Patrick McLaughlin

• Victoria University

Background Neck pain is a widespread and persistent musculoskeletal condition, with over half of cases unresolved for years. Nonspecific neck pain poses a particular challenge, often driven by complex physical, psychological, and social factors that lead to ongoing disability. Osteopaths frequently treat musculoskeletal pain using a biopsychosocial...

In this study, we aimed to compare and contrast the intralimb coordinative patterns of habitual forefoot strikers (FFS) and rearfoot strikers (RFS) during steady‐state running across three different shoe types: minimalist, neutral and cushioned shoes. To describe these coordinative patterns, we implemented the concept of the ‘preferred movement pat...

This research investigates the stabilization of leg length and orientation during the landing phase of running, examining the effects of different footwear and foot strike patterns. Analyzing kinematic data from twenty male long-distance runners, both rearfoot and forefoot strikers, we utilized the Uncontrolled Manifold approach to assess stability...

Objective Neck pain is a highly prevalent condition that leads to considerable pain and disability. There is an economic cost to neck pain at both a personal and broader health system level. Neck pain may be classified as ‘non-specific’ neck pain (NSNP) when there is an absence of identifiable underlying disease or abnormal anatomical structure. Os...

Background For many allied health disciplines, pre-professional clinical education takes place in student-led, on-campus clinic environments. In these environments, pre-professional students undertake patient care under the supervision of qualified health professionals. Literature exploring the benefits of the student-led clinical learning environm...

Leg stiffness plays a key role in the storage and release of elastic energy during stance. However, the extent to which a runner is able to reuse stored energy remains a limiting factor in determining their running effectiveness. In this study, ten habitual rearfoot strikers and ten habitual forefoot strikers were asked to run on a treadmill in thr...

Introduction Neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders worldwide. Osteopaths are primary contact health professionals who predominantly manage musculoskeletal complaints. How Australian osteopaths manage neck pain is beginning to emerge in the literature and there may be differences based on clinical experience. This work presen...

Introduction Supervision of clinical learners by appropriately qualified and experienced health professionals is paramount to development of the health workforce. There is extensive literature on the qualities and attributes of effective clinical supervisors however we know little about the clinical practice characteristics of our supervison workfo...

Walker, EJ, Aughey, RJ, McLaughlin, P, and McAinch, AJ. Seasonal change in body composition and physique of team sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Body composition of team sport athletes was measured at 3 points across the preseason and competitive season. This repeated-measures study was conducted in 46 professional Australi...

Foot strike mode and footwear features are known to affect ankle joint kinematics and loading patterns, but how those factors are related to the ankle dynamic properties is less clear. In our study, two distinct samples of experienced long-distance runners: habitual rearfoot strikers (n = 10) and habitual forefoot strikers (n = 10), were analysed w...

Toe flexor strength is a pivotal biomechanical contributor for effecting balance and gait. However, there are limited reports that evaluate measurement accuracy and repeatability of this important attribute. Dynamometers are designed to measure force which can be used to derive joint torque if the perpendicular distance to the joint axis is known....

This study investigated the effect of Vibram footwear, during a five-week training program on change-of-direction speed performance. Junior Australian Rules Footballers (n=20) were stratified into a Vibram shoe (n=9) and control shod group (n=11). Pre-post measurements of change-of-direction speed, extrinsic foot strength (plantar flexion) and intr...

Lymphoedema is a disease associated with abnormal functioning of the lymph that leads to swelling of the body due to accumulation of tissue fluid on the affected area. Tissue fluid contains ions and electrolytes that affect electrical conductivity. The flow of tissue fluid helps to distribute vital nutrients and other important elements necessary f...

Background: The total contact cast (TCC) is an effective intervention to reduce plantar pressure in patients with diabetes and a plantar forefoot ulcer. The walls of the TCC have been indirectly shown to bear approximately 30 % of the plantar load. A new direct method to measure inside the TCC walls with capacitance sensors has shown that the ante...

Recent advances in biomedical sensors, data acquisition techniques, microelectronics and wireless communication systems opened up the use of wearable technology for ehealth monitoring. We introduce a galvanic coupled intrabody communication for monitoring human body hydration. Studies in hydration provide the information necessary for understanding...

The Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) is a reliable (experienced examiners) assessment tool used in clinical practice to classify foot posture. No work has been completed to determine the reliability of the FPI-6 between novice examiners. Therefore, the aim was to determine the inter-examiner reliability of the FPI-6 using two novice examiners (graduate l...

Background Foam rolling is a self-release myofascial technique that can be applied to a variety of tissues. Previous studies have demonstrated physiological changes in range of motion and arterial stiffness with the application of a foam roller; however, no studies have investigated the change in pain levels. The present study investigated the effe...

Background: Gait analysis is a recommended geriatric assessment for falls risk and sarcopenia; however, previous research utilises measurements at a single time point only. It is presently unclear how changes in gait over several years influence risk of recurrent falls in older adults. Methods: We investigated 135 female volunteers (mean age±SD:...

Objective The objective of this study was to explore osteopathy students' perceptions of occupational stress and clinical practice competence, and how these perceptions changed after six months of osteopathic practice. Participants Students who graduated in 2010 from Victoria University's osteopathy program. Method Participants completed one surv...

Background The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) is widely used to assess the educational environment in health professional education programs. A number of authors have identified issues with the psychometric properties of the DREEM. Part 1 of this series of papers presented the quantitative data obtained from the DREEM in the c...

Breast implant displacement or rupture can cause aesthetic problems and serious medical complications. Activities with prone positioning and loading of the anterior chest wall, such as massage, chiropractic or osteopathic therapies may increase the risk of implant failure and can also cause discomfort in women with natural breast tissue. Here we te...

Innovative strategies were used to inform coaching practices regarding the skill of set-shot goal kicking in Australian Football (AF). An action learning approach was adopted including planning, data gathering, analyses and dissemination phases. Three distinct approaches were used to inform AF coaches of evidence and strategies to guide implementat...

Background To determine if electronic pressure algometry is a statistically stable measure of spinal pressure pain threshold (PPT) in asymptomatic individuals, in particular, to determine if repeated measurements at the same site changes the PPT, and to determine if repeatability differs in each of the spinal regions tested. Design Repeated measur...

Background: Breast augmentation, post-mastectomy patients as well as some women with natural breast tissue, and lactating, women often experience discomfort in prone activities. Our study, for the first time, examines pain levels, mechanical force and peak pressure in natural, reconstructed and augmented breast tissues with and without a new ortho...

Abstract This study is a preliminary investigation into the use of cluster analysis to determine if different putting techniques existed in a group of club level golfers. Putting at a hole 4 m away, the performances of 34 experienced golfers (age 55.3 ± 17.8 years and handicap 15.3 ± 6.9, range 3-27) were analysed using putter head kinematic and ce...

Background Total contact casting is regarded as the gold standard treatment for plantar foot ulcers. Load transfer from the plantar surface of the foot to the walls of the total contact cast has previously been assessed indirectly. The aim of this proof of concept study was to determine the feasibility of a new method to directly measure the load b...

Background The methods used for assessment of students in osteopathic teaching institutions are not widely documented in the literature. A number of commentaries around clinical competency assessment have drawn on the health professional assessment literature, particularly in medicine.Objective To ascertain how osteopathic teaching institutions ass...

Background Assessment of fitness-to-practice of health professionals trained overseas and who wish to practice in Australia is undertaken by a range of organisations. These organisations conduct assessments using a range of methods. However there is very little published about how these organisations conduct their assessments. The purpose of the cu...

The biomechanics of the golf swing has been an area of intense research interest in an attempt to improve swing performance and minimize golf related injuries e.g. lower back pain, golfer's elbow and tendon injuries. Measurements of golf swing kinematics have been previously done using optical motion capture systems e.g. Vicon, Optotrak, which requ...

Background The mechanism of offloading plantar pressure with a TCC is by redistributing weight-bearing load across the entire plantar surface of the foot and increasing the plantar surface contact area [1]. An additional mechan-ism is by transfer of load to the cast walls however these studies relied on indirect methods [2-4]. No pre-vious research...

This project measured pre-season balance ability and determined its relationship to knee and ankle ligament injuries during the season for professional Australian footballers. The balance test involved the players stepping onto a foam balance mat on top of a force plate and maintaining single limb balance. Throughout the playing season, injuries we...

Research assessing the direct relationship between static and dynamic balance ability of athletes is sparse. The aim of this project was to determine the relationship between a static balance task on a firm surface with a stepping balance task on an unstable surface. Thirty-seven Australian male professional footballers participated in the study. T...

A history of lower limb ligament injury is a commonly-cited risk factor for another similar injury. During the acute phase of injury, there is a balancing skill deficit in the injured limb. It has been unclear as to whether this deficit persists in the medium-to-long term for previously injured Australian footballers, contributing to the risk of re...

A prospective study was performed in order to examine the relationship of internal hip rotation to groin pain in Australian Rules Football players. 101 subjects were tested using a plurimeter placed on the lateral aspect of the tibia whilst lying prone on a plinth. Subjects were tested twice at an interval of six weeks and episodes of groin pain th...

AbstractPurpose:To investigate the effectiveness of muscle energy technique in increasing passive knee extension and to explore the mechanism behind any observed change.Procedure:40 asymptomatic subjects were randomly allocated to control or experimental groups. Subjects lay supine with their thigh fixed at 90° flexion, and the hamstring muscle str...

Introduction: There is little research available on the effects of peripheral joint manipulation. Only a few studies have examined the effect of manipulation on ankle range of motion, with conflicting results. This study aimed to determine whether a single high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust manipulation to the talo-crural joint altered ankl...

Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is used commonly by osteopaths and other musculoskeletal therapists, however despite its widespread use there is little evidence to support its effectiveness in the treatment of spinal dysfunction. This study examined whether a single application of thoracic MET could significantly increase the range of motion in asymp...

Objectives: To re-investigate the effect of a cervical isometric contract-relax technique on hamstring extensibility and examine the duration of any treatment effect. Methods: Forty asymptomatic participants were randomly assigned equally to either an experimental or control group. Both groups underwent pre and post hamstring extensibility measurem...

To determine whether a single high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust manipulation to the talocrural joint altered ankle range of motion. A randomized, controlled and blinded study. Asymptomatic male and female volunteers (N = 41). Subjects were randomly assigned into either an experimental group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 21). Both ankles of sub...

AbstractBackground:The use of high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) manipulation has been advocated in the treatment of range of motion disorders. However, there remains speculation as to which direction of HVLA manipulative thrust is most effective in the amelioration of range of motion restriction.Objective:To investigate the effect of various direc...

Motion palpation is an assessment tool utilised by the majority of manual medicine practitioners as an aid in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal dysfunction. However, the clinical usefulness of motion palpation is in doubt with the majority of scientific evidence suggesting that it is an unreliable examination tool. Manual therapists are now pos...

Universities have an obligation to identify students at risk of poor academic performance and institute remedial measures before they fail at examination. Without knowing what factors influence academic performance it is difficult to find effective ways of supporting students and improving progression and retention rates. Many factors have the pote...

The aims of the present study were to: develop a portable and reliable fieldbased system for assessment of centre of pressure movement during the putting task; identify different putting techniques used by experienced golfers; identify the relationship between handicap and putting performance; identify the relationship between putting performance a...