Maria Stokes

Professor Maria Stokes OBE PhD FCSP  Professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, UK Head of Active Living Research Group http://www.soton.ac.uk/healthsciences/about/staff/mjs2.pagehttp://www.blog.soton.ac.uk/mskresearchRESEARCH INTERESTSWith a background in physiotherapy and PhD in Neuromuscular Physiology, my core research interest is: Optimising musculoskeletal health to enable active living and healthy ageing.  Themes:1) Understanding mechanisms of musculoskeletal function (across the activity spectrum from elite sports to inactivity and deconditioning), and movement dysfunction and recovery (involving biomechanics of movement and physiology of neuromuscular control)2) Prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions involving  movement dysfunction through tailored exercise programmes, targeting movement impairments to retrain movement control.  3) Enabling active living and maintain physical independence for as long as possible in later life, with a specific interest in exercising safely to prevent  osteoarthritis in elite sport and recreational activities in the general population. 4) Development and application of health technologies to aid research, clinical assessment of effectiveness of rehabilitation, with a particular interest in rehabilitative ultrasound imaging of muscle (RUSI) for evaluation and biofeedback of muscle function, and Myoton technology for assessing muscle tone and mechanical properties. National and International Collaboration:A key feature of my research is multidisciplinary collaboration with experts in engineering sciences, physiology, sports science and various specialties in allied health (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry) and medicine (rheumatology, epidemiology, sports medicine,  orthopaedic surgery, primary care medicine).Much of my work involves collaboration within the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis (involving seven UK universities: Nottingham, Oxford, Southampton, Bath, Loughborough, Leeds and University College London). Within the Centre, I lead the Work Package on ‘Mechanisms of Movement Dysfunction and Interventions’, which aims to better understand why movement patterns become abnormal and to develop exercise programmes to retrain control of movement to correct these patterns and help keep joints healthy. www.sportsarthritisresearchuk.org/seoa/index.aspxhttp://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/research/our-centres-of-excellence/aruk-centre-for-sport-exercise-and-osteoarthritis.aspx International collaborations include Australia, Canada, Estonia, USA, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Commercial collaborators include technology companies and professional sports clubs, with a close partnership with Southampton Football Club. Research Approaches:Experimental methodological and physiological studies that underpin more clinically applied research. Evaluating health technologies and treatments in clinical trials. Conditions include back, hip, knee, shoulder and hand joint dysfunction, and muscle weakness and fatigue, due to joint disease, sports injury, deconditioning and neuromuscular disease.Publications: over 300142 Original scientific papers, reviews and book chapters
Phone: +44 (0)2380 596868
Address: Faculty of Health Sciences, Building 45
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom