School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science Research - University of Portsmouth

Our research spans the broader area

of sport, health and exercise.

We have three research themes.

The first is Extreme Environments

focuses on the selection,

preparation and protection of

those who enter extreme

environments.

The second is physical activity,

health and rehabilitation.

So we focus on clinical and also

non-clinical conditions

and also how physical activity can

help improve the lives of people.

Our third and final theme,

Individual, occupational and

organisational performance

looks to see how we can improve

the performance of individuals,

organisations and teams.

The facilities that I use at the

university is our biomechanics

lab. The types of equipment that we

use is a 3D-camera system.

Which allows us to put

markers on an individual and track

their movement in 3D so we can

really look at their movement in

detail.

We also use force platforms to have

a look at the ground reaction forces

and also EMG as well, which is

Electromyography, which allows

us to look at muscle activity

and we can track that through

different rehabilitation processes.

So the outcomes that I've seen from

my research has been improvements

in walking speed, for example, which

we know is one of the high outcomes

of quality of life for individuals

who live with stroke.

In sort of the preliminary

research that we've had a look at,

it's looking positive in terms

of using different robotic

rehabilitations to improve

functional outcomes of individuals

with stroke.

I'm based with the Extreme

Environments Group and they've

built a reputation over many

years of looking at the

physiological responses to

all of our different extreme

environments. So our heat, our cold

and our hypoxia, we can effectively

recreate any environment that

you would come across on Earth.

So we've got a heat chamber that can

go up to around about 50 degrees.

We've got a cold chamber that can go

down to about -20.

And then we also have another

environmental chamber that contains

a flume. And then, all three of

those chambers can create

a hypoxic environment or simulate

altitude so we can go anywhere

from sea level to around about

8000 metres.

So, we could effectively put someone

in a rainforest, in a desert,

up the top of Mount Everest.

The facilities and expertise that

we have in Portsmouth are

among the best in the world.

With the heating, we can increase

the temperature in the flume and use

the mechanism to move people

into the flume and control how hot

they get by adjusting their

position. We have a plunge pool as

well in one of the other

environmental chambers, and then

also we can simply just

use normal hot tubs.

In terms of career opportunities,

the great thing about the extreme

environments work in particular is

that often exposure to these extreme

environments often mimics clinical

conditions. So as well as continuing

to be able to offer guidance and

work in the areas specific to

extreme environments, it also opens

up a really nice avenue for you to

then go in to work in hospitals,

in more clinical populations.

I'm really proud of the research

that I do. There's been some

particular individuals who

wouldn't leave their house at all,

even if a member of their family

went with them.

And now, at the end of their

intervention, are happy to walk to

the corner shop, even on their own

and that has a massive impact on

their quality of life, and that's

really amazing.

Some of the research that's come out

of this school has heavily informed

the 'RNLI: Respect the Water

Campaign' over the last couple of

years, and that's something that

makes me passionate to continue

working at the University of

Portsmouth.