Joint Function Analysis Laboratory (LAFAr)

Lab coordinators: Stela Márcia Mattiello, Ph.D. and Luiz Fernando A. Selistre, Ph.D.

The LAFAr investigates the biomechanical and biological aspects of rehabilitation in metabolic and chronic diseases of the osteoarticular system, especially the knee, shoulder, and spine. Our research is multidisciplinary, involving physical therapists, physicians, computer scientists, gerontologists, and biologists. We conduct investigative studies and clinical trials to rehabilitate chronic joint diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis, chronic shoulder dysfunction, and chronic spinal pain). Our research addresses a wide range of fields, including knee and shoulder biomechanics, physical therapy, pathophysiology of chronic joint diseases, and inflammatory biomarkers.

Infrastructure: force platforms, electromyography, actigraphs, cameras for capturing human movement, isokinetic dynamometry, and hand-held dynamometry. We use dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to analyze human and animal body composition. We use microscopes, centrifuges, freezers, ovens, immunohistochemistry, and histochemistry to analyze muscle tissue, cartilage, bone, biological fluids (e.g., synovial fluid and urine), and blood plasma.

@lafar.ufscar
@nupem.ufscar