The goal of rehabilitation for individuals with neuromuscular dysfunction is to improve the patient’s gait and, in so doing, reduce the risk of falling, increase mobility and reestablish independence.
Kristin Morgan, an Assistant Professor of Biomechanical Engineering at UConn, is investigating how to optimize rehabilitation strategies for such conditions by inducing positive motor learning through asymmetric walking protocols, a technique that intentionally introduces gait differences in opposing limbs using a specialized two-belt or instrumented treadmill.