Dr. Alison Schinkel-Ivy

Office: A201-G
Email: alisons@nipissingu.ca
Phone: + 1 (705) 474 3450 x 4561

Education:
BHK, University of Windsor;
MHK, University of Windsor;
PhD, York University

Areas of Specialization:

  • ​Biomechanics, with focus on aging/clinical population’s.

Current Research:

Our Canadian population is aging, and identifying ways to better support older adults in maintaining functional mobility, independence, and quality of life is becoming increasingly important. Biomechanical changes in the performance of everyday, functional tasks (such as walking, lifting, and standing up from a chair) that occur as a result of aging have been well-established. However, less attention has been given to the relationships between different types of biomechanical signals, and how these relationships change with age. In my lab, we use an integrated approach incorporating motion capture, force plates, and/or electromyography to investigate relationships between different biomechanical aspects of movement (such as postural stability, joint movement and coordination, and spatiotemporal parameters), and changes in these relationships across adulthood, with a focus on older adulthood. Upcoming work will seek to start linking these relationships to functional outcomes in older adults, such as impaired mobility and falls.

Current projects:

H. Carswell: Age-related changes in relationships between spatiotemporal and kinematic domains during treadmill gait (Master’s thesis).

H. Carswell: Test-retest reliability of self-reported speeds during treadmill walking (Internship project).

E. McArthur: Effects of age on relationships between trunk kinematics and center of mass motion in the frequency domain during gait (Master’s thesis).

G. O’Neill: Investigating associations between postural stability and functional mobility in older adults (Master’s thesis).

Current Funding:

Towards an improved understanding of aging: Quantifying changes in movement during healthy aging using an integrated biomechanical approach (2020 – 2025). Discovery Grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Select Recent Publications:

O’Neill G, Campbell M, Matson T, Schinkel-Ivy A. Age-related changes in features of dynamic postural stability during quiet standing, gait, and obstacle crossing. Hum Mov Sci 2024;95:103197. 103197. URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167945724000204

Macie A, Matson T, Schinkel-Ivy A. Age affects the relationships between kinematics and postural stability during gait. Gait Posture 2023;102:86-92. URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966636223000619.

Matson T, Schinkel-Ivy A. How does balance during functional tasks change across older adulthood? Gait Posture 2020;75:34-39. URL:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966636219303030.

Publications:

Please access an up-to-date list of Dr. Schinkel-Ivy’s publications by clicking below:

Google Scholar Citations:
Google Scholar Citations

ResearchGate: