Despite the current challenging times, the Institute of Clinical Rehabilitation of the Faculty of Health Sciences held their traditional Kinesiology Conference, albeit untraditionally in autumn and in a virtual space. A score of speakers presented their contributions along with the main speaker, Jim Richards, an expert in biomechanics from the University of Central Lancashire.
"Until the last moment, we hoped for the possibility of face-to-face meetings and interactions that are technologically irreplaceable. However, when the online form of the conference became inevitable, we decided to use the Zoom platform, which we had tested in advance. It has proved relatively easy to connect speakers from different parts of the republic and the rest of the world to enable them to present their contributions or to participate in the discussion. “However, the speakers perceived the absence of immediate visual contact with the audience as an issue,” said Barbora Kolářová, the conference organizer.
The theme of the conference was kinesiology in connection with rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Individual lectures were focused on recent findings in neonatal and trauma rehabilitation, the possibility of using dynamic braces to treat tendon injuries, and current trends in neurorehabilitation. Participants could hear contributions from experts and students not only from the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Physical Culture, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, and the University Hospital Olomouc, but also from Klimkovice sanatorium.
The keynote speaker was Jim Richards, a world-renowned biomechanics expert, who specialises in the evaluation of the quality of movement. “His introductory lecture was focused mainly on neurorehabilitation issues, which became the underlying theme of the entire conference. His new studies provided a fascinating insight into the micro world of the motor movement with regard to motor unit recruitment strategies and muscular fatigue,” said an assistant professor at the Institute of Clinical Rehabilitation.
About one hundred attendees, mostly from the student ranks of the Faculty of Health Sciences, tuned into the conference. “I have to say I didn't get any negative response. In the current situation, we have chosen the best possible format and we are very pleased that we managed to hold the conference. We thank all those who participated in the conference and those who supported it,” added Barbora Kolářová.
“It was historically the very first international professional conference of its kind that our institute held at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Given the positive feedback from the audience and academia, this year's virtual edition was a success,” concluded Petr Konečný, the head of the organizing institute.