Grants awarded – ongoing projects
The Owen Shaw Award 2007
This year’s award was granted to Dr Siobhan Strike and her team at Roehampton University. The aim of their study is to develop an understanding of the compensatory mechanisms required by transtibal amputees to complete a turn, and to compare them to a safe-turn, as completed by non-amputee participants. This research is important, as many lower-limbed amputees risk falling. A recent study showed that 52% of amputees reported at least one fall in a community setting in a 12 month period. By studying how amputees turn in comparison to non-amputees, provisions for enhanced physiotherapy can be made.
Testing will take place at Roehampton University’s biomechanics laboratory. Each subject will stand on two force plates and turn around 180° and walk towards a mark 1.5m away to mimic turns encountered in a home setting. The time taken to perform the task will be recorded. The three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics of the turn will be collected for each participant. This is achieved by placing reflective markers on specific body landmarks, which are tracked by nine cameras.
This study will be the first of its type and will add considerably to the growing knowledge of turning gait. The results will have implications to the rehabilitation of amputees with regards to turning gait and fall prevention, ultimately leading to an improvement in patient’s quality of life.
The research team is made up of 3 people:
Dr Siobhan Strike will lead the research and oversee the data collection and analysis. Dr Strike’s main research interest is focused on the biomechanics of amputees and, to inform the interpretation of the results, non-amputee movement. Using motion and forceplate analysis she analyses the compensatory mechanisms used by amputees to produce movement. She analyses the mechanics of the prostheses with a view to enhancing their design.
Dr Matthew Taylor will be the research assistant on the project. He will recruit the particpants, complete the data collection and the data analysis. Dr Taylor completed his PhD in amputee change of direction and is an expert in the biomechanics of amputee turning while walking.
Ms Alison Carlise will be the technician associated with the project.