About us

At the Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Group we focus on improving the quality of life for people with injuries and chronic conditions.

In order to do so we ask many questions:

• Who develops these problems?
• How do we help resolve them or manage the conditions effectively?
• How do we predict the likelihood of conditions within populations?
• How can we then prevent these conditions occurring or reduce their impact?

By doing so we help health science professionals deliver better patient outcomes and enable the health care budget to go further.

In general, there are three levels to what we do:

1. Investigating the underlying impairment to functional well-being. Here we look at the actual mechanics involved in the injury or chronic condition.
2. Developing interventions to address the functional impairment.
3. Finding out how affected individuals perceive they have benefited from the intervention/treatment.

In addition to the research carried out by the different teams, there are several ongoing projects undertaken within the Group.

The Group tests actual strategies. Our research has led to the creation of new interventions and the removal of those that are ineffective.

For example, stroke patients often end up with shoulder problems. A study by the neurological rehabilitation team resulted in stroke patients getting shoulder protection early in the acute rehabilitation before they developed shoulder problems.

The ‘end stage’ nature of our research means that findings can directly translate into clinical treatment best practice and national clinical guidelines.

There are five research teams within the Group:

Arthritis and Musculoskeletal

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal team conducts leading research into back pain, foot and ankle, and hip and groin injury.

Breast Cancer

The Breast Cancer team leads the world in understanding and treating the arm swelling that generally follows breast cancer.

Lung and Heart Physiotherapy

The research of the Lung and Heart Physiotherapy team includes lung mechanics and flow rates during exercise.

Neurological Rehabilitation

The Neurological Rehabilitation team conducts internationally-recognised research into stroke and Parkinson’s Disease rehabilitation.

Occupational Performance

Occupational Performance addresses how health impacts work and work impacts health.