MUSCULOSKELETAL ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BODY

Stress-fracture injuries during military training remains a leading health concern for U.S. Service members. In this project, we use an integrated musculoskeletal finite-element model to characterize the kinematics and kinetics of the human body, and use high-resolution medical images to quantify how basic combat training affects the bone (tibia) health of female military recruits.

Publications

Rubio, J. E., J. Tong, A. Sundaramurthy, A. V. Subramani, V. B. Kote, M. Baggaley, W. B. Edwards, and J. Reifman. Differences in running biomechanics between young, healthy men and women carrying external loads. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2023 October 3; 11:1250937. [PDF, Pubmed]

Tong, J., A. V. Subramani, V. Kote, M. Baggaley, W. B. Edwards, and J. Reifman. Effects of stature and load carriage on the running biomechanics of healthy men. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 2023 August; 70(8):2445-2453. [PDF, Pubmed]

Sundaramurthy, A., J. Tong, A. V. Subramani, V. Kote, M. Baggaley, W. B. Edwards, and J. Reifman. Effect of stride length on the running biomechanics of healthy women of different statures. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2023 July 24; 24:604. [PDF, Pubmed]

Unnikrishnan, G., C. Xu, M. Baggaley, J. Tong, S. Kulkarni, W. B. Edwards, and J. Reifman. Effects of body size and load carriage on lower-extremity biomechanical responses in healthy women. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2021 February 24; 22(1):219. [PDF, PubMed]

Popp, K. L., K. E. Ackerman, S. E. Rudolph, F. Johannesdottir, J. M. Hughes, A. S. Tenforde, M. A. Bredella, C. Xu, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and M. L. Bouxsein. Changes in volumetric bone mineral density over 12 months after a tibial bone stress injury diagnosis: implications for return to sports and military duty. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2021 January 1; 49(1):226-235. [PDF, PubMed]

Xu, C., J. Reifman, M. Baggaley, B. W. Edwards, and G. Unnikrishnan. Individual differences in women during walking affect tibial response to load carriage: the importance of individualized musculoskeletal finite-element models. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 2020 February; 67(2):545-555. [PDF, PubMed]

Baggaley, M., M. Esposito, C. Xu, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and W. B. Edwards. Effects of load carriage on biomechanical variables associated with tibial stress fractures in running. Gait and Posture. 2020 January 28; 77:190-194. [PDF, PubMed]

Popp, K. L., V. Turkington, J. M. Hughes, C. Xu, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and M. L. Bouxsein. Skeletal loading score is associated with bone microarchitecture in young adults. Bone. 2019 October; 127:360-366. [PDF, PubMed]

Sundaramurthy, A., C. Xu, J. M. Hughes, E. Gaffney-Stomberg, K. I. Guerriere, K. L. Popp, M. L. Bouxsein, J. Reifman, and G. Unnikrishnan. Regional changes in density and microarchitecture in the ultradistal tibia of female recruits after U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. Calcified Tissue International. 2019 July; 105(1):68-76. [PDF, PubMed]

Popp, K. L., C. Xu, A. Yuan, J. M. Hughes, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and M. L. Bouxsein. Trabecular microstructure is influenced by race and sex in Black and White young adults. Osteoporosis International. 2019 January; 30(1):201-209. [PDF, PubMed]

Hughes, J. M., E. Gaffney-Stomberg, K. I. Guerriere, K. M. Taylor, K. L. Popp, C. Xu, G. Unnikrishnan, J. S. Staab, R. W. Matheny, Jr., J. P. McClung, J. Reifman, and M. L. Bouxsein. Changes in tibial bone microarchitecture in female recruits in response to 8 weeks of U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. Bone. 2018 August; 113:9-16. [PDF, PubMed]

Unnikrishnan, G., C. Xu, K. L. Popp, J. M. Hughes, A. Yuan, K. I. Guerriere, S. Caksa, K. E. Ackerman, M. L. Bouxsein, and J. Reifman. Regional variation of bone density, microarchitectural parameters, and elastic moduli in the ultradistal tibia of young black and white men and women. Bone. 2018 July; 112:194-201. [PDF, PubMed]

Popp, K. L., J. M. Hughes, A. Martinez-Betancourt, M. Scott, V. Turkington, S. Caksa, K. I. Guerriere, K. E. Ackerman, C. Xu, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and M. L. Bouxsein. Bone mass, microarchitecture and strength are influenced by race/ethnicity in young adult men and women. Bone. 2017 October; 103:200-208. [PDF, PubMed]

Xu, C., A. Silder, J. Zhang, J. Reifman, and G. Unnikrishnan. A cross-sectional study of the effects of load carriage on running characteristics and tibial mechanical stress: implications for stress-fracture injuries in women. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2017 March 23; 18:125. [PDF, PubMed]

Xu, C., A. Silder, J. Zhang, J. Hughes, G. Unnikrishnan, J. Reifman, and V. Rakesh. An integrated musculoskeletal-finite-element model to evaluate effects of load carriage on the tibia during walking. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 2016 October 1; 138(10):101001. [PDF, PubMed]