Neuromuscular Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury and Recovery
- Associate Professor
- Department of Physical Therapy
- Rehabilitation Science PhD, Movement Science & Disorders Concentration
- Movement Analysis and Biomechanics Lab
- Sensorimotor Testing and Rehabilitation Lab
Research Focus
Our lab group examines the relationships between motor control, biomechanics and tissue structure and function as it relates to mechanisms of injury, interventions and treatment outcomes. Target populations range from young athletes to older adult.
Research Mission
Through the investigation of the neuromechanics of the musculoskeletal system, the mission of our lab group is to identify mechanisms underlying bone and joint injury and to identify effective interventions to empower individuals to be active.
Research Overview
Our group studies neuromuscular and biomechanical factors that contribute to injury during physical activity with an emphasis on bone health. Our research is directed toward identifying neuro-biomechanical factors that result in elevated tissue loads and injury during activity in order to identify target interventions and remove barriers to physical activity. We are also interested in how postural control, movement variability, and coordination contribute to injury. Most of our research is accomplished in the Movement Analysis and Biomechanics Lab and the Sensorimotor Testing and Rehabilitation Lab.
Our research combines multiple, non-invasive measures of human movement to study factors to contribute to injury risk and promote recovery. We use combination of kinematic, kinetic, and imaging tools to quantify human movement and model tissue loading, a key component of tissue adaptation and a proximate cause of injury. Our multi-scale modeling approach allows us to estimate tissue stress and strain during human movement at musculoskeletal injury sites and to discover the role of individual, task and environmental factors on injury mechanisms and recovery.
Projects
Current projects include:
- Identifying biomechanical factors associated with elevated bone stress and stress fracture
- Assessing how locomotor patterns, motor tasks and footwear influence tissue loads and damage potential, both positively and negatively, acutely and over time
- Evaluating load distribution, postural control and adaptability in persons with injury
- Studying the effects of neurocognition on musculoskeletal injury risk factors
- Identifying somatosensory thresholds associated with fall risk and injury (NIH R15 (1R15AG058228-01A1)
- REU Site: Biomedical Engineering in Simulations, Imaging and Modeling (BME-SIM, NSF 1359183)
For a complete list of prior publications please see the Google scholar page or the ORCID page for Stacey Meardon, PT, PhD
Lab Group
Doctoral of Physical Therapy Graduate Assistants
- Maggie Marshall, Class of 2021
- Abbie Donahue, Class of 2022
- Dylan Sampson, Class of 2023
- Alumni: Zach Blank, Emily Brown, Marie Morrisette, Karleen Bartol, Caroline Campbell, and Kristen Edmonds
Master’s Degree Students
- Riley Horn, Department of Kinesiology
- Patricia Butler, Department of Engineering
- Alumni: Matthew Becker, Victoria Price, Mara Thompson
Undergraduate Interns
- Summer Kenny, Rachel Golden, Emily Edwards, Gabriel Pate
- Alumni: Avery Barr, Alyssa Genova, Jasmine Scales, Breanna Hall, Abbey Donahue, and Fionan Linch
- BMES REU: Karleen Bartol, Leela Goel, Julie Liu, Hannah Arris, Jordan McClung
Get Involved & Contact Details
Are you interested in learning more or getting involved? We are always looking for diverse, inquisitive individuals who are passionate about human movement to join our group. Please reach out to Stacey Meardon, PT, PhD for more information:
- (252) 744-6248
- 2405F Health Sciences Building
- East Carolina University
- Greenville, NC 27834
- meardons@ecu.edu
- website: http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/hmal
Interested in participating in a study? Please reach out to Stacey Meardon PT, PhD to learn about current opportunities at meardons@ecu.edu.