The Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) announced the 2014 winter cycle recipients of research grant awards. Among the grant sponsors were Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, and Aspen Medical Products, Irvine, California. The awards will be presented on March 1 at the Renaissance Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Association of Academic Physiatrists annual meeting. Össur and Aspen Medical Products provide support for their named awards; the winners are selected by an independent review committee.
Tadgh O’Gara, MD, assistant professor, Orthopaedics Center for Integrative Medicine Neurosurgery, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will be given the inaugural Aspen Medical Products Spinal Bracing Research Grant to study continuous monitoring of pelvic tilt and its correlation to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This study will use smart phone technology to monitor sitting posture in adolescents with and without idiopathic scoliosis and to determine if there is a causative relationship between sitting posture and AIS.
Neil Segal, MD, MS, CSCS, an associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Faculty at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, will receive the Össur Prosthetic/Orthotic Research Grant for his study on the effect of arch orthotics on tibial rotation and tibiofemoral contact stress. This study will test whether arch-supportive insoles are effective in reducing the risk factors for musculoskeletal disease including knee osteoarthritis.
Prakash Jayabalan, MD, PhD, Department of PM&R, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, will be awarded the Justus Lehmann Research Grant to study the effect of walking exercise regimens on joint biomechanics and serum biomarker profile in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Recent studies have shown that walking can at least temporarily relieve pain and improve function; this study hopes to determine the most effective walking regimen for maximal benefit.
