Research cluster: Physiotherapy
Our researchers investigate ways to improve the assessment, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal conditions through physiotherapy.
About us
About our research
Our research aims to improve the way people with a range of health conditions are assessed and treated through physiotherapy.
We focus on musculoskeletal, neurological and cardio-respiratory conditions, and the treatments for them. And we assess the clinical and economic impact of these health conditions and interventions.
Our work ranges from standalone projects to international collaborations.
We’ve secured research grants from the National Institute for Health Research and Care Research (NIHR), and also work on studies commissioned by professional bodies, charities and commercial partners.
Our approach adapts to the needs of each piece of research - from using in-depth qualitative investigation to health economic evaluation and machine-learning algorithms.
The cluster is recognised internationally for its excellence in research and knowledge exchange.
Our members sit on national funding programmes and editorial boards of leading journals, act as external reviewers for funding bodies, hold international visiting positions and include three fellows of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Our priorities
Our research priorities are:
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Musculoskeletal dysfunctions
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Knee dysfunction
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Spinal dysfunction and red flags
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Neurological dysfunctions
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Stroke
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Cardio-respiratory dysfunctions
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Chronic cough
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Physiotherapy interventions
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Clinical and economic outcomes
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Movement analysis
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Health economic evaluations and enhancing patient outcomes
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Red Flags in physiotherapy
Watch Prof James Selfe talk about Red Flags, the cluster's pioneering research on identifying serious underlying health conditions.Our featured research
Reducing costs and enhancing patient outcomes
The use of multi-methods research to provide holistic evidence in the pharmaceutical industry.• Prof Francis Fatoye and Dr Gill Yeowell
Publications
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Key publications
- Hughes, T., Riley, R.D., Callaghan, M.J., Sergeant, J.C. (2023) ‘Can prognostic factors for indirect muscle injuries in elite football (soccer) players be identified using data from preseason screening? An exploratory analysis using routinely-collected periodic health examination records.’ BMJ Open;13:e052772
- Jeanguyot, E., Salcinovic, B., Johnson, A., van Dyk, N., Whiteley, R. (2023) Eccentric hamstring strength in young athletes is best documented when normalised to body mass: a cross-sectional study with normative data of 590 athletes from different age categories.’ Biology of Sport, 40(4) pp. 1079-1095
- McClean, G., Wilson, M.G., Riding, N.R., Pieles, G., Watt, V., Adamuz, C., Shaw, A., Harkness, A., Johnson, A., George, K.P., Oxborough, D. (2023) ”A new tool to aid the differential diagnosis of physiological remodelling from cardiac pathology when assessing left ventricle, left atrial and aortic structure and function in male Arab and Black paediatric athletes.’ Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, 10(2) pp. 37-37
- Bruce, J., Mazuquin, B., Mistry, P., Rees, S., Canaway, A., Hossain, A., Williamson, E., Padfield, E.J., Lall, R., Richmond, H., Chowdhury, L., Lait, C., Petrou, S., Booth, K., Lamb, S.E., Vidya, R., Thompson, A.M. (2022) ‘Exercise to prevent shoulder problems after breast cancer surgery : the PROSPER RCT..’ Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 26(15) pp. 1-124
- Hearn, R., Selfe, J., Cordero, M. I. and Dobbin, N. (2022) ‘The effects of active rehabilitation on symptoms associated with tau pathology: an umbrella review. Implications for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy symptom management.’ PLoSOne, 17(7) e0271213
- Lolli, L., Johnson, A., Monaco, M., Di Salvo, V., Atkinson, G., Gregson, W. (2022) ‘The percentage of mature height as a morphometric index of somatic growth: a formal scrutiny of conventional simple ratio scaling assumptions.’ Pediatric Exercise Science, pp. 1-9
- Yeowell, G., Leech, R., Greenhalgh, S., Willis, E., Selfe, J. (2022) ‘Medico-legal litigation of UK physiotherapists in relation to cauda equina syndrome: a multimethods study.’ BMJ Open, 12(7) pp. e060023-e060023
- Barton, C.J., De Oliveira Silva, D., Morton, S., Collins, N.J., Rathleff, M.S., Vicenzino, B., Van Middelkoop, M., Crossley, K.M., Callaghan, M.J., Selfe, J., Holden, S., Lack, S., MacRi, E.M., Bazett-Jones, D.M., Earl-Boehm, J.E., Riel, H., Powers, C.M., Davis, I.S., Morrissey, D. (2021) ‘REPORT-PFP: A consensus from the International Patellofemoral Research Network to improve REPORTing of quantitative PatelloFemoral Pain studies.’ British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55(20) pp. 1135-1143
- Mazuquin, B., Moffatt, M., Gill, P., Selfe, J., Rees, J., Drew, S., Littlewood, C. (2021) ‘Effectiveness of early versus delayed rehabilitation following rotator cuff repair: systematic review and meta-analyses.’ PLoS One, 16(5) pp. e0252137-e0252137
- Rashid, H., Mishra, S. and Dobbin, N. (2021) ’Management of sport-related concussion in emergency departments in England: a multi-centre study.’ Brain Injury, 35(9) pp. 1035-1042
- Sanchez Puccini, M.B., Selfe, J., Callaghan, M.J. (2021) The prevalence of patellofemoral pain in the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) 2021 spectators: A protocol of a cross-sectional study.’ PLoS One, 16(11) pp. e0260541-e0260541
- Greenhalgh, S., Selfe, J., Yeowell, G. (2020) ‘A qualitative study to explore the experiences of First Contact Physiotherapy Practitioners in the NHS and their experiences of their First Contact role.’ Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 50pp. 102267-102267.
- Middlebrook, N., Heneghan, N.R., Evans, D.W., Rushton, A., Falla, D. (2020) ”Reliability of temporal summation, thermal and pressure pain thresholds in a healthy cohort and musculoskeletal trauma population..’ PLoS One, 15(5)
- Middlebrook, N., Rushton, A.B., Abichandani, D., Kuithan, P., Heneghan, N.R., Falla, D. (2020) ‘Measures of central sensitization and their measurement properties in musculoskeletal trauma: A systematic review.’ European Journal of Pain, 25(1) pp. 71-87
- Sánchez, M.B., Loram, I., Darby, J., Holmes, P.S., Butler, P. (2016) A video based method to quantify posture of the head and trunk in sitting.’ Gait and Posture, 51pp. 181-187
Contact
Contact us
You can contact individual members of the team through their staff profiles.
For general enquiries, please contact research group lead Dr Gillian Yeowell.