Winter 2019 Our Health


DSU Kinesiology Research Yields Predictive Injury Capability


at “What does balance


look like


from a neurological perspective? How does neuromuscular control of the ankle work to ensure efficient postural control?”


The A kinesiology student does movements while electrodes


measure electrical activity in her ankle muscles. This predictive injury analysis was part of a Feb. 5 demonstration presented (background l-r) by Dr. Chris Mason and Dr. Von Homer to Gov. John Carney, University President Wilma Mishoe and Dr. Marsha Horton, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. Courtesy of Delaware State University


Delaware


Kinesiology State


researchers University


at have


discovered a way of determining whether a person possesses a high risk for ankle


innovation that could lead to better athletic


personnel


Department Health


and improved corrective measures being prescribed.


Dr. Chris Mason, chair of the of


Public


College of Health and Behavioral Sciences,


Sciences said


a collaboration


between a current DSU neuroscience Ph.D. candidate and faculty member and the DSU Chair was a perfect match due to shared backgrounds in kinesiology and neurophysiol- ogy and has led to the development of a new innovative analysis of the human body’s lower extremities.


The research has revealed that the amount of work encumbered by the ankle muscles to maintain the body’s equilibrium can give a strong indication of whether a high risk of ankle injury exists.


interview with Dr. Mason on this new innovation, go to DJIo5cahIkk


revelation with Dr. Von


To see a DSU Inside Perspective youtu.be/


The road to this neuromuscular began


Homer and research he was doing at Barry University in Miami, Fla. Dr. Homer already had a terminal degree in orthotics and prosthetics and was a Barry faculty member, where he was leading research to gain a better understanding of how balance in the human body is controlled.


The combination of an interested


footwear materials company in the research and Dr. Homer’s decision to enroll in Delaware State University’s Neuroscience Ph.D. Program led to the latest research findings in DSU’s Kinesiology Lab.


With some funding support from MatMarket LLC and Homer’s move to DSU, his research found a home in


the Kinesiology Lab,


which also served to accommodate his dissertation research. Electrodes placed on the leg measure electrical activity


in the lower extremity muscles, providing ankle injury risk info.


Electrodes placed on the leg


measure electrical activity in the lower extremity muscles, providing ankle injury risk info.


Dr. Mason said Dr. Homer –


who at DSU is working on his second terminal degree – approached his lab with the idea of looking more closely


within


and Allied DSU’s


injuries, a novel decision-making


research


at DSU expanded to


investigate


how orthotics influence balance and to find out how effective they are in preventing injury and providing additional support.


ankle Upon finding a correlation


between the use of orthotics and the prevention of injury, the research then shifted to the question of what could be learned about the neuromuscular system that would indicate the mechanical cause of ankle injury.


Through the use of electromyog- raphy and postural control assessment, the Homer-inspired research efforts began analyzing the electrical activity of engaged ankle muscles, using more than 300 subjects that ranged from DSU athletes from a variety of sports, as well as professional athletes from the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball.


In tests that analyzed the muscle contractions during the simulation of functional sports movement, the research


revealed


of electrical a


particular activity muscle during


in of


that the amount displayed acts


balancing gave an indication of the level of risk for sustaining an ankle injury.


The resulting innovation has been


trademarked as the “Homer Technique” after Dr. Homer.


Dr. Mason said the results of the


research put DSU ahead of the game in this area.


“There are labs that do EMG and


balance testing in isolation, but we are on the cutting edge by putting multiple methods of assessment together to be able to answer questions not only related to what is your balance like, but also why is your balance the way it is, why do you activate certain muscles in a particular sequence during balance maintenance,” Dr. Mason said. “We can start to pinpoint those very minute and specific movement inefficiencies that other testing methods have not been able to touch yet.”


Dr. Homer said that this


innovation could open up some new and potentially profitable possibilities for the University.


“With the capability of this


Kinesiology Lab, we can work outright with shoe companies or create an app that could allow an individual to monitor his balance,” Dr. Homer said. “This could allow the University to benefit from the intellectual property.”


Possibilities are being explored through presentations of the research behind


the Homer Technique to


groups like the NFL at the March 1-4 NFL Scouting Combine. “We will be speaking to these groups of ankle and foot specialists to tell them about our new and innovative technique


and


to offer our services to the NFL and individual teams.”


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