Musculoskeletal disorders and diseases are a leading cause of disability and account for more that one-half of all chronic conditions in people over 50 years of age in developed countries. Common forms of musculoskeletal disorders are Osteoporosis or Osteoarthritis, which is the most frequent joint disorder, due to aging and wear and tear on a joint. Also neurological disorders as spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy lead to disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Consequences are reduced independency, productivity and quality of life for the affected persons and rapidly increasing healthcare costs in the ageing population.

In order to improve diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders we have to investigate the reasons and development of functional changes, we have to understand muscle function during human movement and to quantify the loads on musculoskeletal structures.

Within this symposium an overview over the currently available methods in musculoskeletal biomechanics will be given, up-to-date research results will be presented and possibilities for further development will be discussed in order to make a step forward in diagnosis and rehabilitation of major musculoskeletal disorders and diseases.

Dr. Cathy Holt is a Reader in Biomechanics and Orthopaedic Engineering at the Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University, and at the same time she is Biomechanics, Motion Analysis and Rehabilitation Team Leader for the Arthritis Research UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre.  Dr Holt’s main research interests are in 3D motion analysis, biomechanics and orthopaedic engineering. She has an excellent international reputation for her research in the area of analysis and classification of joint function and novel applications of motion capture.

Dr. Marcus Pandy is appointed as Chair of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Melbourne. Professor Pandy's research interests are in biomechanics and control of human movement. He has an outstanding international reputation for his research on muscle, ligament, and joint function in the normal, injured, and diseased states.

Programme

• 10:00: Investigating the Onset and Development of Osteoathritis Using Novel Patient Specific Modeling
  Prof. Cathy Holt
  Cardiff School of Engineering, Arthritis Research UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Centre, Cardiff, UK
  
  
• 11:00: Muscle Function in Human Locomotion
  Prof. Marcus Pandy
  Dept of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, AU
  
  
• 12:00: Biomechanical Modeling and Simulation of Human Movement in the Context of Rehabilitation
  Prof. Margit Gföhler
  Research Group for Machine Elements and Rehabilitation Engineering, Vienna University of Technology

Friday, June 29, 2012
Sem. BD 02, 2nd floor, Mechanical Engineering Building
1060 Vienna, Getreidemarkt 9