Award
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 5F31AR083286-03
Integrating Musculoskeletal and Data-Driven Modeling to Understand the Biomechanical Sequelae of Syndesmotic Repair
Recipient
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Award Amount
$45,588.00
Ceiling
$45,588.00
Awarded
December 05, 2025
Identifier
5F31AR083286-03
The award funds research to understand the biomechanical effects of syndesmotic repair in the ankle using experimental biomechanics and data-driven modeling, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment of related injuries.
Description
This project hypothesizes that syndesmotic repair disrupts the biomechanics of the entire lower limb, which could be mitigated by understanding the biomechanical role of the mobile fibula. The study will compare healthy individuals with those having surgically immobilized fibulae, recording motion capture, force, and electromyography data during various tasks. Musculoskeletal simulations and explainable machine learning will be used to assess the impact of fibular mobility and predict injury states. The research aims to improve diagnostic and treatment protocols, and develop data-driven diagnostics and prognostics.