BME Seminar: “Foot & Ankle Biomechanics: Advanced Medical Imaging & Robotics to Investigate Form & Function”

Details

Amy L. Lenz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Departments of Orthopaedics & Biomedical Engineering, The University of Utah

Biography:
Dr. Amy Lenz is an Assistant Professor with a dual appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Utah. She received her BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware, and her PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Michigan State University.

Abstract:
The foot and ankle is a complex structure of numerous articular relationships which operate to provide a stable base of support through active and passive tissue interactions. Altered morphology can lead to injury, instability, pathological deformity, and osteoarthritis. My lab’s goal is to characterize healthy, diseased, and post-surgical foot and ankle morphology and in-vivo function to improve clinical treatment of ankle pathologies leading to end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. Our recent studies have investigated the relationship between morphology and function of the subtalar joint using in vivo biplane fluoroscopy, in vitro cadaveric robotics, and weightbearing computed tomography. Dynamic joint articulation measurements, such as joint space distance, coverage, and congruence can be investigated in combination with morphology analyses using statistical shape modeling and kinematics to investigate the form and function relationship occurring at the subtalar joint. Our ongoing studies highlight the complexity of the foot and ankle, the value of a robust 3D analyses, the utility of in vitro robotic experiments, and the necessity to further investigate interactions of function and morphology to clinically evaluate flatfoot deformity, osteoarthritis, and injury mechanisms.