Among physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and others, force plates are prized for their versatility and ability to generate the quantitative data needed to drive improved health and performance outcomes.
Most of the portable, digital force plates on the market – like KINVENT’s K-Force Plates and K-Deltas – are uniaxial, meaning they measure force along a single (typically vertical) axis. Uniaxial force plates do an excellent job of capturing precise data about strength, fatigue, power, peak force, jump height, balance, and limb symmetry. And, while single axis force plates are a suitable solution for many, they can’t capture data for backwards and forwards and side-to-side movements.
But 3D force plates can.
To meet the growing demand for multidirectional movement data, KINVENT recently released one of the world’s first commercially available 3-axis force plates: the K-Deltas 3D Force Plates.
To learn more about the revolutionary plates, the technology that powers them, their benefits, and applications, read KINVENT’s latest e-book: A Practical Guide to 3-Axis Force Plates.
Measure Movement in 3 Directions
Like uniaxial force plates, 3D force plates – also known as 3-axis or triaxial force plates – capture the ground reaction forces (GRFs) of a body or limb that is either static or in motion. Unlike uniaxial force plates, 3D force plates measure movement across three axes:
- Z-Axis/Vertical: Measures upward and downward forces (like jumping and landing)
- Y-Axis/Anterior-Posterior: Measures forward and backwards movements (like acceleration and deceleration in running)
- X-Axis/Medial-Lateral: Measures side-to-side movements (like cutting and lateral dribbling in basketball)
Because they capture such a breadth of data, 3D force plates can be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s or athlete’s physicality and abilities. That insight can be used to optimize performance and prevent and rehabilitate injuries with ease.
3-Axis Force Plate Applications
3D force plates can be used by anyone seeking to measure multidirectional movement – but are particularly popular among PTs and coaches who work with elite athletes and professional and college sports teams. They provide real-time feedback about:
- Force
- Speed
- Explosiveness
- Power
- Asymmetry
- Joint kinematics
- Center of pressure (CoP)
Coaches, trainers and therapists can leverage that data to gain greater insight into an athlete’s performance, conduct sophisticated biomechanical analyses and injury risk assessments, make well-informed return to sport decisions and devise individualized training plans.
A snapshot of how 3D force plates can be used to in different sports is presented below:
- Soccer: Measure change of direction (COD) and assess agility, acceleration and deceleration
- Basketball: Measure lateral jumps and lateral acceleration and deceleration
- Golf: Measure forward and backwards and lateral shifts as the golfer swings, and pressure transition between feet
- Rugby: Measure drop and side jump tests and evaluate explosive power and lateral agility
- Football: Measure bilateral forward jump testing and assess horizontal power, lower-limb coordination and stability
Your Guide to 3-Axis Force Plates
To learn more about 3D force plates, read the e-book. It contains an in-depth overview of the plates and their benefits and practical information about how the plates can be used, including test set-ups and metrics to monitor.
Like the nine other biofeedback devices in KINVENT’s suite of tools, the 3D K-Deltas send data to the connected KINVENT Physio App in real time. Data can be organized into reports and shared with patients or athletes and other members of a care or training team with the click of a button. A perpetual license to the app is included with every 3D K-Delta purchase.
To schedule a KINVENT demo or free trial, contact a JLW Instruments force plate expert.
