, the aim is to extend the harmonization process initiated, notably to other populations with pathological foot deformities such as cerebral palsy, or other pathologies such as clubfoot or Charcot-Marie-Tooth.

Ultimately, this project will facilitate access to cutting-edge and open access technology to improve therapeutic follow-up for a greater number of patients. It will also enable professionals to access uniform data and new types of foot analysis across centers, and complement surgeons’ current treatment plans.