Biomechanics Lab
Primary Research Interests
The Biomechanics Lab research focuses on reducing the incidence of athletic injuries and improving long-term musculoskeletal health. The specific research areas include:
- Injury and Disease Prevention
- Injury prevention
- Performance improvement
- Head impacts
- The association between concussion and lower extremity injury
- Postural Control
- Neuromuscular constraints on muscle coordination during postural balance
- Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
- Gait Assessment and Retraining
- Knee Joint Loading
- Lower Extremity Muscle Performance
We work with a diverse research population that includes healthy young and older adults and athletes of all ages. Clinical populations of interest include individuals with chronic and acute lower extremity injuries, anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions, osteoarthritis, and concussions. We partner with sports medicine practitioners, exercise physiologists, physicians, surgeons, engineers, and computer scientists.
Current Projects
Primary Population: University of Georgia athletes
Purpose: To analyze the biomechanics of select University of Georgia athletes to screen for movement patterns that may increase the risk of lower extremity injuries, with the goal of identifying athletes who could benefit from targeted prevention strategies. This project focuses on female athletes at high risk of lower extremity injuries.
Sponsor: National Athletic Trainers’ Research and Education Foundation
Primary Population: Individuals who are 1-3 months post-ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and uninjured individuals
Purpose: To quantify knee unloading through daytime sitting/lying behaviors in persons with ACLR and establish preliminary links between sitting/lying time and biochemical biomarkers of knee health.
Sponsor: Louise E. Kindig Research Award
Primary Population: Individuals who have suffered a concussion or uninjured individuals
Purpose: To determine how a concussion injury influences motor control during sport-specific tasks. To do this, we are assessing joint coordination and muscular activation between individuals with and without concussion history. This is a doctoral student-led project.
Faculty
- Biomechanics Laboratory Co-Director
- Director of Orthopedic Health in Motion Laboratory
- Biomechanics Laboratory Co-director
- Co-director for UGA Concussion Research Laboratory
Affiliated Faculty
- Biomechanics Laboratory Affiliated Faculty
- Director of Brain and Action Laboratory
- Biomechanics Laboratory Affiliated Faculty
- Co-Director for UGA Concussion Research Laboratory
- Biomechanics Laboratory Affiliated Faculty
- Director of Cognition and Dexterity Laboratory
Collaborators
Equipment
The Biomechanics Laboratory contains an eleven-camera Qualisys Motion Capture System with three in-ground Bertec force plates. Additional equipment includes:
- Delsys wireless electromyographic system for collecting muscle activity data
- A Zeno Walkway for gait assessment
- novel loadsol® for force assessment in free-living settings
- Dashr Timing Gates
- Several software packages (MATLAB, Visual 3D, SPSS, etc.) and other related equipment and software
Student Involvement
Undergraduates from Kinesiology, Biology, Engineering and other departments are members of research teams in the Biomechanics Laboratory. Past students include CURO Fellows, Honors students, pre-allied health care majors, and others interested in biomechanics research. Undergraduate and graduate students affiliated with the UGA Concussion Research Laboratory and the Orthopedic Health in Motion Laboratory are actively involved in Biomechanics Laboratory research.Recent Publications
Contact Info
Dr. Caroline Lisee: Caroline.Lisee@uga.edu
Dr. Rob Lynall: rlynall@uga.edu