Prof Stephen Preece

School of Health & Society

Photo of Prof Stephen Preece

Contact Details

PO33 Blatchford Building
University of Salford
Statham Street
M6 6PU

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Current positions

Professor Biomechanics & Rehabilitation

Biography

Steve’s research spans three main areas: chronic musculoskeletal pain, respiratory biomechanics and the biomechanics of human running. He has undertaken research exploring the links between postural control and muscle activation during movement. Using this knowledge, he has created a completely new intervention for knee osteoarthritis, ‘Cognitive Muscular Therapy’, which integrates muscle biofeedback and postural retraining with principles from pain science. Steve is currently leading a large NIHR-funded randomised controlled trial that will establish if this new treatment should be offered on the NHS. Using a similar approach, he has created new interventions for chronic low back pain and neck pain that are currently undergoing feasibility testing.

His work in respiratory biomechanics focuses on breathing pattern disorder, a condition characterised by an alteration in the muscular control of breathing. Alongside laboratory work that seeks to quantify breathing control using ultrasound, electromyography and 3D cameras, he has created a new biofeedback system. This system uses an individual avatar to enable patients to visualise and improve breathing control. This technology has been integrated into a new physiotherapy treatment that is currently being tested for patients who have asthma and breathing pattern disorder.

He has published over 50 academic journal papers, attracted £2.5M in research funding and supervised 11 PhD students to completion. Until recently, he was the director for the Centre for Human Movement and Rehabilitation at the University of Salford and is currently the deputy chair for the NW NIHR Research for Patient Benefit funding panel.

Areas of Research

Biomechanics of human movement
Knee osteoarthritis
Low back pain & neck pain
Respiratory biomechanics
Biofeedback for chronic musculoskeletal pain
Running biomechanics and injury

Areas of Supervision

Biomechanics and muscle coordination in knee osteoarthritis
Muscle coordination and low back pain
Muscle coordination in running and relationship to running injury
Respiratory biomechanics & Long-COVID

Teaching Qualifications and Recognitions Publications

Teaching

Master’s level research methods, biomechanics and prosthetics and orthotics.

Qualifications and Recognitions

Qualifications

  • Mathematics

    1995 - 1999

  • BSc (Hons) Physics

    1992 - 1995

Publications

Publications

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