Applied Biomechanics in Rehabilitation and Ergonomics

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomechanics and Sports Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 750

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
2. Center of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
Interests: biomechanics; movement analysis; muscle function; algorithms; sports injuries; signal processing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to advance the translation of biomechanical principles into actionable improvements in patient rehabilitation and workplace ergonomics. By bringing together mechanistic insights, clinical outcomes, and ergonomic interventions, we seek to illuminate how human movement, tissue loading, and musculoskeletal health interact across settings. The Special Issue will foreground rigorously designed studies that bridge laboratory findings and real-world practice, with an emphasis on patient- and worker-centered solutions that enhance function, reduce pain, and prevent injury.

The scope and areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Musculoskeletal modeling and simulation;
  • Motion capture, gait analysis, and balance assessments;
  • Wearable sensors and remote monitoring;
  • Electromyography and neuromuscular control;
  • Tissue loading, joint mechanics, and load optimization;
  • Rehabilitation robotics, assistive devices, exoskeletons, and soft robotics;
  • Optimization of therapy protocols and rehabilitation robotics for personalized care;
  • Injury prevention, performance optimization, and return-to-work strategies;
  • Orthopedic, neurological, spinal, and sports-related conditions.

The Special Issue encourages multidisciplinary approaches combining engineering, biomechanics, rehabilitation science, occupational health, and ergonomics, as well as methodological advances in experimental biomechanics, computational modeling, data analytics, machine learning, and evidence synthesis (systematic reviews and meta-analyses). We invite researchers, clinicians, engineers, therapists, and practitioners to share results that push the boundaries of applied biomechanics toward scalable, impactful improvements in rehabilitation and ergonomics.

Dr. Márcio Goethel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • musculoskeletal
  • biomechanics
  • rehabilitation
  • ergonomics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1258 KB  
Article
Disrupted Corticomuscular Coherence and Force Steadiness During Acute Low Back Pain
by Franciele Parolini, Klaus Becker, Ulysses F. Ervilha, Rubim Santos, João Paulo Vilas-Boas and Márcio Fagundes Goethel
Bioengineering 2025, 12(11), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12111269 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 600
Abstract
Background: Acute low back pain can impair motor control, yet its effects on force steadiness and cortical activity remain unclear. Methods: Thirty-three healthy adults (25 men, 8 women) performed a sustained spinal extension task at 20% of their maximum voluntary contraction under pre- [...] Read more.
Background: Acute low back pain can impair motor control, yet its effects on force steadiness and cortical activity remain unclear. Methods: Thirty-three healthy adults (25 men, 8 women) performed a sustained spinal extension task at 20% of their maximum voluntary contraction under pre- and during-pain conditions induced by a hypertonic saline injection, as well as pre- and post-isotonic injection. Electromyography was recorded from the right and left longissimus muscles, and electroencephalography was collected from motor cortical areas. Spectral power in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands, along with corticomuscular and cortico-cortical coherence, was analyzed. Results: Acute pain reduced force steadiness and altered cortical activity, with increased beta and gamma band power in the prefrontal cortex and decreased alpha power in the motor cortex. Localized changes in corticomuscular coherence were observed in the Cz region (beta and gamma bands) during pain, suggesting nociceptive modulation of corticomuscular coupling. Conclusions: Experimentally induced acute low back pain disrupts motor control by reducing force steadiness and modifying cortical activation patterns, highlighting the interplay between pain and neuromuscular regulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Biomechanics in Rehabilitation and Ergonomics)
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