Sanford Health Innovation Center

The partnership involves collaborating closely with a local foot surgeon who has designed a cutting-edge device tailored to amplify intrinsic foot strength. Together, we are conducting comprehensive product testing, delving into various aspects such as functionality, efficacy, and user experience. This effort is also in collaboration with the University of South Dakota. Through rigorous testing and refinement, we aim to ensure that this device meets the highest standards of quality and performance, ultimately offering individuals an alternative solution for enhancing their foot strength and overall athletic performance.

Northern State University Football and Women’s Soccer Team

Beginning fall 23 the football and soccer team established a collaboration with the Sports Sciences department, working alongside the strength and conditioning staff to oversee athlete workload. This collaboration involved athletes utilizing the Polar Team Pro sensor during both practices and games. Real-time workload data for each session was monitored by the strength and conditioning staff, while the Director of the lab generated daily and monthly reports to be shared with coaches and the strength staff. A sample report is available for reference.

Northern State University Softball Team

The NSU softball team comes into the human performance lab every year for testing at 4 various time points throughout the year. Testing consists of bilateral hip and shoulder internal and external range of motion, body composition scan, quadricep and hamstring strength, and internal and external rotation shoulder strength. These variables are tracked longitudinally and reported back to the coaches and training staff. 
 

Biomechanics Researcher

Conduct research in academia, government institutions (Walter Reed Medical Center, Military) or private organizations (Professional sports teams, Nike, Under Armor, etc) to advance the understanding of biomechanical principles and their applications in various fields.

Clinical Biomechanist

Work in healthcare settings, collaborating with healthcare professionals to assess and improve movement patterns in patients. This can involve analyzing gait, posture, and biomechanical aspects related to injuries or medical conditions.

Orthopedic Biomechanist

Collaborate with orthopedic surgeons to analyze and optimize joint function, develop orthopedic devices, and contribute to the design of implants or prosthetics.

Sports Biomechanist

Assist athletes in improving performance and preventing injuries by analyzing their movements. Work with sports teams, coaches, and athletes to optimize training programs based on biomechanical assessments.

Athletic Trainer

Work with athletes to prevent, diagnose, and treat injuries. Athletic trainers often collaborate with healthcare professionals to optimize performance and recovery.

Exercise Physiologist

Design and implement exercise programs for individuals with chronic conditions or athletes to enhance their physical fitness and overall health.

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Develop and implement strength training and conditioning programs for athletes to improve their performance and reduce the risk of injuries.

Physical Therapist

Help individuals recover from injuries or surgeries through therapeutic exercises and rehabilitation programs.

Functional Movement Screen (FMS) Testing

 In collaboration with medical and athletic training staff, off-season freshman and junior athletes will participate in FMS testing. This study's purpose is to identify deficits and report them to the trainers and strength and conditioning staff to design more optimal training programs.

Influence of Toe Yoga on Intrinsic Foot Strength

 Participants will be asked to complete a 4-week toe yoga intervention utilizing a new product designed to increase intrinsic foot strength. Y-balance testing pre and post the 4-week intervention will be used to quantify the device's effectiveness.

The Relationship Between Lower Extremity Stress and Injury Risk in Triple Jump Athletes

The triple jump is an event in track and field that consists of 4 distinct phases; the runup, the hop phase, the step phase, and the jump phase. During the triple jump, the lower extremity must generate and dissipate large amounts of force in both legs during all phases for peak performance and decreased injury risk. As a result of the high forces, triple jump athletes commonly experience shin splints but the etiology of these injuries is currently unclear. For that reason, this project's purpose is to analyze injury risk variables (lower extremity stress, acceleration, and intensity) between the phases of a triple jump. Injury risk variables will be measured using VERT sensors.

The Effects of a Competitive Season on Underclassmen versus Upperclassmen Pitchers (graduate thesis project)

Baseball pitching puts extreme stresses on the arm and body. There has been a massive increase in baseball pitchers getting injured in recent years due to pitchers throwing with higher velocities.. This study is looking at the effects of workload during a season on two groups: underclassmen and upperclassmen. These two groups need to be separated because upperclassmen are generally physically stronger, have more experience, and are smarter about taking care of their bodies. This leads to underclassmen being more vulnerable to getting injured, especially during a competitive season. This study will test pitchers in pre-season, mid-season, and post-season pitching sessions to see how variables can change. Those variables include pitch velocity, pitch spin rate, arm speed, and elbow torque.

The Relationship between the Timing of Hip‐Torso Separation and Hitting Performance

A popular metric analyzed in hitting mechanics is hip-torso separation.  The significance of the degree of hip-torso separation on hitting performance has been researched before with inconclusive results.  Bordelon et al, results suggesting that the timing of which peak hip-torso separation occurs during the swing might be more significant when looking at hitting performance (Bordelon; Washington). The purpose of this study is to investigate the timing at which peak hip-torso separation is reached rather than the degree of separation and its relationship to hitting performance. Hitting performance will be quantified.