March 6, 2018March 6, 2018 Heather Spring training is in full force, and with pitchers competing for starting roles and getting their arms in shape for the season, there isn’t a more crucial time to measure workload with Motus. Our dashboard is designed to provide pitchers with state-of-the-art workload measurements and workload simulation tools to help give them the safest and most effective throwing programs. HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: The basis of all workload begins with the motusTHROW™ sleeve measuring the stress of every pitch. This stress (peak valgus torque, in Newton-meters) represents the amount of torque placed on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). This peak torque then feeds into a pitcher’s workload calculations. These workload calculations include Daily, Acute, Chronic and Acute:Chronic Workload measures. A Daily Workload is the total workload of all throws within a day. An Acute Workload is the total workload from all seven days in a week. A Chronic Workload is the total workload from all twenty-eight days in a month. Lastly, the Acute:Chronic Ratio is the Acute Workload divided by the Chronic Workload. Together, these workloads provide you with key indicators of readiness and fatigue. LETS START WITH A TYPICAL PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC WORKLOAD THROUGHOUT A SEASON: During Spring Training pitchers are building up a chronic workload and it is imperative to do so in a controlled fashion. Each week, a pitcher adds more daily workload to their throwing regimen and workouts. This introduction of increased daily workload leads to acute spikes in workload, and over time, the chronic workload slowly increases as well. But how much workload should you add each day, or week? Research from Sameer Mehta DPT, has found that an Acute:Chronic Ratio above 1.3 increased injury risk by over 1,500 percent! That equates to a 30% increase in weekly workload. While it is impossible to build up chronic workload with an AC Ratio below 1.0, a pitcher’s goal should be to keep the AC Ratio as low as possible. This research recommends keeping that AC Ratio below a 1.3. WITHOUT MEASURING THE WORKLOAD OF EVERY THROW, HOW COULD A PITCHER BUILD CHRONIC WORKLOAD SAFELY? It’s not easy. Recent research from Chuck Thigpen DPT, evaluated the AC Ratios from a standard Interval Throwing Program, and found that AC Ratios were elevated over 50% of the time! Without monitoring the stress and workload of every throw, pitchers often over-exert themselves with increased volume or increased intensity, leading to acute spikes in workload. motusDASH gives you all of this critical information at your fingertips. Each player is quickly diagnosed with their AC Ratio and Chronic Workload status. If someone is in a dangerous zone, we keep you as informed as possible. The platform also allows users to input their practice and competition schedule, to allow Motus to predict future AC Ratios and Chronic Workloads with our machine intelligence calculator. We provide recommended throw counts for the next 30 days, that help pitchers optimally increase chronic workload. The system also works to only prescribe throw counts that keep their AC Ratio in a safe zone. Want to see how NCAA programs are using Motus to program future workloads? Check out the incredible work from Bryan Conger at Tarleton State. WHAT ELSE CAN motusDASH™ DO? We’re just getting started… Our dashboards help visualize long term trends of all metrics captured by the motusTHROW™ system. In addition to daily and weekly averages of Stress, Arm Speed, Arm Slot and Shoulder Rotation, all workload metrics are available for analysis. The motusDASH™ also allows for throw-by-throw analysis within a day, exporting of data to excel spreadsheets, and even a tag analysis for users that tag long toss distances, bullpen pitch types, weighted balls, or game innings. For advanced users, these features are powerful tools to enhance your decision making process of personalized athletic training. SUBSCRIBE TO motusDASH™ To access motusDASH™, visit https://motusthrow.motusdash.com and login with your motusTHROW™ credentials. Click on your the desired account to subscribe, and select the “Monthly” or “Annual” subscription option.