1 - Research

I grew up in the south Brazil, alternating times between Montevideo (Uruguay) and Porto Alegre (Brazil). Crossing several times the Pampas made me deeply interested in nature and biology. After, I can joint my passion for sports and movement to biology area. Currently, I am Professor and Researcher at Lapex, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil, and Visiting Professor at University of Milan and Pavia (Italy). I am interested in minima, maxima and others optima in terrestrial locomotion & Sports Sciences. The study on mechanical determinants of locomotion performance and economy is my passion.

These determinants are summarized to pendulum-like mechanism in walking and elastic mechanism in running. The pathological gait and distance running are very interesting areas to apply basic concepts of human locomotion.

Research Interests:

Integrative-related minimizing basic mechanisms of energy expenditure – This line of investigation aims to identify the proximate and contextual factors that shape locomotion, especially those related to walking and running. We have long known that shape and function are fully interdependent (symmorphosis) in order to optimize crucial evolutionary aspects of terrestrial locomotion as economy and efficiency, but these aspects cannot be approached without understanding the mechanisms that contain the energy expenditure, namely, pendulum-like and elastic mechanisms that are associated with locomotion economy and efficiency. We also need to understand the crucial constraints of locomotion as speed, gradient, load, obstacle, and how these constraints affecting the minimizing mechanisms. These questions lie at the intersection of biomechanics and physiology. I have conducted studies that quantify and examine these constraints related to movement disorders as Parkinson’s disease, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive and restrictive pulmonary disease during walking and regarding to functional mobility. Further, I have conducted experiments that examine the mechanical determinants of running economy and performance in long distance runners.

Evidence-based interventions – I am interested in research that can be translated directly into action. This can be accomplished through interventions that employ the principles of training, as well as outreach projects implemented through institutional and community-based approaches. Through collaborations with coaching, physiotherapists and practitioners, my team is developing ways to directly apply research to public health action and intervention. For example, over the past eight years, the LOCOMOTION/UFRGS group has performed many randomized controlled trials aimed at improving the health and performance of elderly, runners, and Parkinson’s disease patients. This approach has been directly shaped by research collaborations that I have either participated in or developed. Specifically, we have been working with the following practices: Nordic walking in elderly and Parkinson’s disease, running group in adults, and triathlon team in adults. Currently I am working with fantastic colleagues as Prof. Flávia Martinez and Prof. Aline Haas, where we have been performing 2- 3- arms RCT’s comparing effects of deep water exercises and Brazilian dance on quality-of-life, motor control and, obviously, locomotion. Now, we must ask: What are the benefits of these locomotor interventions? Do we see reductions in neurodegenerative and aging process and improvements in performance? What are the relevant biomechanic and physiological pathways of these changes? What are the optimal dose–response from locomotor training programs that could help to design more efficient physical training approaches against, for instance, mobility decline? Through several funded studies, we are currently addressing these questions.

AREAS OF RESEARCH:

Bio- and Neuromechanics of Human Movement

People with Parkinson's disease walk with smaller ranges of motion in lower and upper limbs, resulting in a higher stride frequency and shorter stride length, and muscle activation is more tonic/continuous, disturbing important muscle contraction patterns such as reducing gastrocnemius activation and increasing co-contraction. More economical recreational and competitive runners run with longer strides and these better runners have a more effective elastic mechanism.

Locomotor Training

Nordic walking training in addition to improving the general physical fitness of the elderly and people with Parkinson's disease, improves psychosocial musculature. In the elderly, Nordic walking training increases the self-selected (preferred) speed and the optimal walking speed (more economical). Maximal and rapid strength training improved the running efficiency and economy of recreational runners, resulting in better running performance. Similar gains are possible with Pilates training with further improvement in the patterns of muscle activation of the trunk and lower limbs.

Physio-Mechanics of Terrestrial Locomotion

The PhysioMechanics covers the field of Biomechanics, that is, borderline between physics and biology, but centered especially on energy parameters (mechanical and metabolic) and on the basic mechanisms for minimizing energy expenditure, namely pendulum-like on the walk and elastic on the run. These mechanisms are key to understanding from fundamental aspects of the homo sapiens evolution to the repercussions of specific physical training. The determination of mechanical work and the efficiency of the musculoskeletal system in transforming metabolic energy into mechanical energy also offers an impressive field of endless questions of basic (e.g., studying the effects of terrain, slope, speed, load, etc) and applied (training effects , movement disorders) research.

THEMES OF INTEREST:

Mechanisms minimizing of energy expenditure on human locomotion (pendular and elastic)

Physiology, motor control and biomechanics of walking and running

Biomechanics of jumps in volleyball and soccer