Daniel Ludvig, PhD

The broad objective of my research is to investigate how disease and injury affect the neuromechanics of posture and movement and how altered neuromechanics can lead to injury and disease. The mechanical properties of our limbs both enable and constrain our ability to interact with the surrounding world. These properties are especially important in our lower-extremities, through which interaction with the environment facilitates essential mobility tasks, such as quietly standing, walking, jumping, or running. To help investigate the relationship between altered neuromechanics and injury and disease, I have been using a combination of engineering tools including: experimental studies using custom-built robotic devices, system identification, and computational modeling. Current specific research objectives include: quantifying the mechanism of impairment in chronic ankle instability; quantifying the role of muscle mechanics in controlling movement; and developing novel non-invasive techniques to characterize muscle and tendon mechanical properties.