NIH Funding (May 2016)

The Applied Biomechanics Laboratory and collaborators from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Virginia have been awarded a five-year NIH R01 award to study the role of age-related changes in tendon on motor performance. Dr. Franz’ lab will combine dynamic ultrasound imaging, quantitative motion capture, and biofeedback to investigate changes in localized Achilles tendon mechanics across the lifespan, as well as the effects on leg muscle contractile behavior and motor coordination during walking. Collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will employ dynamic MRI and shear wave elastography to characterize triceps surae muscle-tendon architecture and elasticity, and both sites will contribute their imaging work to the development and validation of multi-scale computational models of 3D muscle and tendon tissue mechanics at the University of Virginia.