Dr. Alison Schinkel-Ivy

Our Canadian population is aging, and identifying ways to better support older adults in maintaining functional mobility, independence, and quality of life is becoming increasingly important. Biomechanical changes in the performance of everyday, functional tasks (such as walking, lifting, and standing up from a chair) that occur as a result of aging have been well-established. However, less attention has been given to the relationships between different types of biomechanical signals, and how these relationships change with age or health conditions. In my lab, we use an integrated approach incorporating motion capture, force plates, and electromyography to investigate relationships between different biomechanical aspects of movement (such as postural stability, joint movement and coordination, and spatiotemporal parameters), and changes in these relationships across adulthood, with a focus on older adulthood. We are also seeking to link these relationships to functional outcomes in older adults, such as impaired mobility and falls; as well as exploring how these relationships are disrupted in clinical populations with perturbed gait (e.g., individuals with stroke or Parkinsonism).