When was the last time you thought about walking? Not just enjoying a stroll outside or the joy of stretching your legs, but the actual, complex mechanics involved in walking. Watching a toddler attempt it for the first time is a reminder of just how tricky it is.
At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, using highly advanced computer models and technology, scientists are studying the intricate mechanics of movement and the varied implications on our health.
“We perform calculations to determine forces at the ankle, the knee, the hip and other parts of the body to understand how people control their movement. May they potentially be at risk for injury or is there presence of chronic disease?” said David Kingston, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biomechanics at UNO.
Kingston’s team has partnered with Children’s Nebraska to help kids with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities to help plan surgical interventions and worked with local physicians to develop advanced prosthetics for children and adults.
Those applications likely make intuitive sense when you hear the word “biomechanics.” But the scientists at UNO are concerned not only with what’s happening on the outside of our bodies but also with the systems that keep us moving on the inside.
“With this new expansion, UNO will have the space to bring together the greatest minds in cardiovascular science, medicine and biomechanics.”
Cardiovascular Biomechanics
Posted on the wall outside a wet lab in the Biomechanics Research Building is a diagram of a human leg with a web of arteries that stretch through its soft tissues. In the diagram, the knee is bent, which shows a dramatic crimping of the primary artery as the movement forces it to bend and twist in response.
This crimping presents a challenge for the roughly 12 million people in the U.S. who suffer from peripheral arterial disease, a condition in which arteries supplying blood to the lower limbs become narrowed or blocked. A common treatment for PAD, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, is the placement of a metal stent. However, stents are significantly less flexible than arteries and can fail over time in the dynamic environment of the human body. As a result, many PAD patients require repeat interventions, additional stent placements or amputations.
“Developing a better treatment method and a better treatment device for these patients is critical to both improve their quality of life and also to reduce the economic burden associated with these repeat interventions,” said Alexey Kamenskiy, Ph.D., director of the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics.
In partnership with physicians at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Kamenskiy’s team has developed a stent engineered to be compatible with the natural flexion and movement of the arteries in the limbs and to have more stretch capacity than commonly used versions today. The goal is to reduce the need for repeat surgical interventions and improve long-term outcomes for patients with PAD.
Kamenskiy’s work will improve its own stretch capacity when it moves into a new addition, for which a groundbreaking ceremony was held May 29. Supported by principal benefactors Ruth Scott and the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, the 19,000-square-foot expansion marks the third phase of development supporting UNO Biomechanics’ rapid growth and rising national prominence.
“With this new expansion, UNO will have the space to bring together the greatest minds in cardiovascular science, medicine and biomechanics,” said Nikolaos “Nick” Stergiou, Ph.D., director of the Division of Biomechanics and Research Development and Distinguished Community Research Chair in Biomechanics. “Our research team will be able to continue pushing the boundaries of science to solve health challenges like PAD — and save lives in the process.”
