What is the Current Focus of Your Research?

In the Motion Analysis Lab we study human mobility by measuring motion, forces and muscle activity while people are moving. Our research affects a wide range of people, from those with physical impairments to high-performance athletes. We are currently working on various aspects of human movement that fall into three focus areas:

1. The application of mobility aids. Mobility aids include footwear, orthotics, braces and wheelchairs. One of our projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to develop a knee brace that allows knee motion while the foot is in the air, while providing knee stability when the leg is bearing weight. Clinical trials of this brace will be conducted over the next year.
2. Training and exercise. - The NIH has funded us to study the effects of aerobic exercise in patients with early osteoarthritis. The Surgeon General recommends that we exercise three times per week, but patients with osteoarthritis report that they cannot exercise due to knee pain. We will measure the forces generated around the knee during walking to see if exercise restores a more normal gait. Our goal is to determine if these patients can follow the Surgeon General's recommendations or if modifications are necessary.
3. The development of new techniques for clinical applications. - We are funded by the NIH to design and develop a microsensor that will be inserted into a muscle to measure the force generated during activity. The sensor will be beneficial to patient care by determining the mechanical force of muscles in patients with neuromuscular diseases, such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and polio.

What are the Implications for Patient Care?

In addition to the patient-care focus of our research projects, approximately 20 percent of our time is devoted to direct patient care. Patients having difficulty with movement are referred to the Motion Analysis Lab. We review each individual case with the ordering physician, analyze the patient's functional impairments, and make specific recommendations for clinical treatment. Our capabilities are unique in that our technology is useful for patient care along the whole continuum of life, from pediatrics, to adults, to geriatrics.

How Has Being at Mayo Clinic Contributed to Your Research?

The best research occurs when a group of scientists focus on a problem in an interdisciplinary manner. Mayo's integrated approach to medicine and research removes interdepartmental barriers and provides a strong infrastructure that is supportive of research. This is beneficial to us because we are able to utilize the expertise of our Mayo colleagues on various subjects we are studying. Our current projects include active collaboration with 10 different clinical areas and two research departments. This level of cooperation has made it possible to receive NIH grant support for six concurrent projects in addition to numerous smaller investigations that will lead to further extramural funding.

How Do You See Your Work as Contributing to Mayo Clinic's Success?

Our work in the Motion Analysis Lab has the unique capability to contribute to research as well as meet patient needs. Health-care professionals treating patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders evaluate and treat the patient based on visual observation, physical examination, manual muscle testing, and testing done in a stationary position, for example, X-ray, CT scan, MRI. In contrast, we have the capabilities to objectively evaluate functional impairments while the patient is moving. This dynamic quantitative information can be used as a basis for development of therapeutic intervention and can also provide objective outcome measures.