What We Do
The long-term goal of our research is to identify biomarkers, movement patterns, and psychosocial factors that enhance the ability to evaluate chronic musculoskeletal conditions and therefore improve treatment to reduce pain and maximize function. Current projects focus on tendinopathy pain mechanisms, including tissue pathology (ultrasound elastrography, 3D radiography), central sensitization (quantitative sensory testing), altered biomechanics (3D motion analysis), and psychological factors (self-report questionnaires).
Research (hyperlinks to recent publications)
Capabilities
Movement analysis
- 34' level ground walkway with 3 force plates (AMTI)
- 12 Camera vicon motion capture system
- Vicon Vue camera to overlay 3D representation of kinematic model on video capture
Ultrasound imaging
- ACUSON Sequoia (Siemens) with linear transducers for shear wave ultrasound elastography, high quality b-mode imaging, and doppler flow quantification
Quantitative sensory testing
- Algometer type II (Somedic)
Software
- Nexus (Vicon)
- Matlab (MathWorks)
- Visual 3D software (C-Motion Inc.)
- CubeVue (CurveBeam LLC)
Ruth L. Chimenti, PT, PhD
Director