Research

The human musculoskeletal system is a remarkable engineering system that enables voluntary movement with inherent ease in healthy individuals. Yet, its complexity makes it difficult to understand and treat many mobility limitations. In our lab, we study musculoskeletal biomechanics in the context of injury and disease using motion capture, medical imaging, and computational modeling. Our ultimate goal is to integrate insights from our experimental and computational work in the development of effective rehabilitation strategies aimed at restoring and preserving pain-free mobility throughout the lifespan.

Specifically, we focus on the following areas:

1. Mechanics of Human Movement: Joint mechanics plays a significant role in the etiology and progression of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. Our objective is to identify mechanical risk factors upon which we can act to modify or prevent pathology.
2. Natural Environment Biomechanics: Recent advances in computer vision and wearable sensing offer untapped potential for movement analysis in natural environments, but the effectiveness of these technologies in estimating movement biomechanics within clinically tolerable errors is still limited. To address the shortfalls of current algorithms, we are working on new approaches for estimation of clinically relevant outcomes from wearable sensors and video.
3. Precision Rehabilitation: Injury prevention programs, disease-modifying interventions, and rehabilitation in orthopaedics currently require significant time investment from patients and medical staff, yet are not tailored to each patient. We use insights from our experimental and computational studies to design new personalized interventions assisted by portable technologies.

Research Interests: musculoskeletal biomechanics, medical imaging, computational modeling, wearable sensing, machine learning