Robin Queen

National Biomechanics Day at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech hosted more than 90 high school students from surrounding high schools as part of National Biomechanics Day 2019! Led by Dr. Robin Queen and the Granata Lab, National Biomechanics Day 2019 at Virginia Tech involved hands-on biomechanics activities in 5 engineering labs. National Biomechanics Day is an annual international event aimed at introducing students to the field biomechanics.

https://beam.vt.edu/about/news/stories/virginia-tech-engineers-host-local-student-for-hands-on-national-biomechanics-day-event.html

https://video.vt.edu/media/National+Biomechanics+Day+2018/1_4r9ew643/91886671

 

Gilliam Fellowship will support graduate student’s investigation of impact of race on movement mechanics

Dr. Robin Queen and PhD student Cherice Hughes-Oliver were awarded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship as an advisor-advisee pair. This funding will support Cherice’s graduate studies to understand the impact of race and related factors on walking, running, and jump landing mechanics.

https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/09/Cherice-Hughes-Oliver-Gilliam-Fellowship.html

https://www.hhmi.org/news/45-gilliam-fellowships-support-students-and-advisers-committed-to-increasing-diversity-science

Treadmill Laboratory

Dr. Queen also directs the Granata Treadmill Lab at Virginia Tech, which is housed in Norris Hall on the Virginia Tech campus in close proximity to both the main Granata Lab and Dr. Queen’s office. The Treadmill Lab contains an instrumented treadmill, motion capture equipment, and a physical therapy treatment table. This space is also equipped with a ceiling anchor to enable the use of a harness while on the treadmill.

Instrumented Treadmill

The Granata Lab has an AMTI split-belt fore-aft instrumented treadmill (Watertown, MA), which is equipped with front and back AMTI force plates and corresponding belts. The treadmill can be used to monitor ground reaction forces in the anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, and vertical directions and corresponding free moments about each axis. Additionally, the treadmill incline and belt speed for both the front and back force plate belts can be adjusted. The force and moment data obtained from these force plates can be used to understand both ground reaction forces as well as joint moments, in conjunction with kinematics data, during walking or running.

Reduction of Risk Factors for ACL Re-injuries using an Innovative Biofeedback Approach

ACL injuries are common among athletes and due to residual muscle weakness, limited knee motion and asymmetrical movement patterns after surgery many of these athletes will sustain secondary ACL injuries following return to sports. This project seeks to determine if a novel biofeedback-based rehabilitation approach can decrease a known risk factor for secondary injuries to the ACL. The project specifically focuses on correcting asymmetric movement patterns, a known risk factor for secondary injury that is not directly addressed by existing interventions through a 6 week therapy based biofeedback intervention.

Podcast: Correlation of Physical Performance and Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty

Functional recovery following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is assessed with patient-reportedmetrics, but physical performance tests may allow for a more accurate assessment of patientfunction. We quantified correlations between patient-reported measures and physicalperformance tests in patients after TAA to determine the usefulness of physical performancetests in post-TAA assessment.

The lack of strong correlations between the 2 sets of metrics indicates that they provide different information about a patient’s recovery following TAA. Therefore, it is important to include both sets of metrics in post-TAA assessments to better understand operative success and functional recovery.

 

Full story from Foot & Ankle International

When TAA Fails: OREF grant recipient assesses treatment options

End-stage ankle arthritis results in severe pain, deformity, and functional disability. Although both ankle fusion and total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) are effective treatment options for the condition, TAA has become more common because it preserves mobility in the ankle and may protect surrounding joints from increased wear.

Studies have shown that survival rates of ankle implants have improved over the years, yet there is still little to no information about best practices following an implant failure. How do the outcomes of revision ankle arthroplasty compare with primary arthroplasty outcomes? And how do the outcomes of revision arthroplasty compare with ankle fusion for treating a failed total ankle arthroplasty?

By: Jay D. Lenn

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Virginia Tech to Use Novel Sports Testing Service from Quest Diagnostics to Improve Student Athlete Performance

Members of the Virginia Tech football and women’s soccer team are now using customized insights from biological data to help team performance to peak levels through a new collaboration between Virginia Tech, competitive member of the elite Atlantic Coast Conference, and Blueprint for Athletes from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services.

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Undergraduate researcher looks for ways to prevent and recover from running injuries

As a rising sophomore and runner at Gannon University, Mackenzie Wenrick hit the research jackpot when she learned she would do a summer research project with Robin Queen, associate professor in biomedical engineering and mechanics and director of the Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab. Right in line with her athletic endeavors, Wernick is researching how fatigue affects a person’s loading symmetry when they run.

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