Professionals and amateur athletes from all kinds of sports seek out the NUMO laboratory in Dietikon near Zurich. There, experts from the field of movement science have been developing handmade shoe insoles since 1999, which compensate for asymmetries and malpositions of the body, leading to improved performance with a simultaneously reduced risk of injury. In order to determine the necessary data, a 35-meter-long profiled track from Conica AG was installed in the laboratory, on which it is possible to run at full speed. Thanks to measuring systems underneath the track, infrared and high-speed cameras along the track, running behaviors can be precisely recorded.

Laurent Hoffmann is the co-founder of the laboratory. The trained orthopedic technician began his professional career with the development of prostheses for amputees. He also initially worked in Adidas research. This activity gave rise to the NUMO Laboratory, a center of excellence for clinical biomechanics. It has modern laboratories, a fully equipped orthopedic workshop, a shop for running and everyday shoes, office and training rooms and an indoor sprint track. Laurent Hoffmann’s belief is that full, peak performance can only be achieved when the musculoskeletal system is perfectly adjusted and trust in the body is intact. NUMO shoe insoles can be one of the essential keys to a successful injury-free sports career.

Orthopedically compensate for asymmetries

Numerous athletes practice their sport with constant pain. Many chronic injuries are only caused by a slight malposition that can be corrected with an orthopedic solution, such as shoe insoles. Without this help, the body would try to compensate for it by itself with small deviations.

For example, a hurdler with a slightly shortened left leg automatically takes slightly shorter steps when running on the left. The body has to compensate for this, and as a result, hip pains can develop. Only when the musculoskeletal system is perfectly adjusted and confidence in the body is intact can full performance be met.

“The body is constantly trying to compensate for asymmetries. I like to compare it to driving a car. For example, if you are driving a long distance on the motorway and the vehicle always pulls slightly to the left, the body compensates by pulling the steering wheel slightly to the right. Shoulder pains can develop from this imbalance,” says Laurent Hoffman. “It is very similar when practicing sports. The insoles we develop with millimeter precision plus targeted training and muscle building help to compensate for the often very small but consequential asymmetries, which means that the pain either disappears or does not arise in the first place. In particular, the Conica running track in combination with the high-tech in the ground as well as along the running track offer us possibilities of analysis and so also correction that we could only dream of in the past. The athletes are extremely grateful for our help, because for them, their whole career can rely on it.”

Data analysis as a foundation

The insoles are developed using a precise data-based analysis of the running and gait pattern. At the beginning of the approximately 60-minute analysis procedure, the feet and the knee, hip and leg axes are statically assessed. Subsequently, the dynamic rolling behavior of the foot is examined via video analysis on the treadmill: during walking and jogging, but also with regard to the mechanical power transmission via the knee, hip and pelvis. In addition, the pressure distribution over the entire foot is determined.

The data serves as a foundation for the production of everyday or sports insoles. These are made by hand and correct wrong foot positions with millimeter precision based on the determined data so that, for example, even the smallest leg length differences are compensated for and the athletes’ stance is corrected along the axis again. The correction makes their steps highly efficient. In addition, the stresses and strains that arise especially in elite sports are evenly distributed over the body. This results in better performance with reduced risk of injury.

A track with camera techniques like in the film Avatar

To obtain even more precise data, the 35-meter Conica indoor track usually comes into play for top athletes. It has been installed in the corridor of the NUMO laboratory by WALO Bertschinger AG from Zurich. The installation of the running track took place in the course of the renovation of the laboratory. The demands on the indoor track were high:

• It was supposed to be a professional track, like the ones we know from competition venues like the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich.
• The track should be inserted into the floor, including the floor measuring equipment, so that it is flush with the floor covering of the practice.
• It should be seamless and without any trip hazards.
• It should be usable with spikes and be non-slip.

The track contains a 4-meter pressure measuring plate and a force measuring plate. A total of 16 cameras observe the running behavior. High-frequency cameras are used on the one side, and infrared Vicon camera systems, such as those seen in the film Avatar, on the other. These work in combination with motion-capture markers on the body of the person running. If three cameras capture these markers, a mathematical structure can be built from them. This high-tech analysis enables very precise detection of the smallest asymmetries in the running movements. It can also be used to detect weak points in the material.

Top athletes trust the laboratory

Renowned Swiss athletes such as Laurent Meuwly (National Athletics Coach Netherlands), Sandra Stöckli (paracyclist and handbiker, overall World Cup winner 2022), Géraldine Frey (200 m champion 2022), Flurina Rigling (paracyclist, European road champion, runner-up in the time trial), Angelica Moser (European indoor champion 2021) as well as young talents such as Joanne Züger (2 ITF tournament victories) and Seare Weldezghi (middle-distance track and field athlete) have had themselves analyzed and insoles made in the NUMO laboratory. In addition, the laboratory’s clientele includes international athletes.

About Conica:

Conica has been developing and manufacturing innovative seamless flooring solutions based on polyurethane and epoxy resins for sports, games, leisure as well as other areas for over 40 years. Conica is one of the world’s market leaders and innovation drivers in this field. The user-oriented requirements for technical and sports functional performance as well as usability while guaranteeing health aspects of the material itself and for the user are the focus of product development. Conica is part of the Serafin group of companies based in Munich.