Research Projects
Identification of walking phenotypes in people post-stroke
Walking differs between people, to the point that we can recognize people by the way they walk, yet most research studies characterize walking using group-level average descriptors, which eliminate important individual differences. In this project, we will leverage the rich datasets derived from traditional laboratory gait analyses, to identify subgroups of walking patterns after injury, termed walking phenotypes, that could inform on individual impairments and define individual clinical targets. Identification of individualized intervention targets could improve the efficacy of walking interventions and more generally improve mobility, and associated participation, health, and well-being.
Recruitment Status: Recruiting participants post-stroke and adults with no neurologic or orthopedic injury between 40 and 80 years old.
Funding: National Institute of Health - National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Grant 1R03TR004248-01
Determining changes in the neuromuscular control of walking during different walking demands
We can modify walking patterns implicitly in the presence of external perturbations, or explicitly during voluntary modifications. Particularly, people post-stroke retain the capacity to modify walking patterns explicitly using biofeedback and implicitly when encountering changes in the walking environment. Our goal is to assess changes in muscle activation patterns associated with walking modifications driven explicitly vs. implicitly, to determine whether individuals generate different amounts of co-contraction during explicit vs. implicit walking modifications. Understanding how walking modifications driven explicitly vs. implicitly influence co-contraction will allow us to identify approaches that can more effectively restore muscle activation toward pre-stroke patterns, promoting mechanism-based recovery of walking function.
Recruitment Status: Recruiting participants post-stroke and adults with no neurologic or orthopedic injury between 40 and 80 years old.
Funding: National Institute of Health - National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research Grant 1R03HD107630-01A1
Walking modifications in people with Knee Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in the United States, affecting more than 1 in 5 adults. Nearly half of individuals diagnosed with OA experience significant pain and disability that interfere with their performance of daily tasks. The knee is the most commonly affected joint, with an approximately 45% lifetime risk of symptomatic OA in at least one knee. A common non-invasive early treatment option for knee OA is using walking modifications to offload the knee affected by OA. These walking modifications can be easily implementable strategies to further reduce knee pain and maintain physical activity levels recommended for cardiovascular fitness, preventing additional complications due to decreased physical activity levels. Despite the common use of these walking modifications, few research studies are systematically quantifying their effectiveness. Our study seeks to assess how different walking modifications reduce knee joint contact forces, detect abnormal contact forces at other joints during these modifications, and assess patient preference of walking modifications.
Recruitment Status: Recruiting adults with medial knee OA over 50 years old who have a recent knee x-ray
