Research > Sports Biomechanics Laboratory
The Ohio State Sports Biomechanics Laboratory is a state-of-the-art research facility for developing, validating, and advancing the most cutting-edge injury prevention and performance enhancement programs. The lab currently accepts research patients. This 3500 square foot facility is designed to be able to simulate real-life sports environments such as a pitcher’s mound, golfing tee box, batting cage, or running track so that we can study the motion of the athlete’s body and the forces acting at their joints. By understanding these motions and loads, we can learn to identify athletes at greater likelihood of injury or disease, and assure that our training and treatments are effective at correcting those motions and loads. With the same technologies, we also hope to learn why some athletes can perform better than others, and can train our athletes to perform at their highest level.
High speed motion capture cameras record split-second movements, while hidden force plates embedded in the floor record the forces acting on each foot. Electromyography equipment allows us to record the activations of muscles during an activity, while isokinetic strength testing equipment allows us to test muscle strength. Using these technologies, we can identify the wrist movements resulting in a service ace or service fault in tennis, torques acting on the knee that may lead to an ACL rupture, motor control deficits that may lead to back pain, or strength imbalances that may lead to rotator cuff tears. The facility also includes real-time software and large projection screens so that trainers and therapists can get and give real-time feedback, allowing for the incorporation of personalized treatment regimens to get each athlete back to competition as quickly as possible. Engineers, medical doctors, physical therapists, and athletic trainers will collaborate together at the Sports Biomechanics Laboratory to discover the mechanisms behind injury, rehabilitation, and performance, and apply them to continually improve the outcomes for our patients.
OSU Sports Biomechanics Laboratory, 614-293-2246, is located on the 2nd Floor of the Martha Morehouse facility next to the swimming pool and gymnasium. If you are interested in being a subject in one of the research studies noted below, or would like more information please e-mail research@sportsmedicine.osu.edu. Please refer back to our website periodically to learn more about additional studies and opportunities.
Natural history of knee kinematics, cartilage morphology, and meniscus tears after ACL injury and reconstruction
Sports Biomechanics Lab/Wright Center for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging
This study proposes to determine the relationships between surgical reconstruction technique, rehabilitation, knee motion during walking, meniscus tears, and cartilage thinning associated with the initiation of osteoarthritis. The study uses a prospective cohort of patients who choose to have an ACL reconstruction performed, and includes periodic MRI and motion analysis during activities of daily living of both knees. Patients will be tested just prior to surgery, 6 months after surgery, 1 year after surgery, and 2 years after surgery. MRI scans will be performed on the injured and non-injured knee to effectively visualize the articular cartilage, ligaments, and meniscus. Motion analysis testing involves placing reflective balls on the skin and video recording the subjects performing activities of daily living. The knowledge gained from this study should help guide future treatment of patients by determining the importance of attempting to achieve normal knee motion during walking to avoid negative outcomes such as meniscus tears and cartilage thinning, and should also help by identifying potential avenues for improving surgical technique and prescribing effective rehabilitation.
Core Stability and Injury Rates in Distance Runners
OSU Sports Biomechanics Laboratory
The purpose of this study is to identify if deficits in core stability and hip strength predict increased risk of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners training for a half marathon or longer distance event. This study measures core stability and hip strength at one time point using non-invasive sensors affixed to the body, and an initial questionnaire will ask for height, weight, age, and contact information as well as training and injury history. Throughout the training short surveys concerning current training and injuries are conducted. Surveys will be reviewed to determine incidence of any lower extremity running injury, and these results will be compared to the initial stability and strength measurements. This study should aid in the identification of runners at risk for developing an injury while training for a distance event, and will lead to future studies investigating the effectiveness of preventative training as well as the underlying biomechanical mechanisms of injury.
Improvement in Balance after an ACL Injury Prevention Program
OSU Sports Medicine Center
ACL injury prevention programs are currently being used throughout the country in order to induce neuromuscular changes through training in order to decrease the incidence of knee injuries in young female athletes and improve lower extremity biomechanics. One especially important desired neuromuscular change is improved balance, yet it remains unknown if balance is improved after subjects have gone through a 6 week ACL injury prevention program. One measure of balance that has been validated and proven to be reliable is the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess whether meaningful gains in dynamic balance are achieved through the course of an existing 6 week ACL injury prevention program. This study will help to assess the effectiveness of the ACL injury prevention program in improving balance and also suggest ways to improve the ACL injury prevention program in the future.
