ABOUT THE BIOMECHANICS LAB - A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation’s Biomechanics Research Laboratory
“…I believe biomedical research (and clinical research in general) should seek to quantify what good clinicians intuitively know…while also providing fundamental knowledge, instruments and tools sets to empower clinical care givers to make more accurate, individualized patient based decisions regarding appropriate care and treatment strategies…we exist and strive to maintain a supportive research environment that can provide these utilities to our clinical affiliates”.
- Michael R Torry, PhD |
Thank you for visiting SteadmanHawkins Research Foundation’s Biomechanics Research Laboratory BRL) website. As you browse the pages on the site, I hope that you will get a sense of the excitement that we feel being part of a vibrant department where science, education, medicine and technology transfer go hand-in-hand. The Biomechanics Research Laboratory is committed to investigation, innovation, and the translation of scientific discoveries into practical applications that enhance patient care. By providing a forum in which engineers, physicians and therapists can interact, the department plays a key role in the Steadman Hawkins Clinic and in the SteadmanHawkins Research Foundation as a whole, advancing the general mission to promote excellence in research, education, and patient care. Our role in the larger scientific and medical communities is exemplified by the significant research being presented in national and international scientific forums and by our presence in the peer reviewed literature.
The discipline of biomedical engineering seeks to apply engineering principles to solve medical problems. Within the BRL, this goal is evident through active research programs in Human Locomotion and Performance Analysis, Rehabilitation, Injury Identification, Injury Prevention, and Computation Modeling that distinguish the main characteristics of our Department and its breadth across engineering, fundamental anatomy/biology and clinical medicine. In addition to serving the research community, the department's staff and facilities serve as a magnet for clinicians who wish to develop new engineering approaches to orthopedic treatments and therapies. Our research program focuses on developing a greater understanding of, and better treatment options for musculoskeletal problems with a biomechanical component to their etiology. Specific attention is directed towards the upper and lower extremities, as seen for instance in our work on mechanisms underlying ACL injuries and osteoarthritis of the knee; and in rotator cuff injuries and osteoarthritis of the shoulder. Imaging of the extremities using computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and combining these static images with in vivo dynamic kinemtics obtained via dual plane fluoroscopy are the key technologies that complement our biomechanical analyses.
With Best Regards,
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Philanthropic support for musculoskeletal research and for training future orthopaedic physician scientists is needed to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and clinical innovation.
The National Bone and Joint Decade, 2002-2011, as proclaimed by George W. Bush, recognizes the importance of the support and pursuit of musculoskeletal research.
National Bone and Joint Decade Proclamation
March 25, 2002
I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the years 2002-2011, as the National Bone and Joint Decade. I call upon the people of the United States to observe the decade with appropriate programs and activities; and I call upon the medical community to pursue research in this important area.
George W. Bush |
Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020325-5.html for full proclamation.
In recognition of this Nation wide initiative, the Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation’s Biomechanics Research Lab is embarking on a ambitious, multidisciplinary research endeavor to the study of the mechanical mechanisms of osteoarthritis, it’s prevention and treatment. In this regard, the Biomechanics Research Center will integrate expertise in a variety of disciplines to attack osteoarthritis; with participating researchers working at many levels ranging from tissue and diagnostic image engineering, human motion analysis to clinical evaluation and treatment.
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