Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowere ....Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowered injury costs provide immediate cost benefits to the nation. Ultimately, in a nation familiar with the high costs of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, the health sector of Australia will be the greatest benefactor of this project.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC190100020
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,998,796.00
Summary
ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics. The Centre aims to bring together leading researchers, industry partners and end-users to train a new generation of interdisciplinary and skilled graduates to tackle industry-focused challenges in joint biomechanics. The centre will provide advances required to transform personalised surgical treatment of joints through integrated technologies of computer tools for pre-surgical planning and decision making, the computer simula ....ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics. The Centre aims to bring together leading researchers, industry partners and end-users to train a new generation of interdisciplinary and skilled graduates to tackle industry-focused challenges in joint biomechanics. The centre will provide advances required to transform personalised surgical treatment of joints through integrated technologies of computer tools for pre-surgical planning and decision making, the computer simulation system and robot simulators for surgical training and medical device assessment, and post-surgical assessment tools. The outcomes of the centre will significantly contribute to Australia by improved health outcomes, economic benefits, and a skilled workforce able to advance this joint biomechanics fields.Read moreRead less
A Wearable Motion Analysis System: Novel Clinical and Research Applications. Because the biomechanical analysis of human motion is confined to the laboratory, it often has restricted applicability. This is a recognized limitation, because laboratory studies cannot capture the true picture of how individuals move under conditions encountered during daily living. Consequently there are many situations where a more complete and realistic knowledge of biomechanics would be significant advantage such ....A Wearable Motion Analysis System: Novel Clinical and Research Applications. Because the biomechanical analysis of human motion is confined to the laboratory, it often has restricted applicability. This is a recognized limitation, because laboratory studies cannot capture the true picture of how individuals move under conditions encountered during daily living. Consequently there are many situations where a more complete and realistic knowledge of biomechanics would be significant advantage such as in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of movement disorders and injuries. The research project described in this proposal would for the first time, obtain comprehensive biomechanical data outside the laboratory using a fully integrated wearable motion analysis system.Read moreRead less
Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our id ....Children Walking Well. Healthy feet in childhood are the foundation for musculoskeletal health and mobility throughout life. However, little is known about the effect of shoes worn on children. This Australian project is the first to address this shortcoming. A multidisciplinary team will investigate: factors contributing to consumer decision-making; footwear usage and selection; and the relationship between footwear styles, anatomical profile, biomechanics and physical activity. From our identification of mismatches between evidence of the relationship between shoes and function and current stakeholder knowledge and decision-making, we will make recommendations for how shoe manufacturers and health professionals can promote healthy feet in children.Read moreRead less
Understanding Tendon Response to Sport and Exercise: Implications for Optimising Training, Injury Prevention and Accelerated Rehabilitation. This research will use frontier technologies to establish the effect of physical activity on tendon adaptation and injury. It will address National Research Priorities and lead to contemporary evidence-based physical activity practices to optimise health and fitness, prevent injury, and expedite rehabilitation after injury. Given the significant national in ....Understanding Tendon Response to Sport and Exercise: Implications for Optimising Training, Injury Prevention and Accelerated Rehabilitation. This research will use frontier technologies to establish the effect of physical activity on tendon adaptation and injury. It will address National Research Priorities and lead to contemporary evidence-based physical activity practices to optimise health and fitness, prevent injury, and expedite rehabilitation after injury. Given the significant national investment in sport, the rise in obesity, and the immense cost of sedentary behaviour and sport-related injuries, this research will have applications for enhancing physical activity recommendations that maintain health for all Australians. It will enhance Australia's leading position in international sport and sport science research and have beneficial applications for occupational health.Read moreRead less
Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spri ....Optimising the spring in your step to enhance footwear design. This project aims to examine how the nervous system adjusts the mechanical function of our feet across a spectrum of speeds, from slow running through to maximal effort sprinting. The proposed research will explore how the nervous system controls the function of the foot to meet the ever-varying demands of locomotion in the real-world. Expected outcomes of this project are to determine if running shoes help or hinder the natural spring-like function of the foot. It will explain a conceptually novel design allowing shoes to support our feet, whilst harnessing the energetic benefits of the foot's spring-like function. This research has the potential to revolutionise athletic footwear design and has direct implications for enhanced performance in running athletes.Read moreRead less
Structural and neural determinants of stress and strain in human muscle. This project aims to further our understanding of the biomechanical stress and strains experienced by contracting human muscles. Using innovative imaging techniques such as microendoscopy and supersonic shear imaging, we expect to generate new significant evidence on the structural and neural factors that lead to areas of high stress in human muscles. Outcomes of this project include not only a new understanding of muscle d ....Structural and neural determinants of stress and strain in human muscle. This project aims to further our understanding of the biomechanical stress and strains experienced by contracting human muscles. Using innovative imaging techniques such as microendoscopy and supersonic shear imaging, we expect to generate new significant evidence on the structural and neural factors that lead to areas of high stress in human muscles. Outcomes of this project include not only a new understanding of muscle design on multi-scale level, but also of muscle function and adaptation. This should provide significant benefits in better predicting muscle injury and prescribing safe exercise, knowledge that would benefit biomechanical engineers and sport and exercise professionals.Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of a remote monitoring system and its application to cardiac rehabilitation and occupational health. This project further develops and evaluates a system developed by the Industry Partner which permits real-time remote monitoring of a person's cardiac activity, position and velocity via GPS, and selected aspects of motion and posture using accelerometry. The study has three aims: to enhance the system's capacity for remote monitoring of human motion and physiology; to ....Development and evaluation of a remote monitoring system and its application to cardiac rehabilitation and occupational health. This project further develops and evaluates a system developed by the Industry Partner which permits real-time remote monitoring of a person's cardiac activity, position and velocity via GPS, and selected aspects of motion and posture using accelerometry. The study has three aims: to enhance the system's capacity for remote monitoring of human motion and physiology; to test its ability to support cardiac rehabilitation for those unable to access hospital-based programs; and to evaluate its application to the monitoring of workloads in physically demanding tasks associated with cardiovascular ill-health and musculoskeletal injury.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of Locomotion: Visualisation in skill acquisition & rehabilitation. How does visual information and attention determine the control and coordination of locomotion? Using large-screen projection of computer graphics and immersive virtual reality, we will examine the influence of visual information on driver training, gait in the elderly, cardiorespiratory control, and the attentional interference of mobile phones on driving. Experiments will be based on principles from dynamical and comp ....Dynamics of Locomotion: Visualisation in skill acquisition & rehabilitation. How does visual information and attention determine the control and coordination of locomotion? Using large-screen projection of computer graphics and immersive virtual reality, we will examine the influence of visual information on driver training, gait in the elderly, cardiorespiratory control, and the attentional interference of mobile phones on driving. Experiments will be based on principles from dynamical and complex systems theory and will inform the design of innovative algorithms for autonomous mobile robots. Expected outcomes include improved road safety, new methods for the rehabilitation of those with gait disorders, and a deeper understanding of the physiological response to virtual exercise.Read moreRead less
The role of muscle and tendon mechanics in human muscle damage. This project aims to examine what sort of forceful stretch is required to cause exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) in humans and how muscles adapt to limit future damage. Specifically, the project aims to examine how the elastic properties of tendons might reduce muscle damage by buffering stretch in muscle fibres. Using cutting-edge ultrasound imaging technology, human muscle strain in different regions of muscle will be examine ....The role of muscle and tendon mechanics in human muscle damage. This project aims to examine what sort of forceful stretch is required to cause exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) in humans and how muscles adapt to limit future damage. Specifically, the project aims to examine how the elastic properties of tendons might reduce muscle damage by buffering stretch in muscle fibres. Using cutting-edge ultrasound imaging technology, human muscle strain in different regions of muscle will be examined to quantify the temporal relationship between muscle power absorption and EIMD. The importance of muscle and tendon mechanical properties in buffering the muscle from potential damage will be gauged. This could be a critical mechanism for preventing EIMD in exercising humans.Read moreRead less