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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
SPONSORED CONTENT
Motion in Action
Physical Therapy and Performance
Enhancement Excellence
F
or more than 25 years, physical therapist Dan Norkiewicz has
been helping people get back on their feet — literally. And, in
December of last year, he decided to reach out to more patients
and clients by opening up his own office where people can get the
help they need, using traditional methods and technology that is
cutting edge.
“We use a motion capture/motion analysis system that digitizes
body movements by using eight simultaneous cameras to record
them,” Norkiewicz said. “Capturing their movements gives us
extensive data regarding how their body is functioning so we can
zero in on the exact problem areas and start to correct them.”
By using the cameras to analyze patients, Norkiewicz can
determine things such as exactly how much force is
being applied to a knee during a squat, or whether
the leg muscles are being efficiently recruited while
jumping.
Similar to how Hollywood captures actor
movements for computer‑generated characters,
Motion in Action captures movement for an even
greater purpose: to help people heal injuries
and improve their overall capabilities. Instead of
using the resulting captured images to generate
a character, they are used to generate a complete
picture of a client’s range of motion and ability.
The resulting analysis pinpoints stress points, areas
of weakness, joints that move incorrectly or out
of balance, and more. There are nearly 20 areas
of analysis involved in producing the complete
physical picture, and all of them are critical to
well‑being and performance enhancement.
“We can not only use this system in physical therapy, but in sports
performance enhancement,” Norkiewicz says. “We can run a baseline
test for athletes, analyze the result, prescribe a course of action and
objectively track their performance improvement over months of
training.”
He adds that screening young athletes in eighth or ninth grade,
when they are on the cusp of their physical maturation, can
determine whether their foundation of movement and efficiency is
solid, and where they may need to improve as they come into their
peak years.
“This system is being used by NHL, MLB and NFL teams, but no
one else around here is using this technology,” Norkiewicz said.
“This is unique in the world of physical therapy
and sports medicine in this region. We can help
someone regain range of motion after an accident,
and we can identify if someone has pre‑existing
biomechanical deficiencies that may hurt his/her
performance on the playing field—ensuring that
strength is not being built on dysfunction.”
What’s more, Motion in Action is located in Iron
City Elite Strength and Conditioning, a performance
facility where clients can work to optimize their
rehabilitation and athletic goals.
For more information on Motion in Action,
including a complete listing of all the services
and how the staff can help you, go to the website
at motioninaction.org. The office is located
at 4156 Library Road, Building III, Pittsburgh,
PA 15234. You can also call 412.344.4800 to
schedule an appointment today or go to
facebook.com/motioninactionpgh.
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