Overall Theme: Movement Control Mechanisms in Health and Disease
Research at the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Centre is primarily concerned with the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the control of movement in healthy individuals and those with movement problems arising from disease or injury. Some projects also involve the investigation of intervention programs to reduce disability and improve participation in society.

Gait and Posture

• Gait across the lifespan: development and decline.
• Obstacle crossing in stroke patients
• Evaluation of dystonia
• The effect of lower limb prostheses (traditional versus novel) upon the ability of above knee amputees to traverse “everyday” terrain.
  

Upper Limb Rehabilitation

• Evaluation of tactile discrimination in the hand
• Sensorimotor integration in the hand
• 3-D analysis of shoulder movement in stroke patients

Women’s Health

• POPPY: Pelvic Organ Prolapse PhysiotherapY (POPPY)
• Modelling of pelvic floor muscle function.

Paediatric Physiotherapy

• Motor development in premature children.
• Motor development in infants with cardiac disease
• Length-tension relationships in the calf muscles of children with cerebral palsy

Spinal Cord Injury

• FES-assisted hand exercise in people with chronic tetraplegia
• SCIPA: Spinal Cord Injury and Physical Activity
• Use of pressure mat technology for seating prescription in spinal cord injured patients
• Wheel Fit: A pilot health and wellbeing program for people with a spinal cord injury

Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy

• Physiotherapy interventions and outcomes in acute care (surgery)
  The cardiorespiratory research team are involved in measuring outcomes for patients having abdominal, cardiac and thoracic surgery. Specifically we have quantified mobility, measured incidence of pulmonary complications, assessed the sternum after cardiac surgery and are currently identifying discharge criteria for length of hospital stay in patients after abdominal surgery.
  
• Function and quality of life in intensive care (ICU) survivors
  We currently have an NHMRC grant that funds us to measure the functional and quality of life outcomes of survivors who have stayed in intensive care for more than five days. As part of this project we are also assessing the role of next of kin in assessing the patients quality of life and we are measuring activity at home using accelerometers in which we have performed reliability and validity studies.
  
• Function and quality of life in chronic lung disease and lung cancer
  
• The role of exercise rehabilitation in improving function and quality of life in patients with bronchiectasis and following lung cancer surgery is currently being assessed in two pilot randomized trials.

Basic Science

• Changes in neural connectivity with exercise following spinal cord injury.
• Postsynaptic actions of pyramidal tract and reticulospinal neurones on motoneurones innervating back muscles in the cat

Research Programs

• Publications
• Grants