MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH RESEARCH
Research Motivation
Declines in physical function and activity associated with aging and bone and joint diseases such as hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), greatly impair mobility and quality of life for millions of individuals. Despite their pervasiveness, declines in mobility are amenable to prevention and rehabilitation if we can better understand the underlying mechanisms and advance therapeutic interventions appropriately.
By studying human movement, we can investigate how bones and muscles work together to control functional movements, how age, sex and symptoms such as pain can impair the control of these movements, and how rehabilitation interventions tailored to these impairments affect mobility and quality of life. Program outcomes include improved fundamental knowledge underlying movement disorders and tailored rehabilitation strategies, while simultaneously providing parameters to help identify patients most likely to benefit from targeted rehabilitation programs or surgical intervention.
Interested in musculoskeletal health? Check out How to Get Involved below.
Research Equipment
MOTION ANALYSIS
Tracks joint angles and calculates loads of the hip and knee during functional activities of daily living to understand human movement
ELECTROMYOGRAPHY
Receives neuromuscular signals from the upper and lower leg to study how muscle activity impacts movement and disease
ULTRASOUND
Images allow us to see inside the lower limb to measure different tissues contributing to movement and disease progression
About the Lab
The Dynamics of Human Motion Laboratory in the School of Physiotherapy at Dalhousie University is a well-established research facility that was recently renovated to accommodate new motion capture and imaging equipment to support and advance musculoskeletal health, joint function and clinical orthopaedic research. Our work focuses on clinical biomechanics and rehabilitation research using human movement analysis methods in collaboration with the School of Biomedical Engineering. This multi-disciplinary environment creates a unique opportunity to merge the skillsets and diverse perspectives of clinical students, research trainees and research personnel that helps fuel our research directions and innovations!
New equipment and technology for studying human movement have been added to the lab recently thanks to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leadership Fund, the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University, and the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation!
How To Get Involved
Join the Research Team
Our advanced motion capture system allows us to build complex models for gait, stair and treadmill analysis.
Check out our program details using the link below.
Community Engagement
Interested in visiting the lab? We are always looking for volunteers and individuals interested in participating in our studies!
Check out what we are up to using the link below.
MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH RESEARCH 