PhD Student

Course Start: March 2017

Director of Studies: Dr Laura Charalambous
Second Supervisor: Dr Andrew Mitchell
Third Supervisor: Dr Iain Fletcher

Working thesis title

Effects of shoe midsole thickness and hardness on postural stability in older adults

Abstract

Ageing is a major risk factor for falls and fall-related injuries in older adults aged ≥ 65 years (WHO, 2018). Age related deterioration in the central processing system and diminished sensorimotor information, usually leads to balance and stability disorders (Tinetti, Speechley and Ginter, 1988). Although falls aetiology is multifactorial and increases with age, evidence indicates that inappropriate footwear is also a significant fall risk factor (Axer et al., 2010). This project will analyse the effects of wearing footwear of different midsole thickness and hardness on the postural stability in older adults.

Research Questions

• What are the effects of wearing footwear of different midsole thickness and hardness on postural stability in older adults?

Get involved

• Looking for older adults aged 65 to 79 year olds with no balance impeding conditions or history of falls.

About Me

I hold a licentiate in Dance (2008) and MSc (2014) in Dance Science. In the past, I worked several years as a dance teacher and dance consultant for gymnastics. Having experienced the benefits of combining academic knowledge with applied practice led me to engage in the MSc of Dance Science, where I became highly interested in the Biomechanics field. Following MSc completion, I applied to a 6 months internship with the University of Wolverhampton where I investigated the characteristics of impact forces applied at the dancers’ ankle and knee during jumping tasks. After, I started working as a Visiting Lecturer at both undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Bedfordshire. My principal research interests are:

• Footwear biomechanics
• Postural stability
• Landing and take-off mechanics in dancers

Qualifications

• MSc Dance Science: University of Bedfordshire, UK
• Licentiate in Dance: Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon (Portugal)

Oral Conference Presentations

• Soares, D., Smith, T. & Wyon, M. (2015) Biomechanical analysis of three dance jumping tasks. IADMS 25^thAnnual Meeting, Pittsburgh, USA, 8^th – 11^th October, 2015.

Posters

• Soares, D., Charalambous, L., Rodrigues, P. and Mitchell, A. (2018). Effects of Midsole Thickness on Single Leg Drop Landing Ground Reaction Force and Dynamic Stability. ISBS Proceedings Archive, 36(1), p.554.
• Soares, D., Wyon, M., Brayne, L. & Smith, T. (2015). Take-off characteristics of the grand jeté: A case-study. BASES Biomechanics Interest Group 30th Easter Meeting, University of Roehampton, London 8^thApril, 2015.

Contact Information

Email: diana.soares@study.beds.ac.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/diana-soares
Twitter: @the_SoaresDiana