Thesis defense Eefje Roelofsen (Donders series 466)

18 December 2020

Promotors: prof. dr. R. Meulenbroek, prof. dr. M. Nijhuis-van der Sanden
Co-promotors: dr. J. Staal (HAN), dr. R. van Clingel (Sport Medisch Centrum Papendal)

Neuromotor Flexibility Following Musculoskeletal Leg Injury

Watching people finishing the Four Days Marches in Nijmegen, it becomes obvious that people temporarily change their way of walking in response to painful blisters. After the blisters have healed, people will return to a normal and efficient gait. It would be abnormal if they would continue to limp for the rest of their life because of that temporary blister. However, for some patients recovering from a musculoskeletal injury following surgery, returning to their normal and efficient gait fails to occur. Studies into a Total Knee Replacement or Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction show that people often persist in the earlier adopted movement patterns. This can lead to abnormal joint-loading and the risk of developing other musculoskeletal disabilities. The current research shows that introducing challenging motor-tasks and skilled use of haptic and visual feedback can reveal and target unwanted adaptive changes after knee surgery.