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Musculoskeletal Mechanics

The aim of the research cluster is to understand the function and loading of the musculoskeletal system during movement and explore how movement is controlled. 

There are multiple potential applications of this research across various domains including health, disease, injury and performance. The cluster has a particular interest in the knee and in the translation of research into clinically relevant applications. The group has expertise in musculoskeletal modelling technology and other in silico models.

Membership

 

PhD students

    • Phil Price (using musculoskeletal modelling to evaluate osteoarthritis)
    • Emily Cushion (mechanics and motor control of vertical jumping)

All research degree students at St Mary’s are part of the Doctoral College.

Selected publications

  • Cleather, D. J. (2018). The patella: A mechanical determinant of coordination during vertical jumping. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 446, 205-211. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.03.013
  • Czasche, M. B., Goodwin, J. E., Bull, A. M. J., & Cleather, D. J. (2018). The effects of an eight-week strength training intervention on tibiofemoral joint loading during landing: A cohort study. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 4, e000273. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2017-000273
  • Legg, H. S., Glaister, M., Cleather, D. J., & Goodwin, J. E. (2017). The effect of weightlifting shoes on the kinetics and kinematics of the back squat. Journal of Sports Sciences, 35, 508-515. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1175652
  • Parr, M., Price, P. D. B., & Cleather, D. J. (2017). Effect of a gluteal activation warm up on explosive exercise performance. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 3, e000245. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2017-000245
  • Price, P. D. B., Gissane, C., & Cleather, D. J. (2017). Reliability and minimal detectable change values for predictions of knee forces during gait and stair scent derived from the FreeBody musculoskeletal model of the lower limb. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 5, 74. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2017.00074
  • Clark N.C., Akins J.A., Heebner N.H., Sell T.C., Abt J.P., Lovalekar M., Lephart S.M. (2016) Reliability and Measurement Precision of Concentric-to-Isometric and Eccentric-to-Isometric Knee Active Joint Position Sense Tests in Uninjured Physically Active Adults. Physical Therapy in Sport. 18, 38-45.
  • Cushion, E. J., Goodwin, J. E., & Cleather, D. J. (2016). Relative intensity influences the degree of correspondence of jump squats and push jerks to countermovement jumps. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30, 1255-1264. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001211
  • Ding, Z., Nolte, D., Tsang, C. K., Cleather, D. J., Kedgley, A. E., & Bull, A. M. J. (2016). In vivo knee contact force prediction using patient-specific musculoskeletal geometry in a segement based computational model. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 138, 021018. doi: 10.1115/1.4032412
  • Sell T.C., Clark N.C., Abt J.P., Lovalekar M., Lephart S.M. (2016) Isokinetic Strength of Fully Operational U.S. Navy SEALs with a Previous History of Shoulder and Knee Injury. Isokinetics and Exercise Science. 24, 349-356.
  • Treleaven J., Röijezon U., Clark N.C. (2016) Proprioception in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. Manual Therapy. 25, 5, e13-e14.
  • Clark N.C., Lephart S.M. (2015) Management of the Sensorimotor System. Chapter 32.3. The Lower Limb. In- Grieve’s Modern Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. 4th Edition. (Ed- G. Jull, A. Moore, D. Falla, J. Lewis, C. McCarthy, M. Sterling). Elsevier. London, UK.
  • Clark N.C., Röijezon U., Treleaven J. (2015) Masterclass: Proprioception in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. Part 2. Clinical Assessment and Intervention. Manual Therapy. 20. 3, 378-387.
  • Clark, N.C. (2015) The Role of Physiotherapy in Rehabilitation of Soft Tissue Injuries of the Knee. Orthopaedics and Trauma. 29, 1, 48-56.
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2015). The development of a segment-based musculoskeletal model of the lower limb: Introducing FreeBody. Royal Society Open Science, 2, 140449. doi: 10.1098/rsos.140449
  • Cleather, D. J., Southgate, D. F. L., & Bull, A. M. J. (2015). The role of the biarticular hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles in closed chain lower limb extension. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 365, 217-225. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.10.020
  • Parr J.J., Clark N.C., Abt J.P., Kresta J.Y., Keenan, K.A., Kane S.F., Lephart S.M. (2015) Residual Impact of Previous Injury on Musculoskeletal Characteristics in Special Forces Operators. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 13, 11.
  • Röijezon U., Clark N.C., Treleaven J. (2015) Masterclass: Proprioception in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. Part 1. Basic Science and Principles of Assessment and Clinical Intervention. Manual Therapy. 20, 3, 368-377.
  • Cleather, D. J., Southgate, D. F. L., & Bull, A. M. J. (2014). On the role of the patella, ACL and joint contact forces in the extension of the knee. PLoS ONE, 9, e115670. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115670
  • Cleather, D. J., Goodwin, J. E., & Bull, A. M. J. (2013). Hip and knee joint loading during vertical jumping and push jerking. Clinical Biomechanics, 28, 98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2012.10.006
  • Cleather, D. J., Goodwin, J. E., & Bull, A. M. J. (2013). Inter-segmental moments during vertical jumping, landing and jerking. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27, 89-100. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31825037ee
  • Bull, A. M. J., & Cleather, D. J. (2012). Editorial: Special issue on musculoskeletal modelling of the lower limb. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine,226, 81-81. doi: 10.1177/0954411911435295
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2012). The development of lower limb models with clinical relevance is dependent on the fidelity of the mathematical description of the lower limb. Part 1: Equations of motion. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine,226, 120-132. doi: 10.1177/0954411911432104
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2012). The development of lower limb models with clinical relevance is dependent on the fidelity of the mathematical description of the lower limb. Part 2: Patient-specific geometry. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 226, 133-145. doi: 10.1177/0954411911432105
  • Southgate, D. F. L., Cleather, D. J., Weinert-Aplin, R., & Bull, A. M. J. (2012). The sensitivity of a lower limb model to non-sagittal plane rotations at the knee. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 226, 660-669. doi: 10.1177/0954411912439284
  • Bull, A. M. J., & Cleather, D. J. (2012). Editorial: Addendum to special issue on musculoskeletal modelling of the lower limb. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine,226, 659-659. doi: 10.1177/0954411912448284
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2011). An optimization-based simultaneous approach to the determination of muscular, ligamentous, and joint contact forces provides insight into musculoligamentous interaction. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 39, 1925-1934. doi: 10.1007/s10439-011-0303-8
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2011). Knee and hip joint forces: Sensitivity to the degrees of freedom classification at the knee. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 225, 621-626.doi: 10.1177/0954411911399975
  • Cleather, D. J., Goodwin, J. E., & Bull, A. M. J. (2011). An optimization approach to inverse dynamics provides insight as to the function of the biarticular muscles during vertical jumping. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 39, 147-160.doi: 10.1007/s10439-010-0161-9
  • Cleather, D. J., Goodwin, J. E., & Bull, A. M. J. (2011). Erratum to: An optimization approach to inverse dynamics provides insight as to the function of the biarticular muscles during vertical jumping. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 39, 2476-2478. doi: 10.1007/s10439-011-0340-3
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2010). Influence of inverse dynamics methods on the calculation of inter-segmental moments in vertical jumping and weightlifting. Biomedical Engineering Online, 9, 74.doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-9-74
  • Cleather, D. J., & Bull, A. M. J. (2010). Lower extremity musculoskeletal geometry affects the calculation of patellofemoral forces in vertical jumping and weightlifting. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 224, 1073-1083. doi: 10.1243/09544119JEIM731