Research Focus

Regenerative Medicine & Biomechanics

Area of Research

In vivo mechanosensitivity of musculoskeletal tissue; Diagnostics, prevention and therapy of disease related gait and movement patterns; Innovation and product development

We strive to solve clinically motivated questions on diseases and conditions of the musculoskeletal system and to translate results of laboratory studies into the clinic. 

Our research topics are

• In vivo mechanosensitivity of musculoskeletal tissue 
• Diagnostics, prevention and therapy of disease related gait and movement patterns 
• Innovation and product development 

For our current projects, we recruit 

• participants with osteoarthritis at the knee or hip
• participants who have received a total knee or hip replacement 
• participants with lumbar spinal stenosis 
• participants with rotator cuff tear 
• participants who have injured their anterior cruciate ligament 2 to 10 years ago
• healthy persons 

Please contact Prof. Dr. Annegret Mündermann for details on current projects. 

In vivo mechanosensitivity of musculoskeletal tissue

The core of biomechanics is the influence of forces on biological organisms. The importance of the tight interplay between mechanical and biological factors in health and disease receives increasing scientific scrutiny. In a series of laboratory studies, we study the in vivo mechanosensitivity of involved tissues in humans with the ultimate goal of designing interventions—mechanical or pharmaceutical—that prevent or delay the onset of osteoarthritis or slow down its rate of progression. These projects are currently funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation and Industry grants.

Diagnostics, prevention and therapy of disease related gait and movement patterns

The important task in collaboration with the therapy services in the coming years is to establish the diagnostics based on movement analysis. Understanding biomechanical factors as risk factors or osteoarthritis is a critical component in prevention and therapy. We combine novel portable inertial sensor systems with gold-standard camera based motion analysis to identify factors relevant for injury and disease mechanisms and treatment. More recently, we have initiated research on the effects of manual therapy on ambulatory mechanics.

Innovation and product development

In recent years, members of the Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology have initiated several technical innovations and products. These included novel endoprostheses aimed at improving joint function and improved crutch cuff designs to reduce symptoms and complaints associated with crutch walking. Currently, we work on establishing protocols for IMU gait analysis and for measuring shoulder translation in clinical practice.

National Collaborations

University Hospital Basel/University of Basel

• Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Müller, Head Shoulder and Elbow Team, Orthopaedics and Traumatology
• Prof. Dr. med. Karl Stoffel, Head Hip Team, Orthopaedics and Traumatology
• Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Schären, Chief Surgeon, Spine Surgery
• PD Dr. med. Christian Egloff, Head Knee Team, Orthopaedics and Traumatology
• PD Dr. med. Cordula Netzer, Deputy Head Spine Center
• Prof. Dr. med. Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, Professor Sport Medizin
• Prof. Dr. phil. Oliver Bieri, Professor Radiologische Physik
• Prof. Dr. med. Jens Eckstein, Head Innovation Laboratory
• PD Dr. med. Anna Hirschmann, Head Musculoskeletal Radiology
• Guido Perrot, Head Therapy Services
• Peter Suter, Therapy Development

National

• Prof. Dr. Daniel Baumgartner, Zurich Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften ZHAW, Winterthur, Switzerland
• Prof. Dr. med. Geert Pagenstert, Praxis Clarahof, Basel, Switzerland
• PD Dr. phil. Dr. med. André Leumann, OrthoPraxis Leumann, Basel, Switzerland
• Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Ilchmann, Hirslanden Klinik Birshof, Münchenstein, Switzerland
• Prof. Dr. med. Anke Eckhardt, Hirslanden Klinik Birshof, Münchenstein, Switzerland

International Collaborations

• Dr. Anna-Maria Liphardt, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Anja Niehoff, German Sports University Cologne, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Katherine Boyer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
• Prof. Dr. Felix Eckstein, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
• Prof. Dr. Gisela Sole, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

• Dose-response relationship of in vivo ambulatory load and mechanosensitive cartilage biomarkers: the role of age and tissue health (Mündermann, Egloff, Vach, Herger, Liphardt, Eckstein, Bieri, Hirschmann) (SNF)
• The effect of corrective osteotomy on in vivo cartilage mechanobiology in patients with knee osteoarthritis: cross-sectional observational single-centre study (Mündermann, Egloff, Nüesch, Pagenstert, Vach, Liphardt) (SNF)
• Influence of additional weight carrying on load-induced changes in glenohumeral translation in patients with rotator cuff tear - a translational approach (Mündermann, Müller, Baumgartner, Audige, Nüesch, Vach, Bieri, Hirschmann) (SNF)
• Gait asymmetry in orthopaedic conditions of the lower extremity assessed using portable and laboratory based systems: cross-sectional observational single-centre pilot study (Mündermann, Nüesch, Netzer, Egloff, Ismailidis, Pagenstert, Horisberger, Perrot, Kaufmann, Hegglin) (Merian Iselin Foundation, Swiss Orthopaedics)
• Muscle function and dynamic and postural stability in patients receiving hip or knee arthroplasty (Ismailidis, Mündermann, Pagenstert, Egloff, Vach, Kvarda, Ilchmann, Eckardt, Clauss, Ilchmann) (Swiss Orthoapedics, Deutsche Arthrose-Hilfe e.V.)
• Clinical and functional outcomes 2 years after primary ACL repair (internal bracing) (Müller, Egloff, Bühl, Nüesch, Pagenstert, Mündermann) (Deutsche Arthrose-Hilfe e.V.)
• Comparison of dynamic and static medial patellofemoral ligament operation technique for recurrent patellar dislocation (Egloff, Bartsch, Rieger (Altius), Nüesch, Mündermann)
• Muscle function and pelvic stability while walking in patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (Netzer, Mündermann, Schären, Janßen, Nüesch, Rehani, Przybilla)
• Assessing the course of degenerative cervical spinal stenosis using functional outcomes (Schären, Netzer, Mündermann, Mandelli, Hardmeier, Schläger, Wendebourg, Nüesch, Tovo, Suter)
• Open versus closed wedge distal femoral varus osteotomy for the valgus knee. Indications, clinical and radiological outcome (Ismailidis, Egloff, Mündermann, Greppi)
• Clinical and functional outcome after lateral trochlear lengthening osteotomy (Ismailidis, Egloff, Pagenstert, Manser, Mündermann)
• Gait analysis during level and uphill walking after lengthening osteotomy of the lateral column (Nüesch, Leumann, Horisberger, Schmid, Krenn, Byrnes, Mündermann) (Merian Iselin Foundation, Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Sportmedizin)
• Surgical versus conservative treatment of Weber B1 fracture: functional outcome using gait analysis (Nüesch, Horisberger, Saxer, Byrnes, Bürgin, Iten, Mündermann)
• Clinical outcome and electromyographic activity of the biceps after distal reinsertion using 2 suture anchors in single incision technique (Taha, Müller, Audige, Nüesch, Schneider)