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PT Program on the Move in Rochester"Momentum" has taken on a new meaning at Ithaca College’s Movement Analysis Laboratory on the Rochester campus. In recent years the laboratory has been upgraded to house state-of-the-art equipment for motion analysis. Through strong collaborative relationships with both the University of Rochester and the city’s extensive medical community, Ithaca students and faculty now have the opportunity to work jointly on research projects in an interdisciplinary environment. The primary focus of the movement analysis lab is currently on foot and ankle disorders and knee instability following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Through a mentored experience, students have an opportunity to gain experience in three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic analysis, frequently with clinical populations. Collaborative research projects are ongoing with the University of Rochester’s Departments of Biomedical Engineering; Orthopaedics, Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation; and Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strong Memorial Hospital, and with the Rochester practice called University Sports Medicine. This past spring Marc Lintal, Elizabeth Moore, and Joe Murray --- all of whom graduated from Ithaca in 2000 with bachelor’s degrees and received their master of science degrees in 2001 --- were awarded a grant from the New York State Physical Therapy Association’s Research Designated Fund for a study comparing different nonoperative treatment protocols for patients with chronic disabling heel pain. The research compared the use of insoles to specific stretching exercises to determine which approach best manages pain and restores function for this patient population. Deborah Nawoczenski, associate professor of physical therapy at the Rochester campus, and Benedict DiGiovanni, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedics at the University of Rochester, were co-principal investigators in the study that was conducted in collaboration with the University of Rochester’s orthopedics department. Another group of Moore’s and Murray’s classmates --- Michael Huson, Kurt Bergeron, Brad Keisling, and Lindsey Mazor --- worked with IC (Rochester) assistant professor of physical therapy Jeff Houck, examining the use of magnetic resonance images (MRI) to establish anatomic reference frames for studying ACL motion. This research was presented during the summer at the American Society of Biomechanics meetings in San Diego. Our Student Receives Prestigious GrantThe Movement Analysis Laboratory also participates in the Research for Undergraduates in Biomechanics and Imaging program in collaboration with U of R’s biomedical engineering department. The RUBI program offers summer research experiences to undergraduate students under direct mentorship of research faculty. This national program is highly competitive, and we were proud that Ithaca’s Heather Harmon ’02 was a RUBI grant recipient this past summer. Harmon participated in a variety of educational activities related to the integration of imaging and biomechanics research under the mentorship of Amy Lerner, M.D. Two RUBI fellows from other institutions worked in the IC Movement Analysis Laboratory with Nawoczenski and Houck. While several research programs are implemented in the lab, PT graduate students work with faculty in other venues as well. Students work in groups with PT faculty from both the Rochester and main campus locations, as well as with a cadre of adjunct clinical faculty from the Rochester medical community. These projects have resulted in presentations at local, state, national, and international meetings, including the New York State Physical Therapy Association’s annual conference; combined sections meetings and the annual conferences of the APTA, the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society, the North American Congress on Biomechanics, and the American and Canadian Society of Biomechanics; and the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
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A. Ozolins, Ithaca College Office of Publications, 21. Mar. 2002