"I visualize biomechanics as a powerful and indispensable ally of the orthopaedic clinician."

Arthur Steindler - 1933

The University of Iowa Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory (UIOBL) was established in 1969, but related research dates back to pioneering collaborations in the 1930s between Dr. Arthur Steindler and College of Engineering faculty.  Steindler's quote from his presidential address delivered to the American Orthopaedic Association on May 9, 1933 represents a motivating vision for the UIOBL.

UIOBL investigators conduct basic and applied musculoskeletal research for which mechanical analysis and/or measurements are appropriate. Research projects of varying scope are undertaken in the laboratory to address problems of interest to orthopedic faculty members, and they serve to train students, residents, and fellows in the principles of scientific investigation. Well-established collaborations with other UI orthopedic research laboratories, with other departments in the Carver College of Medicine and the College of Engineering, and with other institutions complement UIOBL work. Financial support is from a variety of external sources (federal agencies, foundations and other non-profit organizations, industrial/corporate grants and contracts), supplemented by internal funds.

Rather than a specific disease focus, the common thread of the laboratory's project portfolio is the application of innovative computational formulations, quantitative imaging breakthroughs, and novel experimental approaches to address clinically-oriented research problems across the diverse spectrum of musculoskeletal biomechanics. Current major areas of investigation are joint injuries and post-traumatic osteoarthritis, high-energy limb trauma, articular contact stresses as they relate to joint degeneration, imaging biomarkers of joint health, quantitative histology, joint arthroplasty, carpal tunnel syndrome, compromised bone mechanics in cancer treatment, and surgical skills training and simulation.