Winter 2015 Research Update
By Derek Rutherford, PT, PhD & Shaun Boe, PhD, MPT
The research culture in the Dalhousie School of Physiotherapy is growing; generating evidence to support rehabilitation science and the practice of physiotherapy in Atlantic Canada. Our enrollment in the Rehabilitation Research Masters degree has never been higher. We now offer PhD studies in Health at Dalhousie University through the Faculty of Health Professions with positions opening in September 2015. Perhaps most exciting for the School of Physiotherapy is the establishment of two world-class research laboratories in the Forrest Building made possible through successful applications to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation for infrastructure development awards. The Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, established in 2011, lead by Dr. Shaun Boe; and the Joint Action Research Laboratory, established in January 2015, lead by Dr. Derek Rutherford. These labs provide an integrated foundation within our program to foster advanced skill building, innovative research and post graduate training in Atlantic Canada. To find out more about these labs, please follow their links below.
Physiotherapists routinely use some form of stress testing to determine how a joint may be affected by a disease, injury or for determining appropriate level of joint function to return to sport and injury prevention. In fact, many of our treatments are geared toward improving a joint’s tolerance to stress, whether manual stress such as a knee ligament stress test or stress during functional activities (i.e. running, cutting, jumping etc). Would it not be nice to determine how the joint is actually working during a functional activity in response to mechanical stressors? The Joint Action Research Laboratory is the only laboratory in Atlantic Canada and one of only a few in the world that has the capacity to provide precise walking surface perturbations while monitoring full body three-dimensional motion, muscle activation and ground reaction forces. We are interested in developing lower extremity stress tests that can be implemented during gait to understand the implications for lower extremity injuries and disease on joint function. If you want to know more about this exciting new work, please contact Derek.
The goal of research in the Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function is to optimize recovery of individuals with diseases or disorders of the nervous system by optimizing the treatment methods used during rehabilitation. Research in the Laboratory uses basic and clinical approaches in pursuit of this goal. Basic studies aim to understand how the typical and damaged brain function, while clinical studies seek to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging rehabilitation techniques.
In addition to our research studies, the Laboratory serves as a training ground for scientists and clinicians, with over 25 past or present trainees since its inception in 2011. Learn more about the Laboratory, please contact Shaun.