Musculoskeletal Health across the Lifespan (MHL)

The focus of the Musculoskeletal Health across the Lifespan group is to understand the age-associated changes in musculoskeletal biomechanics, from young to old age, in order to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving function and health.

The group brings expertise in motion analysis, postural control, musculoskeletal properties and muscle-tendon behaviour. Despite recent research in the area of ‘healthy ageing’, there remains a lack understanding of the biological processes of maturation and aging. This prevents agreement among clinicians as to what are the most effective exercise or surgical and interventions to improve health, function and well-being. Our aim is to investigate how movement patterns during activities of daily living (walking, stair walking, sit to stand, postural control) vary with age and how changes musculoskeletal characteristics influence this functional performance.

As the population is rapidly ageing, the research undertaken by the MHL group will have an important social and economic impact by informing the wider public, clinicians and medical practitioners about effective methods for improving gait, balance and strength training. Ultimately this will have benefits for general well-being and healthy ageing.

Our research has also focused upon musculoskeletal growth and development in young sports people and to investigate means for the attenuation of injury and injury risk in youth footballers. The aim of this research is to directly inform the practice of coaches, clinicians and trainers who work alongside youth footballers registered in the UK.

Our research can be grouped into the following key areas:

• 3D kinematic and kinetic gait patterns of daily activities in individuals with altered lower limb mechanics as a result of ageing, disease (peripheral arterial disease) and trauma (lower limb amputation)
• Postural control using computerised dynamic posturography
• The effects of musculoskeletal health on quality of life 
• In vivo musculo-tendinous biomechanics
• Developmental changes in muscle and tendon structure and function
• Exercise interventions to improve musculoskeletal function
• Musculoskeletal injury rates among young footballers
  

Research Projects

• Musculoskeletal biomechanics during activities of daily living in community-dwelling women aged 60-90 Years
• Biomechanics and quality of life in transtibial amputees during and following rehabilitation: A longitudinal study /Funded by the Circulation Foundation
• The effects of a supervised exercise programme and angioplasty on the gait and balance of peripheral arterial disease patients with intermittent claudication / Funded by the Academic Vascular Surgical Unit in Hull
• Musculoskeletal modelling as a predictive tool for effective exercise intervention in osteoporotic women / In collaboration with Medical and Biological Engineering at Hull
• Morphology and mechanical properties of tendon and its insertion in the development of Osgood-Schlatter and Sever’s disease
• Influence of footwear on gait, postural responses and plantar pressures in diabetics
• Effect of coupling time and role of active force enhancement in stretch-shorten cycles
• Establishing normative data concerning musculoskeletal function in youth footballers

Group Members

Academic staff

Hollie Forbes

Dr Natalie Vanicek

Graduate Students

Lisa Alcock

Stephanie King

Lisa Patel

Chris Wilcox