How Sanford Health Scaled Their Return-to-Play Program with Markerless Motion Capture

Summary

Sanford Health, one of the largest U.S. integrated health systems, faced challenges scaling motion capture assessments across clinics due to the limitations of traditional marker-based systems. Managing over 500 ACL evaluations per year, they needed a more efficient, consistent, and scalable solution. By integrating Theia3D markerless motion capture with Qualisys, Sanford streamlined workflows, eliminated the need for technical expertise, and achieved cross-site consistency. The result: faster evaluations, reduced setup time, and reliable data collection that supports high-quality return-to-play decisions across multiple facilities.

Partner: Sanford Health
Team Lead: Colin Bond, Manager Biomechanical Engineer
Focus Area: ACL Injury & Return-to-Play Evaluation
Solution: Theia3D Markerless Motion Capture, Integrated with Qualisys
Key Benefits: Time savings, scalable workflows, cross-site-consistency, ease of use

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The Challenge: Scaling Motion Capture of 500+ Athletes Per Year

Sanford Health is one of the largest integrated health systems in the United States, serving communities across the Midwest with over 45 hospitals and hundreds of clinic locations. As part of its Sports Science Institute, Sanford runs high-throughput biomechanics programs supporting injury prevention and return-to-play decisions for athletes at every level, from youth sports to professionals.

At the heart of this work is Colin Bond, a Biomechanical Engineer who oversees data collection across multiple sites. His team handles more than 500+ ACL return-to-play assessments and over 250 running evaluations annually. Traditionally, this level of volume would be nearly impossible to scale using marker-based motion capture systems.

“Marker-based 3D motion capture just wouldn’t scale to our volume. Plus, we have staff across multiple clinics who aren’t deeply trained in the tech. We needed something easier and more consistent.”

- Colin Bond, Manager Biomechanical Engineer

Sanford’s previous workflows relied heavily on 2D video - a lower-fidelity approach that lacked integration with force plates and left room for subjective analysis. Beyond scalability, they also faced:

Time-consuming setup and calibration
Inconsistencies between locations
Limited ability to integrate biomechanical data streams

The Solution: Theia3D + Qualisys for Modern, Scalable Motion Capture

To modernize and standardize biomechanics workflows across facilities, Sanford adopted Theia3D markerless motion capture integrated through Qualisys’ PAF workflows. This combination empowers clinical teams, even those without deep technical training, to run full 3D motion capture sessions with just a few clicks.

Key benefits for the Sanford team:

Scalability: They are now able to handle hundreds of evaluations per year with minimal setup.
Ease of Use: No markers, quick calibration, and minimal training required.
Cross-Facility Consistency: Data quality is no longer dependent on local expertise.
Clothing Flexibility: Patients can now wear their own clothes, increasing comfort and compliance.
Rapid Turnaround: They are now able to capture a report in minutes, not hours.

“The ease of calibrating, collecting data, and clicking through the process was great. Between clinics, it really improved consistency - something we couldn’t get with markers.”

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The Results: A Faster, More Scalable Workflow Across Clinics
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Since implementing Theia3D though Qualisys, Sanford Health has seen significant operational improvements:

Massive time savings in setup and processing
Improved workflow efficiency, enabling faster decision making
Greater consistency across multiple facilities, supporting a standardized level of care

While Colin notes that measuring “accuracy” across facilities is complex, Theia3D has made it easier to trust the data, no matter where it’s collected:

“Theia3D has transformed how we collect and compare data across multiple clinics. It’s fast, reliable, and ensures we’re delivering consistent, high-quality insights no matter where the assessment happens.”

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Why It Matters: High Volume Motion Capture, Without the Bottlenecks

For healthcare systems, sports medicine clinics, or research labs managing high athlete volume, Theia3D - integrated through Qualisys - unlocks scalable, validated, easy-to-use motion capture without the friction of traditional systems.
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Ready to See How Theia3D Can Fit Into Your Workflow?

Book a demo to see how your team can scale up without sacrificing accuracy.

Want to talk to Colin? Let us know. We’re happy to connect you.

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