Joint Function Analysis Laboratory (LAFAr)

Coordinator: Stela Márcia Mattiello, 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.

Funding: Research projects at LAFAr receive funding from CAPES, FAPESP, and CNPq, as well as support from the PPGFt/UFSCar. We also benefit from the collaboration of researchers from national and international institutions, which ensures the scientific quality of the research conducted in the laboratory.

Instagram: @lafar.ufscar