The goal of the Study of Aging, Gait and Energetics or SAGE is to determine how muscle fatigue may compound age- or impairment related muscle weakness to alter the mechanics of walking and to understanding the impacts on energy consumption and fatigability in walking. This study is funded by the National Institute of Health.  

For more information or to participant email studyage@umass.edu

The purpose of the UFO study (Understanding Fatigue in Older Adults) is to investigate the potential causes of muscle fatigue using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its impact on single fibre, whole musce and gait function in young and older adults, including in those with signs of mobility problems such as slowed walking speed, low leg strength and some balance issues. This study is funded by the National Institute of Health.  

For more information or to participant email UnderstandingFatigue@umass.edu

This study was a collaboration with Prof. Ivan Lee in the UMass College of Information Computer Science and proposes to develop an integrated mHealth system that can effectively assess the biomechanics of movement associated with OA symptoms and monitor motor activities in free-living conditions based on our recent development of 1) a novel flexible wearable sensor attached to a knee sleeve that measures knee kinematics through an indirect measure of skin stretch and 2) a low-cost, power-efficient instrumented insole that together with the knee sleeve measures knee kinetics. This study was funded by the National Institute of Health 

Publications: 

1. Boubre B, Lane S, Holmes S, Boyer KA, Lee SI. (2022) Estimating Ground Reaction Force and Center of Pressure using Low-Cost Wearable Devices.  IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 69 (4), 1461-1468.  *featured article for April 2022. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2021.3120346

2. Boubre B, Daneault JF, Boyer, KA, Kim JH, Jasim, M, Bonato, P, Lee SI (2020) A Simple Low-Cost Wearable Sensor for Long-Term Ambulatory Monitoring of Knee Joint Kinematics. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. Dec;67(12):3483-3490. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2020.2988438

In partnership with OOFOS Inc. we are investigating the effect of compliant energy absorbing materials in footwear for enhancing recovery and performance in individuals training for a marathon and those participant in sports with cleated footwear.  

This project has ended. 

The project probes, at a system level, the motor system response to joint pain. Pain has an important physiologic role and acts with and/or stimulates motor system adaptations to protect tissue from threats of damage. Using a recently developed acute flare model for OA we are quantifying the biomechanics and neuromuscular response to muscle fatigue and pain. This work was partially funded by a NIH NRSA pre-doctoral fellowship to Skylar Holmes, a UMass human Magnetic Resonance Center pilot grant and a UMass Faculty Research Grant. 

Publications: 

1.    Holmes SC and Boyer KA (2022) Knee Extensor Functional Demand in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis. Gait and Posture. Jul (96), 265-270.

2.    Boyer K.A., Hafer J.F. (2019) The impact of exercise-induced osteoarthritis pain flares on walking kinematics, kinetics and muscle co-contraction. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. Mar 14;20 (1):107 [PMID:308721519]