My research team is focused on foot and ankle orthopaedic biomechanics. The foot and ankle is a complex structure of numerous articular relationships which operate to provide a stable base of support through active and passive tissue interactions. Altered morphology can lead to injury, instability, pathological deformity and osteoarthritis. Our goal is to characterize healthy, diseased, and post-surgical foot and ankle morphology and in-vivo function to improve clinical treatment of ankle pathologies leading to end-stage ankle osteoarthritis.
In collaboration with engineers, orthopaedic surgeons, computer scientists and physical therapists, we apply mechanical engineering principles to primarily study in-vivo kinematics using bi-plane fluoroscopy and computationally assess morphology using statistical shape modeling. Our research also utilizes cadaver experimental models to pilot new surgical techniques and conduct biomechanical studies. The long-term goal is to define relationships between 3D morphology and in-vivo function to identify clinical indications for surgery with post-operative predictive outcomes.
Our group maintains active collaborations with many departments on campus including: Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physical Therapy and the Scientific and Computing Imaging Institute. We utilize the following equipment and techniques, to name a few: bi-plane fluoroscopy for measurement of in vivo kinematics, Vicon motion capture for multi-segment and full body kinematics, weightbearing computed tomography, microCT to assess complex bone structures, Mimics for 3D reconstruction of medical imaging, statistical shape modeling of bony morphology, and lower limb cadaver models to evaluate ligamentous instability.
Ongoing research interests include total ankle replacement, planovalgus foot reconstruction in adults with cerebral palsy, morphology of hindfoot OA from weightbearing computed tomography, and standardizing foot and ankle coordinate systems for reporting in vivo kinematics.