Gaffney Laboratory for Biomechanics
Lab Mission
Our work aims to improve diagnostics and efficacy of both surgical and non-surgical interventions by furthering the understanding of the contributing role(s) of various biomechanical factors to injury. Use engineering-based principles and tools to better elucidate the mechanical factors of overuse injury in the presence of movement pathologies.
Collaborations and Tools
Located at the Interdisciplinary Movement Science Building on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the Gaffney Lab promotes interdisciplinary innovation by bridging the gap between mechanical engineering and medicine to improve patient outcomes. Current clinical collaborations exist between the Gaffney Lab and physicians in the fields of Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Surgery, Radiology, and Physiatry.
Tools we use include: motion capture, electromyography (surface and in-dwelling), dynamometry, medical imaging (MRI and CT), computational modeling (musculoskeletal modeling, finite element analyses, and link-segment inverse dynamic).
Work We Do
Our research involves whole-body and joint level orthopaedic biomechanics to assess the role of alterations in movement patterns, muscle function, and bony morphology to cartilage overuse injuries. Currently, our lab explores the influence of osseointegrated amputation on multi-domain biomechanical factors and their association to patient outcome and function. This research will improve rehabilitation and prosthetic design within this population by understanding the contributing biomechanical factors to joint pathologies.
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