Professor Claudia Mazzà
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Professor of Biomechanics
Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine
c.mazza@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6073
+44 114 222 6073
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Full contact details
Professor Claudia Mazzà
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
Claudia received her PhD in Bioengineering in 2004 from the University of Bologna, after having carried her research at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, where she was appointed Assistant Professor in 2006. In 2013 she joined the Insigneo Institute for in silico medicine and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield, where she became a Reader in 2017 and Professor in 2019.
Claudia's research focuses on the biomechanics of human movement and on the definition of experimental and modelling techniques for the clinical assessment of an individual’s locomotor and postural abilities.
She is currently the scientific coordinator of the £4,8M EPSRC Frontier Award Multisim and she is also leading the predictive medicine theme in the £4M National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR) funded Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre for neurological disorders.
Claudia is also a work Package leader in the MOBILISE-D project funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking, which receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA. This is a €50 million project including 34 international research partners based at leading international universities and some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and technical companies.
After having coordinated the final phase of the £4,8M EPSRC Frontier Award Multisim, Claudia is now PI of its continuation MultiSim2.
She is also leading the predictive medicine theme in the £4M National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR) funded Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre for neurological disorders.
- Research interests
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- Biomechanics
- Gait analysis
- Gait and postural control
- Technologies for human movement analysis
- Musculoskeletal modelling
- Publications
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Journal articles
- An algorithm for accurate marker-based gait event detection in healthy and pathological populations during complex motor tasks. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. View this article in WRRO
- Variations of lower-limb joint kinematics associated with the use of different ankle joint models. Journal of Biomechanics, 136.
- A quality control check to ensure comparability of stereophotogrammetric data between session and systems. Sensors, 21(24).
- Technical validation of real-world monitoring of gait : a multicentric observational study. BMJ Open, 11(12).
- Walking on common ground : a cross-disciplinary scoping review on the clinical utility of digital mobility outcomes. npj Digital Medicine, 4(1).
- A method for gait events detection based on low spatial resolution pressure insoles data. Journal of Biomechanics, 127.
- Algorithms for walking speed estimation using a lower-back-worn inertial sensor: A cross-validation on speed ranges. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Modeling musculoskeletal dynamics during gait: evaluating the best personalization strategy through model anatomical consistency. Applied Sciences, 11(18). View this article in WRRO
- Consensus based framework for digital mobility monitoring. PLoS ONE, 16(8).
- Automatic methods of hoof-on and -off detection in horses using wearable inertial sensors during walk and trot on asphalt, sand and grass. PLoS ONE, 16(7).
- 26 Detecting equine gait events in field conditions. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 100, 103489.
- A multifactorial model of multiple sclerosis gait and its changes across different disability levels. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- MRI-based anatomical characterisation of lower-limb muscles in older women. PLoS ONE, 15(12). View this article in WRRO
- A roadmap to inform development, validation and approval of digital mobility outcomes: the Mobilise-D approach. Digital Biomarkers, 4(1), 13-27.
- An objective methodology for the selection of a device for continuous mobility assessment. Sensors, 20(22). View this article in WRRO
- Toward a regulatory qualification of real-world mobility performance biomarkers in Parkinson’s patients using Digital Mobility Outcomes. Sensors, 20(20).
- Ursodeoxycholic acid as a novel disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease: protocol for a two-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, The 'UP' study. BMJ Open, 10(8), e038911-e038911.
- Walking-related digital mobility outcomes as clinical trial endpoint measures: Protocol for a scoping review. British Medical Journal, 10(7). View this article in WRRO
- Predicting longitudinal changes in joint contact forces in a juvenile population: Scaled generic versus subject-specific musculoskeletal models. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Wearable sensors can reliably quantify gait alterations associated with disability in people with progressive multiple sclerosis in a clinical setting. Journal of Neurology. View this article in WRRO
- Effect of remote ischaemic preconditioning on walking in people with multiple sclerosis: double-blind randomised controlled trial. BMJ Neurology Open, 2(1). View this article in WRRO
- Accelerometry-based digital gait characteristics for classification of Parkinson's disease: What counts?. IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 1, 65-73. View this article in WRRO
- An extended discrete element method for the estimation of contact pressure at the ankle joint during stance phase. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine. View this article in WRRO
- Is a wearable sensor-based characterisation of gait robust enough to overcome differences between measurement protocols? A multi-centric pragmatic study in patients with multiple sclerosis. Sensors, 20(1). View this article in WRRO
- Muscle recruitment strategies can reduce joint loading during level walking. Journal of Biomechanics. View this article in WRRO
- Embodied viewing and Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen: a multi-disciplinary experiment in eye-tracking and motion capture. The Senses and Society, 14(3), 284-296.
- Multi-sensor integration and data fusion for enhancing gait assessment in and out of the laboratory. Gait & Posture, 74, 34-34.
- Linking Joint Impairment and Gait Biomechanics in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Pre‐Operative Prediction of Soft Tissue Balancing in Knee Arthoplasty Part 1: Effect of Surgical Parameters During Level Walking. Journal of Orthopaedic Research®. View this article in WRRO
- The role of movement analysis in diagnosing and monitoring neurodegenerative conditions: Insights from gait and postural control. Brain Sciences, 9(2). View this article in WRRO
- Personalised 3D knee compliance from clinically viable knee laxity measurements: A proof of concept ex vivo experiment. Medical Engineering & Physics, 64, 80-85. View this article in WRRO
- An image-based kinematic model of the tibiotalar and subtalar joints and its application to gait analysis in children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Journal of Biomechanics. View this article in WRRO
- Validation of a model-based inverse kinematics approach based on wearable inertial sensors. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Towards a toolkit for the assessment and monitoring of musculoskeletal ageing.. Age and Ageing, 47(6), 774-777. View this article in WRRO
- Developing a toolkit for the assessment and monitoring of musculoskeletal ageing. Age and Ageing, 47, iv1-iv19. View this article in WRRO
- Upper body accelerations as a biomarker of gait impairment in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Gait & Posture, 71, 289-295. View this article in WRRO
- Efficacy of the Head Up collar in facilitating functional head movements in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Clinical Biomechanics, 57, 114-120. View this article in WRRO
- Investigation of the dependence of joint contact forces on musculotendon parameters using a codified workflow for image-based modelling. Journal of Biomechanics, 73, 108-118. View this article in WRRO
- Free-living and laboratory gait characteristics in patients with multiple sclerosis.. PLoS One, 13(5). View this article in WRRO
- How to choose and interpret similarity indices to quantify the variability in gait joint kinematics. International Biomechanics, 5(1), 1-8. View this article in WRRO
- A systematic review of the gait characteristics associated with Cerebellar Ataxia. Gait and Posture, 60, 154-163. View this article in WRRO
- A comfort assessment of existing cervical orthoses. Ergonomics, 61(2), 329-338. View this article in WRRO
- Moving from laboratory to real life conditions: Influence on the assessment of variability and stability of gait. Gait & Posture. View this article in WRRO
- A New Proxy Measurement Algorithm with Application to the Estimation of Vertical Ground Reaction Forces Using Wearable Sensors. Sensors, 17(10). View this article in WRRO
- SIAMOC position paper on gait analysis in clinical practice: General requirements, methods and appropriateness. Results of an Italian consensus conference. Gait & Posture, 58, 252-260. View this article in WRRO
- A novel kinematic model of the foot-ankle complex for gait analysis. Gait & Posture, 57, 5-6.
- Assessment, through variability and stability indexes, of how environmental conditions influence gait. Gait & Posture, 57, 2-3.
- Measuring upper body motion provides unique information about gait impairment in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. Gait & Posture, 57, 15-16.
- A system model of the effects of exercise on plasma Interleukin-6 dynamics in healthy individuals: Role of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. PLOS ONE, 12(7). View this article in WRRO
- Reliability of an Integrated Ultrasound and Stereophotogrammetric System for Lower Limb Anatomical Characterisation. Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Sensitivity of a juvenile subject-specific musculoskeletal model of the ankle joint to the variability of operator dependent input. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 231(5), 415-422. View this article in WRRO
- Effects of the calibration procedure on the metrological performances of stereophotogrammetric systems for human movement analysis. Measurement, 101, 265-271. View this article in WRRO
- Reliability of Inertial Sensors in the Assessment of Patients with Vestibular Disorders: a Feasibility Study. BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, 17(1). View this article in WRRO
- Quantification of upper body movements during gait in older adults and in those with Parkinson's disease: impact of acceleration realignment methodologies.. Gait & Posture, 52, 265-271. View this article in WRRO
- An Objective Functional Characterisation of Head Movement Impairment in Individuals with Neck Muscle Weakness Due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. PLoS One. View this article in WRRO
- Concurrent repeatability and reproducibility analyses of four marker placement protocols for the foot-ankle complex. Journal of Biomechanics, 49(14), 3168-3176. View this article in WRRO
- Gait event detection in laboratory and real life settings: Accuracy of ankle and waist sensor based methods. Gait & Posture, 50, 42-46. View this article in WRRO
- Relationship between sagittal plane kinematics, foot morphology and vertical forces applied to three regions of the foot. International Biomechanics, 30(1), 50-56. View this article in WRRO
- Assessment of coupled movements in head movements performed by patients with Motor Neurone Disease. Gait & Posture, 49, S22-S22.
- To what extent is joint and muscle mechanics predicted by musculoskeletal models sensitive to soft tissue artefacts?. Journal of Biomechanics. View this article in WRRO
- Free-living monitoring of Parkinson’s disease: lessons from the field. Movement Disorders, 31, 1293-1313. View this article in WRRO
- A Patient-Specific Foot Model for the Estimate of Ankle Joint Forces in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 44(1), 247-257. View this article in WRRO
- Assessment of the Sheffield Support Snood, an innovative cervical orthosis designed for people affected by neck muscle weakness. Clinical Biomechanics, 32, 201-206. View this article in WRRO
- Reliability of gait variability assessment in older individuals during a six-minute walk test. Journal of Biomechanics, 48(15), 4185-4189. View this article in WRRO
- Do environment and type of walking influence gait temporal parameters of straight walking?. Gait & Posture, 42, S26-S27.
- Effects of walking on low-grade inflammation and their implications for Type 2 Diabetes. Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 538-547. View this article in WRRO
- Attenuation of Upper Body Accelerations during Gait: Piloting an Innovative Assessment Tool for Parkinson’s Disease. BioMed Research International, 2105. View this article in WRRO
- Large-Scale Finite Element Analysis of Human Cancellous Bone Tissue Micro Computer Tomography Data: A Convergence Study. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 136(10). View this article in WRRO
- Analysis of gait variability during a 6-min walk test in older adults. Gait & Posture, 39, S14-S14.
- Are gait variability and stability measures influenced by directional changes?. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ONLINE, 13. View this article in WRRO
- Use of weighted Fourier linear combiner filters to estimate lower trunk 3D orientation from gyroscope sensors data. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Real-time estimate of body kinematics during a planar squat task using a single inertial measurement unit.. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 60(7), 1920-1926.
- Integration of human walking gyroscopic data using empirical mode decomposition.. Sensors (Basel), 14(1), 370-381. View this article in WRRO
- Physio-environmental sensing and live modeling.. Interact J Med Res, 2(1), e3.
- The onset of type 2 diabetes: proposal for a multi-scale model.. JMIR Res Protoc, 2(2), e44.
- Estimate of lower trunk angles in pathological gaits using gyroscope data. Gait and Posture.
- An enhanced estimate of initial contact and final contact instants of time using lower trunk inertial sensor data.. Gait Posture, 36(2), 316-318.
- A least-squares identification algorithm for estimating squat exercise mechanics using a single inertial measurement unit.. J Biomech, 45(8), 1472-1477.
- Estimate of lower limb joint mechanics during squat using a waist mounted inertial measurement unit. Gait & Posture, 35, S30-S31.
- Measuring spatio-temporal features of level walking using a single waist mounted inertial sensor. Gait & Posture, 35, S20-S21.
- Trunk orientation estimate during walking using gyroscope sensors. Proceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 367-372.
- An optimized Kalman filter for the estimate of trunk orientation from inertial sensors data during treadmill walking.. Gait Posture, 35(1), 138-142.
- Optimization of the Kalman filter parameters for the estimate of trunk angles from inertial sensors data during walking at different speeds. Gait & Posture, 33, S25-S25.
- Effects of tongue positioning at the retro-incisive spot of the palate on postural balance control in subjects with dysfunctional swallowing. Gait & Posture, 33, S57-S58.
- An optimization algorithm for joint mechanics estimate using inertial measurement unit data during a squat task.. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2011, 3488-3491.
- Does whole-body vibration training have acute residual effects on postural control ability of elderly women?. J Strength Cond Res, 24(12), 3363-3368.
- Functional taping: a promising technique for children with cerebral palsy.. Dev Med Child Neurol, 52(6), 587-589.
- Head stabilization in children of both genders during level walking.. Gait Posture, 31(4), 429-432.
- Control of the upper body movements during level walking in patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy.. Gait Posture, 31(1), 68-72.
- Gender differences in head stabilization during walking in children. Gait & Posture, 30, S34-S35.
- Gender differences in the control of the upper body accelerations during level walking.. Gait Posture, 29(2), 300-303.
- Gender differences in the control of head accelerations during level walking. Gait & Posture, 29, e27-e28.
- Quantitative motor function evaluation: The VAMA project experience. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, 196(1), 187-195.
- Should the instructions issued to the subject in traditional static posturography be standardised?. Med Eng Phys, 30(7), 913-916.
- Functional taping in children with cerebral palsy: A pilot study. Gait & Posture, 28, S4-S5.
- Squatting motor strategies in children with cerebral palsy. Gait & Posture, 28, S9-S10.
- Head stability control during walking in dystrophic patients. Gait & Posture, 28, S7-S8.
- Gender differences in the control of the upper body accelerations during level walking. IFMBE Proceedings, 22, 43-46.
- Control of the upper body accelerations in young and elderly women during level walking.. J Neuroeng Rehabil, 5, 30. View this article in WRRO
- Mobility assessment of patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy.. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 22(10), 1074-1082.
- Extraction of information on elder motor ability from clinical and biomechanical data through data mining.. Comput Methods Programs Biomed, 88(1), 85-94.
- Reliability of the intrinsic and extrinsic patterns of level walking in older women.. Gait Posture, 26(3), 386-392.
- Does the operator instruction alter posturography outcome?. Gait & Posture, 24, S11-S12.
- Mobility assessment of facioscapulohumeral dystrophy patients. Gait & Posture, 24, S14-S15.
- Biomechanic modeling of sit-to-stand to upright posture for mobility assessment of persons with chronic stroke.. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 87(5), 635-641.
- Assessment of level-walking aperiodicity.. J Neuroeng Rehabil, 3, 28. View this article in WRRO
- Sequencing sit-to-stand and upright posture for mobility limitation assessment: determination of the timing of the task phases from force platform data.. Gait Posture, 21(4), 425-431.
- Musculoskeletal system modelling for the evaluation of motor disability. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 6(3-4), 319-324.
- Total body centre of mass displacement estimated using ground reactions during transitory motor tasks: application to step ascent.. Med Eng Phys, 26(9), 791-798.
- Association between subject functional status, seat height, and movement strategy in sit-to-stand performance.. J Am Geriatr Soc, 52(10), 1750-1754.
- An optimization algorithm for human joint angle time-history generation using external force data.. Ann Biomed Eng, 32(5), 764-772.
- Exercise induced muscle damage and recovery assessed by means of linear and non-linear sEMG analysis and ultrasonography.. J Electromyogr Kinesiol, 11(2), 73-83.
- Femoral neck strain prediction during level walking using a combined musculoskeletal and finite element model approach. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0245121-e0245121.
- Step Detection and Activity Recognition Accuracy of Seven Physical Activity Monitors. PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0118723-e0118723. View this article in WRRO
- The uncontrolled manifold theory could explain part of the inter-trial variability of knee contact force during level walking. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 1-1. View this article in WRRO
- A Proposal for a Linear Calculation of Gait Asymmetry. Symmetry, 13(9), 1560-1560.
- Effectiveness of Global Optimisation and Direct Kinematics in Predicting Surgical Outcome in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Life, 11(12), 1306-1306.
Chapters
- Estimate of Lower Trunk Angles Using Gyroscope Data in Pathological Gait, Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation (pp. 747-751). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Conference proceedings papers
- A wearable multi-sensor system for real world gait analysis. 2021 43rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC) (pp 7020-7023). Virtual conference, 1 November 2021 - 5 November 2021.
- Predicting clinical judgement of surgical outcome in cerebral palsy using a gait profile score computed from multibody optimisation kinematics. Gait & Posture, Vol. 90 (pp 90-91)
- Inter-leg distance measurement as a tool for accurate step counting in patients with multiple sclerosis. 2019 41st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) (pp 6413-6417). Berlin, Germany, 23 July 2019 - 27 July 2019. View this article in WRRO
- Assessment of the inter-laboratory repeatability of gait analysis measurements in patients with multiple sclerosis. Gait & Posture, Vol. 74 (pp 2-2)
- Automated gait analysis using wearable sensors can detect objective and reliable quantification of disability in people with Multiple Sclerosis. NEUROLOGY, Vol. 92(15)
- Estimation of Centre of Pressure from Wearable Intertial Sensors. 2018 UKACC 12th International Conference on Control (CONTROL), 5 September 2018 - 7 September 2018.
- A thorough characterisation of gait impairment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Gait & Posture, Vol. 66 (pp S1-S1)
- MRI-based musculoskeletal models for the quantification of gait in children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Gait & Posture, Vol. 65(Suppl 1) (pp 216-218), 24 September 2018 - 29 September 2018. View this article in WRRO
- Body worn sensors accurately and reproducibly quantify disability and walking impairment in a clinical setting in people with MS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS JOURNAL, Vol. 23 (pp 737-738)
- Choosing a similarity index to quantify gait data variability. Gait and Posture View this article in WRRO
- Musculoskeletal model sensitivity to stereophotogrammetry skin artefacts. ANZORS 21st Annual Scientific Meeting View this article in WRRO
- A Mathematical Model of Interleukin-6 Dynamics during Exercise (pp 431-434) View this article in WRRO
- Effect of the calibration procedure of an optoelectronic system on the joint kinematics. 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA) Proceedings, 7 May 2015 - 9 May 2015.
- An experimental method for user-driven design of a modular aid system. INTEGRATION OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE INFORMATION AGE, Vol. 9 (pp 283-290)
- Accuracy of two algorithms for gait events detection in free-living settings. Conference Proceedings at: International Symposium: 3d Analysis Of Human Movement (3dAHM) View this article in WRRO
- A PROBABILISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF SOFT TISSUE ARTEFACTS ON THE ESTIMATE OF MUSCLE AND JOINT FORCES. https://esbiomech.org/conference/index.php/congress/lyon2016/schedConf/presentations View this article in WRRO
- A comparison between four foot model protocols: the effect of walking on a treadmill. XXV Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics. Glasgow, 12 July 2015 - 16 July 2015.
Reports
- In silico Clinical Trials: How Computer Simulations Will Transform the Biomedical Industry. An International Roadmap for an Industry-Driven Initiative.
Software / Code
Datasets
- Data for paper "Is a wearable sensor based characterisation of gait robust enough to overcome differences between measurement protocols? A multi-centric pragmatic study in patients with Multiple Sclerosis".
- Models, data and supplementary material for 'Muscle recruitment strategies can reduce joint loading during level walking'.
- Data for paper "Linking joint impairment and gait biomechanics in patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis".
- Data for "Personalised 3D knee compliance from clinically viable knee laxity measurements: A proof of concept ex vivo experiment".
- Data for paper 'Sensitivity of a juvenile subject -specific musculoskeletal model of the ankle joint to the variability of operator dependent input'.
- Kinematic data for the Concurrent repeatability and reproducibility analysis of four gait models for foot-ankle complex.
- Femoral neck strain prediction during level walking using a combined musculoskeletal and finite element model approach.
- Data for paper "MRI-based anatomical characterisation of lower-limb muscles in older women".
Preprints
- An algorithm for accurate marker-based gait event detection in healthy and pathological populations during complex motor tasks. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10. View this article in WRRO