Research interests
The research aims to enable lifelong active living and healthy ageing through optimising neuro-musculoskeletal health, in line with the Active Living Research Theme
Her programme on Active Living and Healthy Ageing has two main themes:
- Targeted neuromuscular exercise programmes for good quality movement to maintain joint health and protect from injury and osteoarthritis.
- Enabling general physical activity for lifelong health – focussing on adherence strategies for sustained activity, targeting groups with lowest activity levels.
Topics underpinning these themes :
- Mechanisms of neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction and recovery to inform neuromuscular exercise interventions (from elite sport to frail elderly and deconditioned astronauts). Her background in neuromuscular physiology drives the studies of mechanisms that underpin clinical studies to enable interventions to be targeted.
- Technologies to aid research and interventions: developing/novel applications of assessment tools and assistive devices, establishing their validity and reliability, including: rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (see below); movement quality assessment tools (neuromuscular control) ; mechanomyography (MMG; measurement of muscle sounds/vibrations); and Myoton technology to investigate muscle tone and mechanical properties in musculoskeletal disorders, neurological disorders and deconditioning of astronauts in space.
- Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI) in physiotherapy practice and research, as an assessment and biofeedback tool to aid re-education of muscle function. Studies include development of protocols for imaging different skeletal muscles; characterising muscle size and architecture in different healthy and pathological cohorts (e.g. low back pain); using RUSI as an outcome measure in clinical treatment trials and monitoring changes in astronauts in space.
- Prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions, including back, hip, knee, shoulder and hand pain. Prevention of injuries and post-traumatic osteoarthritis is a priority for the Versus Arthritis Centre. (Sports Arthritis Research UK)
The research programme offers student project topics at all levels (PhD, MSc, BSc, internships) that are integral to existing lager projects.
Current PhDs
‘Warm-up exercises for movement quality in female footballers’
Paul Muckelt
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr M Warner
Funded by: Versus Arthritis and University of Southampton
‘Exercise Management for People with Hand Osteoarthritis’
Beatrice Sankah
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes and Prof J Adams
Funded by: Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK
‘Care in Orthopaedics, burdeN of treatmeNt and the Effect of Communication Technology: the CONNECT Project’
Anthony Gilbert
Supervisors: Dr J Jones, Prof C May and Prof M Stokes
Funded by: NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship
‘Hip and Lower Limb Movement Screen: Utilisation in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis to identify the quality of movement control’
Umer Sheikh
Supervisors: Prof Stokes, Dr D Lambrick, Dr C Franks
‘Muscle strength in old and oldest-old people:
assessment, prevalence and indicators of low muscle strength’
Julia Wearing
Maastricht University
Supervisors: Prof Dr Rob de Bie, Prof Dr Eling de Bruin, Prof M Stokes
Physical Demands, Personnel Training and Injury in Military Specialists
Debra Hayhurst
Supervisors: Dr M Warner, Dr J Fallowfield, Prof M Stokes
Completed PhDs
‘Improving Movement Quality of Military Personnel to Protect Hips and Lower Limbs from Injury.’
Conor Power (2020)
Supervisors: Dr M Warner, Dr J Fallowfield, Prof M Stokes
‘The influence of posture and abdominal muscle contraction on the inter-recti distance and shape of the linea alba in parous women’
Samantha Gillard (2019 - University of Teeside)
Supervisors: Prof J Dixon, Prof C Ryan, Prof M Stokes
‘Hip and Lower Limb Movement Screen: validity and reliability of observational assessment in comparison to 3D motion analysis’
David Wilson (2018)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr M Warner and Prof C Cooper
Funded by: Arthritis Research UK
‘Exercise programmes for hip control to improve lower limb movement quality in young footballers: a proof of concept and feasibility trial’
Nadine Booysen (2018)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr M Warner and Prof N Arden
Funded by: NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship
‘Estimates of loading rates on the lower limb joints using a wearable accelerometer during physical activity’
Susan Nazirizadeh (2018)
Supervisors: Dr A Forrester, Prof M Stokes and Prof N Arden
Funded by: Arthritis Research UK
‘Non-invasive indicators of musculoskeletal ageing'
Sandra Agyapong-Badu (2014)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr D Samuel, Dr A Forrester
Funded by: Ghana Education Trust Fund;
and University of Southampton Health Sciences Studentship
‘Motion analysis of movement dysfunction in musculoskeletal disorders'
Martin Warner (2012)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr P Chappell, Prof V Humphrey
Funded by: Vicon (Oxford) Ltd
‘Clinical utility of ultrasound imaging in the management of back pain'
Jackie L Whittaker (2012)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Prof V Humphrey
Funded by: Ion Medical Solutions (USA)
‘The epidemiology and clinical importance of forefoot bursae in patients with rheumatoid arthritis'
Lindsey Hooper (2012)
Supervisors: Dr C Bowen, Dr C Edwards, Prof N Arden, Prof M Stokes
Funded by: National Institute for Health Research, Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship
‘Assessing the performance of knee arthroplasty using clinical testing, motion analysis, electromyography (EMG) and musculoskeletal modelling'
Peter Worsley (2011)
Supervisors Prof M Taylor, Prof D Barrett, Prof M Stokes
Funded by: DePuy Orthopaedics (Johnson & Johnson)
‘Coccydynia in Taiwanese women: a biomechanical and physiological study'
San-Pei Chen (2011)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr P Chappell, Prof R Allen
‘Mechanics of patello-femoral joint dysfunction - usefulness of the Q-angle'
Fleur Kitsell (2011)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr P Jackson, Dr D Samuel
Funded by: Private Physiotherapy Education Foundation (PPEF)
‘Dynamic evaluation of female pelvic floor muscle function using 2D ultrasound and image processing methods'
Ruth Lovegrove Jones (2010)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Prof C Constantinou, Prof V Humphrey
‘The role of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging In the assessment of trapezius muscle dysfunction'
Cliona O'Sullivan (University College Dublin) (2010 - University College Dublin)
Supervisors: Prof M Stokes, Dr U McCarthy-Persson
Research group
Active Living for Health
Research theme
Active living
Research project(s)
Research to measure abnormal movement accurately with a view to improving diagnosis and treatment.
The outcome of the project will determine whether Ultrasound imaging can enhance the assessment of individuals with lower back pain and provides a basis for further investigation of the potential impact of this tool on treatment effectiveness, and hence advance the standard of care for people with these problems.
This project aims to use the latest clinical testing, motion analysis, and musculoskeletal modelling to assess patients’ function in individuals with degenerative joint disease.
This study aims to investigate whether there are altered biomechanics, muscle activation and movement patterns in young footballers with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) that can cause hip and groin pain. More specifically, this study aims to establish appropriate functional tests from existing clinical tests, for examining kinematics and muscle activity, to determine the feasibility of test protocols for a larger study to examine mechanisms underlying movement dysfunction. This work forms the basis for studies to develop and evaluate exercise interventions to manage and prevent FAI.
This study aims to determine if playing golf is associated with good strength and balance in older recreational golfers. This will help determine if golf meets World Health Organization recommendations and can be adopted on referral and social prescribing schemes.
This collaborative project with Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana is examining the robustness of the MyotonPRO device to measure muscle tone, and monitor effects of physiotherapy treatments in stroke and Parkinson’s disease patients in a clinical setting in Africa.
The MOTH programme aims to develop digital tools to support people with long-term conditions to maintain physical activity.
Exercise referral schemes (ERS) provide group-based activity for people with a health condition or at risk of developing a condition. This project uses a protocol developed by the MOTH Programme to evaluate such schemes.
Changes in astronauts' muscles are being monitored during their six-month stay on the International Space Station. Novel technologies are used to measure the tone and size of muscles. Researchers guide astronauts via a live video link to carry out testing.
Football is very popular, with over 265 million players worldwide. Physical activity is important for good health and warming up before activity can prevent injuries so that the activity is performed safely. Use of warm-up programmes is limited and injuries can lead to problems in the long-term, such as osteoarthritis. This study aims to examine how warm-up exercise programmes can prevent injuries and improve performance.
