Jason T. Long, PhD

As director of Cincinnati Children’s Motion Analysis Lab, I specialize in biomechanics. In our lab, we use video cameras and other technology to record and analyze the way people move. Our primary focus is on walking, which is called gait analysis.

I have always been drawn to the idea of using engineering principles to measure how the body works. The same science that tells us how to construct machines and buildings can tell us how to adjust muscles or bones to give someone a more functional movement pattern. I love doing this work with children because they are so motivated to take advantage of improved motion. They want to walk, run, ride a bike and do other activities, and we can help them do that.

Every child comes into the Motion Analysis Lab with a unique set of circumstances and goals. Our job is not only to understand how a child is moving right now. We also want to understand the child’s goals and how they want to be moving in the future — stronger, faster or with less pain. Because growth and development have a direct effect on motion and function, it’s important to make these measurements at key times throughout childhood and adolescence.

We work closely with physicians in several different specialties — including orthopaedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurosurgery, and neurology — to help create a plan of care to address movement problems. During your visit to the lab, you will spend one to two hours with our team of physical therapists, kinesiologists and engineers. After your visit, we will coordinate with your referring doctor to review the results of your analysis and schedule your follow-up visit.

I served as president of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society from 2017-2019 and am currently serving as past-president. I also sit on the board of directors for the Commission for Motion Laboratory Accreditation and on the Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) Research Advisory Board.

Some of our research at Cincinnati Children’s focuses on understanding the effectiveness of different interventions, such as surgeries or orthotics. We use motion analysis to measure how a child moves before the intervention and how things have changed afterward. We also study innovative ways to make measurements, including better methods of modeling hip and shoulder motion.

I moved to Cincinnati from Wisconsin in 2011 and live in Loveland with my wife and daughter. We spend as much time as we can enjoying the outdoors. I love to run, hike and kayak in the area.