Scientific breakthroughs in biomechanics are to be shared with academics and clinicians at the Staffordshire Conference on Clinical Biomechanics.
Now in its 21st year, the conference brings together experts from the UK and overseas to share their research on movement analysis in clinical practice, sport and exercise and rehabilitation and assistive technologies.
Experts from Staffordshire University’s Centre for Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Technologies will share their latest work on the diabetic foot which uses mathematical modelling, based on a patient’s gender, age, weight, height and shoe-size, to predict the optimum stiffness of cushioned insoles.
Conference Chair Professor Nachi Chockalingam said: “Our research has focused on preventing and treating diabetic foot ulcers which are responsible for around one million amputations worldwide.
“This latest work, led by Dr Panagiotis Chatzistergos, included a clinical trial with patients in Malta. A part of this work was also presented recently in at the 9th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in the Hague. It is a collaborative work with University of Malta and we are delighted to be joined by colleagues from Malta for our conference. This work has already been adopted into clinical practice here in the UK and in Malta”
Staffordshire University’s research on the design and material of ankle-foot orthoses for children with cerebral palsy will also feature in the conference.
The conference will include the Tom Shannon Memorial Lecture by Dr Adam Shortland, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital Trust, in memory of the former Visiting Professor who was a leading figure in clinical gait analysis. He worked with the Centre on helping to measure the physical capabilities of children with scoliosis.
Dr Aoife Healy, co-chair of the conference, added: “Tom was an internationally respected biomedical engineer who has played an active role in our conferences to date and whose presence is sorely missed.”
The conference is preceded by a range of workshops supported by leading commercial vendors, where clinical practitioners and research scientists are introduced latest technologies and techniques in movement analysis.