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Biomechanical Analysis of Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Wheelchair Athletes: An AI-Enabled Technology-Driven Approach

Award Number: F32HD123627
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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Biomechanical Analysis of Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Wheelchair Athletes: An AI-Enabled Technology-Driven Approach - Project Summary/Abstract Shoulder pain is common among wheelchair tennis athletes and poses a major barrier to sustained participation, reducing the physical and social benefits of sport. The tennis serve is a primary contributor to repetitive shoulder injury, yet the biomechanical mechanisms underlying serve-related pain remain poorly understood. This gap is driven largely by measurement challenges, as traditional laboratory-based motion capture is poorly suited to wheelchair sport during actual competition: wheelchair frames cause marker occlusion, capture volumes cannot span the full court, and setup requirements often conflict with tournament schedules. Emerging technologies such as inertial measurement units and markerless motion capture offer promising solutions for collecting biomechanical data during practice and competition, yet these systems have not been validated or comparatively evaluated for wheelchair sports, limiting understanding of serve mechanics in ecologically valid conditions and hindering evidence-based injury prevention strategies. This F32 fellowship will validate and compare Equilibrium inertial measurement units and VAMA markerless video for assessing trunk-arm coordination and kinematic tracking during wheelchair tennis serves. It will use a systematic progression from controlled laboratory validation to pilot testing in practice and proof-of-concept during competitive match play to establish accurate, feasible methods for field-based biomechanical assessment. Stakeholder feedback from athletes, coaches, and practitioners will be integrated throughout to ensure athlete-centered, feasible protocols that meaningfully enhance shoulder health and performance. The specific aims are: (1) validate both technologies against a marker-based motion capture gold standard; (2) compare their performance during outdoor practice, establishing efficient workflows and guiding technology selection; and (3) demonstrate feasibility of deployment during competitive match play and establish proof-of- concept that kinematic indicators of movement quality detect meaningful differences related to fatigue, classification level, and shoulder health to inform targeted training programming. In parallel, this fellowship will provide comprehensive training for Dr. Houde in qualitative methods, robust and individualized data analysis, and communication strategies that translate complex biomechanical findings into actionable guidance for athletes and coaches, reinforcing the proposal’s ability to generate and implement training strategies to prevent injury. This work will deliver validated measurement tools and standardized protocols for wheelchair tennis serve biomechanics, filling a meaningful gap in wheelchair tennis and creating a framework transferable to other adaptive sports involving overhead movements, positioning Dr. Houde for an independent career at the intersection of adaptive sport biomechanics, injury prevention and supporting sustained sport participation.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $76,300 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON	301 UNIVERSITY BLVD	GALVESTON	TX	77555	GALVESTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	1	8/12/2026	NEW	$0
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON	301 UNIVERSITY BLVD	GALVESTON	TX	77555	GALVESTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	8/12/2026	NEW	$76,300
														Subtotal = $76,300

Grand Total All Awards = $76,300

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Biomechanical Analysis of Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Wheelchair Athletes: An AI-Enabled Technology-Driven Approach

Award Number: F32HD123627

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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