Research

Characterization of Adverse Modes on a Self-Paced Treadmill

During gait, using sensory input from the environment is crucial to maintaining balance and stability. Without proper sensory input, there is a more likely chance of an adverse mode occurring such as unstable walking or falling. Therefore, we believe that we can generate adverse modes while walking on a self-paced treadmill by manipulating the information received by both the human and treadmill systems.
The objectives of this study are to analyze perturbed gait parameters to characterize how their variability leads to adverse modes on a self-paced treadmill, and to determine which system conditions are more likely to generate adverse modes.
We will use experimental biomechanical and physiological data to investigate the dynamic walking responses to sensory perturbations to increase understanding of sensory information usage during gait, as well as prediction and prevention of future adverse modes.

Contact:

Trevor Evans
PhD Student
Email: evans.2374@osu.edu

Fastpitch Softball Biomechanics: Stride Characteristics and Implications to Shoulder Injury

 

Out of the pitching injuries seen in softball players, 61% involve the shoulder (Smith et al., 2015). Additionally, a study by Shanely et. al. reported the injuries seen in high school baseball and softball athletes and found that softball pitchers have a 2.6 times greater chance of an upper extremity injury than that of a position player (Shanley et al., 2011). According to the findings of Smith et. al., 50% of the injuries caused by pitching result in at least two weeks of lost playing time.

The objective of this research study is to improve the understanding of softball functional ability and its relationship to biomechanics for both performance and injury prevention. This study will identify changes in stride characteristics between different pitch types and their implications for injury.

Contact:

Jessica Gilliam
MS Student
Email: Gilliam.159@osu.edu

 

Running with Fatigue and Stability: Understanding their relationship and implications on running-related injuries

Running is the third most popular form of exercise in the United States, and runners get injured at a rate of 19-79% Annually (Van Gent 2006). Many approaches have been taken to understand why these injuries occur with running mechanics, however, few have tried to understand how these mechanics change with fatigue and why the running style may change. We hypothesize that once fatigued, the runners will have to focus on their stability more and these adaptations will result in increased risk factors for injuries.

The objective of this study is to characterize the adaptations made by runners as fatigue onsets, as well as characterizing how the running mechanics change while running with an emphasis on stability (preparing for perturbations). We will use experimental results coupled with musculoskeletal models to determine joint loads and understand the change in neuromuscular objective with the onset of fatigue.

Contact:

Nelson Glover, MS
PhD Candidate
Email: glover.262@osu.edu

 

Evaluation of knee stability and function before, during, and after total knee replacement

The National Institutes of Health has awarded faculty at Ohio State $1.134 million to study patient functionality and clinical outcomes following total knee replacement surgery. This four year grant will fund research to determine if and how surgical technique, specifically intra-operative knee stiffness and passive motion, relates to a patient’s outcome.

“[This research] demonstrates the power of collaboration between engineers and surgeons to improve patient outcomes,” said Jason H. Colhoun, M.D., FACS, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics. “A research university like Ohio State can bring together people from many different disciplines, such as the Colleges of Engineering and Medicine, to find new ways to solve problems that affect the thousands of U.S. citizens who undergo procedures such as total knee replacement.”

Subjects involved in the study undergo innovative motion capture testing prior to surgery, then 6 months and 2 years following their total knee replacement. This testing helps researchers identify subtle difference in the way a person moves and relate that to changes in knee motion and muscle activation. There are also additional measurements taken by the surgeon in the operating room to identify the stiffness of the knee joint and how it moves after the replacement.

It is anticipated that results of the study will enable surgeons to make more informed, evidence-based, intra-operative decisions; physical therapists to individualize rehabilitation programs; and patients to attain realistic expectations of their own specific outcomes.

NIH description of the TKA project

Contact:

Rebekah Koehn
PhD Student
Email: koehn.19@osu.edu

Ken Okoye
MD/PhD Student
Email: okoye.13@osu.edu

Rachel Hall
PhD Student
Email: hall.2683@osu.edu

Longitudinal Evaluation of Taxane Induced Neuropathy in Early Stage Breast and Colorectal Breast Cancer

The OSU Sports Biomechanics Lab is currently collaborating on a project funded by the National Cancer Institute that investigates using gait and balance metrics for early detection of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in breast and colon cancer chemotherapy patients. CIPN is a side effect associated with several commonly used classes of chemotherapy drugs and is associated with pain, falls, and difficulty performing activities of daily living which can result in modifying the dosage or early termination of chemotherapy treatment. It is anticipated that detecting balance and gait deficiencies associated with CIPN will aid the development of effective interventions for reducing the burden of CIPN on patients.

NIH description of the CIPN project

Contact:

Dan Richie
Laboratory Manager
Phone: (614) 293-2246
Email: daniel.richie@osumc.edu

Comparison of Variability in Self-Paced Treadmill Walking vs Overground Walking

The OSU Sports Biomechanics Lab is investigating the variability associated with important gait parameters during self-paced treadmill walking when compared to oveground walking. Self-pacing treadmill designs use motion capture cameras to provide feedback control to adjust the treadmill speed based on the motion of the user. The motion capture systems that have been evaluated in previous studies require multi-camera, marker based systems and are not easily transportable to a clinical setting. The purpose of this research is to determine the variability of gait parameters using a self-paced treadmill equipped with a portable, commercially available, marker-less, depth sensing camera. This project will aid in developing clinical equipment that increases the transfer of a patient’s improvements made in the clinical setting to a patient’s daily life.

Contact:

Dan Richie
Laboratory Mangaer
Email: daniel.richie@osumc.edu


Core function in patients with chronic pelvic pain

Chronic pelvic pain affects large numbers of men and women in the US, but is unfortunately not well understood.  This project seeks to identify musculoskeletal dysfunction that may contribute to chronic pelvic pain, in hopes of improving treatment.  The testing protocol includes measures of diaphragm and transverse abdominis function, which will be compared between patients with chronic pelvic pain and healthy controls.  This project has received support from the American Physical Therapy Association’s Section on Women’s Health.

Contact:
Maggie Abrams PT, DPT
Orthopedic and Women’s/Men’s Health Physical Therapist
Didactic and Research Coordinator for the Clinical Residency in Women’s Health Physical Therapy