From lab to life: measuring and modulating musculoskeletal load in human locomotion

Objective

In an active and ageing society where mobility underpins independence, optimising musculoskeletal loading is increasingly important. Adequate load is essential for bone health, yet current measures often neglect muscle forces that contribute to bone stress. With wearable devices and digital health applications for gait training becoming more widespread, it is urgent to examine how interventions affect bone stress in the lower extremities. MSKLOAD will address this challenge by integrating experimental biomechanics, computational modeling, and wearable technologies to assess and optimise skeletal loading strategies for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Building on an award-winning PhD in gait retraining, the Fellow will unravel the link between tibial acceleration and stress through trained use of a tibial stress model that is available at Dr. Rice's group (Host). We will test gait modifications that alter tibial acceleration, such as speed and foot strike. Extending beyond the lab, the Fellow will build on postdoctoral work in exosuit development to evaluate exosuit-enhanced gait training for stroke survivors at home, supported by OpenCap, an open-source platform for computing both motion and forces. A secondment at Vrije Universiteit Brussel will provide training in neuromechanics and foster inter-lab collaboration, while a non-academic placement at Model Health (Belgium) will promote translation of OpenCap applications and entrepreneurial skills. Expected outcomes include new insights into tibial stress during walking and running, the first Registered Report in biomechanics, and an openly accessible exosuit design for broad societal uptake. For the Fellow, MSKLOAD provides advanced training in musculoskeletal modeling, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cross-sector experience, supporting reintegration into Europe and establishing a research line at the interface of human movement, digital health, and rehabilitation that brings the gait lab into daily life.