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Laura Stanley Pietrosimone

Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Therapy
311 Trent Dr, Box 104002, Durham, NC 27710
311 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications


Adult Physical Function Has Roots in Early Childhood Brain Function: A Five-Decade Cohort Study.

Journal Article J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · September 1, 2024 OBJECTIVES: Tests of physical function are often thought to measure functioning that is (1) musculoskeletal, and (2) newly declining in adult life. In contrast, this study aimed to: (1) add to evidence that physical-function tests also measure brain functi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rotational 3D shear wave elasticity imaging: Effect of knee flexion on 3D shear wave propagation in in vivo vastus lateralis.

Journal Article J Mech Behav Biomed Mater · February 2024 Skeletal muscle is a complex tissue, exhibiting not only direction-dependent material properties (commonly modeled as a transversely isotropic material), but also changes in observed material properties due to factors such as contraction and passive stretc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do Climate and Environmental Characteristics Influence Concussion Incidence in Outdoor Contact Sports? A Systematic Review.

Journal Article J Athl Train · November 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the implications of environmental and climate factors on sport-related concussion incidence in outdoor contact sports. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Elsevier), CINAHL Complete (via EBSCO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Repeatability of Rotational 3-D Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging Measurements in Skeletal Muscle.

Journal Article Ultrasound Med Biol · March 2023 Shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) usually assumes an isotropic material; however, skeletal muscle is typically modeled as a transversely isotropic material with independent shear wave speeds in the directions along and across the muscle fibers. To captu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Parametric Analysis of SV Mode Shear Waves in Transversely Isotropic Materials Using Ultrasonic Rotational 3-D SWEI.

Journal Article IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control · November 2022 Ultrasonic rotational 3-D shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) has been used to induce and evaluate multiple shear wave modes, including both the shear horizontal (SH) and shear vertical (SV) modes in in vivo muscle. Observations of both the SH and SV mode ... Full text Link to item Cite

Differences in Biomechanical Loading Magnitude During a Landing Task in Male Athletes With and Those Without Patellar Tendinopathy

Journal Article Journal of Athletic Training · November 1, 2022 Context: Researchers have not established if overloading or underloading movement profiles are present in symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes with patellar tendon structural abnormality (PTA) compared with healthy athletes. Objective: To compare involved ... Full text Cite

An Open-Source Radon-Transform Shear Wave Speed Estimator with Masking Functionality to Isolate Different Shear-Wave Modes

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2022 The Radon Transform (RT) approach is a common method used to estimate shear wave trajectory and speed in ultrasound shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI). The RT calculates the sum of 2D spatiotemporal data amplitude under each potential linear trajectory t ... Full text Cite

On the correlation between knee flexion and 3D shear wave speed and amplitude in in vivo vastus lateralis

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2022 We are investigating the potential for shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) derived material parameters to serve as biomarkers for skeletal muscle health. We consider muscle as a transversely isotropic (TI) material and use rotational 3D-SWEI acquisitions ... Full text Cite

Changes in Infrapatellar Fat Pad Volume 6 to 12 Months After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Associations With Patient-Reported Knee Function.

Journal Article J Athl Train · November 1, 2021 CONTEXT: Hypertrophy of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) in idiopathic knee osteoarthritis has been linked to deleterious synovial changes and joint pain related to mechanical tissue impingement. Yet little is known regarding the IFP's volumetric changes af ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identifying achilles tendon structure differences by ultrasound tissue characterization in asymptomatic individuals.

Journal Article Scand J Med Sci Sports · October 2021 Ultrasound Tissue Characterization (UTC) is a modality that can be utilized to characterize tendon tissue structure using ultrasonographic imaging paired with a computer algorithm to distinguish echo-types. Several studies have demonstrated UTCs ability to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Establishing Age- and Sex-Specific Norms for Pediatric Return-to-Sports Physical Performance Testing.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · August 2021 BACKGROUND: Graft tears and contralateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common in pediatric athletes after ACL reconstruction. Use of objective return-to-sports (RTS) criteria, in particular physical performance tests (PPTs), is believed to re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of Jump-Landing Biomechanics With Tibiofemoral Articular Cartilage Composition 12 Months After ACL Reconstruction.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · July 2021 BACKGROUND: Excessively high joint loading during dynamic movements may negatively influence articular cartilage health and contribute to the development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Little is know ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Healthy Pediatric Athletes Have Significant Baseline Limb Asymmetries on Common Return-to-Sport Physical Performance Tests.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · January 2021 BACKGROUND: Return to sport (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in children is associated with a much higher risk (∼30%) of subsequent ACL injury than in adults. Most RTS testing protocols use a limb symmetry index (LSI) ≥90% on phy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Group Shear Wave Speed Viscoelastic Analysis using 3D Rotational Volumetric Shear Wave Imaging in Relaxed and Contracted in vivo Muscle

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2021 To characterize muscle tissue as a viscoelastic transversely isotropic material, we use rotational volumetric shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) and group speed viscoelastic analysis. We performed these measurements in vivo in the vastus lateralis of two ... Full text Cite

Factors Affecting in vivo SH and SV Mode Wave Propagation in vastus lateralis Muscle at Varying Knee Flexion Angles Using Ultrasonic Rotational 3D SWEI

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2021 We previously have demonstrated the use of ultrasonic rotational 3D SWEI to measure all three mechanical properties necessary to fully characterize the vastus lateralis muscle in vivo as an incompressible transversely isotropic material: transverse shear m ... Full text Cite

Development of Concise Physical Performance Test Batteries in Young Athletes.

Journal Article Med Sci Sports Exerc · December 2020 PURPOSE: This study aimed 1) to define the principal components of physical function assessed by 10 common lower extremity physical performance tests and 2) to derive a reduced-item set of physical performance tests that efficiently and accurately measures ... Full text Link to item Cite

Landing biomechanics are not immediately altered by a single-dose patellar tendon isometric exercise protocol in male athletes with patellar tendinopathy: A single-blinded randomized cross-over trial.

Journal Article Phys Ther Sport · November 2020 OBJECTIVES: To a) determine the acute effects of a single-dose patellar tendon isometric exercise protocol on involved limb landing biomechanics in individuals with patellar tendinopathy and asymptomatic patellar tendon pathology, and b) determine if indiv ... Full text Link to item Cite

Landing Biomechanics, But Not Physical Activity, Differ in Young Male Athletes With and Without Patellar Tendinopathy.

Journal Article J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · March 2020 OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in biomechanical and physical activity load in young male athletes with and without patellar tendinopathy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study. METHODS: Forty-one young male athletes (15-28 years of age) were categorized ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hop Testing Lacks Strong Association With Key Outcome Variables After Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Journal Article Am J Sports Med · February 2020 BACKGROUND: Single-legged hop tests are commonly used assessments in return to sport (RTS) testing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Although these tests are commonly used, their predictive validity has not yet been established. PURPO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adult Physical Function Has Roots in Early Childhood Brain Function: A Five-Decade Cohort Study.

Journal Article J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · September 1, 2024 OBJECTIVES: Tests of physical function are often thought to measure functioning that is (1) musculoskeletal, and (2) newly declining in adult life. In contrast, this study aimed to: (1) add to evidence that physical-function tests also measure brain functi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rotational 3D shear wave elasticity imaging: Effect of knee flexion on 3D shear wave propagation in in vivo vastus lateralis.

Journal Article J Mech Behav Biomed Mater · February 2024 Skeletal muscle is a complex tissue, exhibiting not only direction-dependent material properties (commonly modeled as a transversely isotropic material), but also changes in observed material properties due to factors such as contraction and passive stretc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do Climate and Environmental Characteristics Influence Concussion Incidence in Outdoor Contact Sports? A Systematic Review.

Journal Article J Athl Train · November 1, 2023 OBJECTIVE: To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the implications of environmental and climate factors on sport-related concussion incidence in outdoor contact sports. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Elsevier), CINAHL Complete (via EBSCO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Repeatability of Rotational 3-D Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging Measurements in Skeletal Muscle.

Journal Article Ultrasound Med Biol · March 2023 Shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) usually assumes an isotropic material; however, skeletal muscle is typically modeled as a transversely isotropic material with independent shear wave speeds in the directions along and across the muscle fibers. To captu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Parametric Analysis of SV Mode Shear Waves in Transversely Isotropic Materials Using Ultrasonic Rotational 3-D SWEI.

Journal Article IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control · November 2022 Ultrasonic rotational 3-D shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) has been used to induce and evaluate multiple shear wave modes, including both the shear horizontal (SH) and shear vertical (SV) modes in in vivo muscle. Observations of both the SH and SV mode ... Full text Link to item Cite

Differences in Biomechanical Loading Magnitude During a Landing Task in Male Athletes With and Those Without Patellar Tendinopathy

Journal Article Journal of Athletic Training · November 1, 2022 Context: Researchers have not established if overloading or underloading movement profiles are present in symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes with patellar tendon structural abnormality (PTA) compared with healthy athletes. Objective: To compare involved ... Full text Cite

An Open-Source Radon-Transform Shear Wave Speed Estimator with Masking Functionality to Isolate Different Shear-Wave Modes

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2022 The Radon Transform (RT) approach is a common method used to estimate shear wave trajectory and speed in ultrasound shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI). The RT calculates the sum of 2D spatiotemporal data amplitude under each potential linear trajectory t ... Full text Cite

On the correlation between knee flexion and 3D shear wave speed and amplitude in in vivo vastus lateralis

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2022 We are investigating the potential for shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) derived material parameters to serve as biomarkers for skeletal muscle health. We consider muscle as a transversely isotropic (TI) material and use rotational 3D-SWEI acquisitions ... Full text Cite

Changes in Infrapatellar Fat Pad Volume 6 to 12 Months After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Associations With Patient-Reported Knee Function.

Journal Article J Athl Train · November 1, 2021 CONTEXT: Hypertrophy of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) in idiopathic knee osteoarthritis has been linked to deleterious synovial changes and joint pain related to mechanical tissue impingement. Yet little is known regarding the IFP's volumetric changes af ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identifying achilles tendon structure differences by ultrasound tissue characterization in asymptomatic individuals.

Journal Article Scand J Med Sci Sports · October 2021 Ultrasound Tissue Characterization (UTC) is a modality that can be utilized to characterize tendon tissue structure using ultrasonographic imaging paired with a computer algorithm to distinguish echo-types. Several studies have demonstrated UTCs ability to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Establishing Age- and Sex-Specific Norms for Pediatric Return-to-Sports Physical Performance Testing.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · August 2021 BACKGROUND: Graft tears and contralateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common in pediatric athletes after ACL reconstruction. Use of objective return-to-sports (RTS) criteria, in particular physical performance tests (PPTs), is believed to re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of Jump-Landing Biomechanics With Tibiofemoral Articular Cartilage Composition 12 Months After ACL Reconstruction.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · July 2021 BACKGROUND: Excessively high joint loading during dynamic movements may negatively influence articular cartilage health and contribute to the development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Little is know ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Healthy Pediatric Athletes Have Significant Baseline Limb Asymmetries on Common Return-to-Sport Physical Performance Tests.

Journal Article Orthop J Sports Med · January 2021 BACKGROUND: Return to sport (RTS) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in children is associated with a much higher risk (∼30%) of subsequent ACL injury than in adults. Most RTS testing protocols use a limb symmetry index (LSI) ≥90% on phy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Group Shear Wave Speed Viscoelastic Analysis using 3D Rotational Volumetric Shear Wave Imaging in Relaxed and Contracted in vivo Muscle

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2021 To characterize muscle tissue as a viscoelastic transversely isotropic material, we use rotational volumetric shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) and group speed viscoelastic analysis. We performed these measurements in vivo in the vastus lateralis of two ... Full text Cite

Factors Affecting in vivo SH and SV Mode Wave Propagation in vastus lateralis Muscle at Varying Knee Flexion Angles Using Ultrasonic Rotational 3D SWEI

Conference IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS · January 1, 2021 We previously have demonstrated the use of ultrasonic rotational 3D SWEI to measure all three mechanical properties necessary to fully characterize the vastus lateralis muscle in vivo as an incompressible transversely isotropic material: transverse shear m ... Full text Cite

Development of Concise Physical Performance Test Batteries in Young Athletes.

Journal Article Med Sci Sports Exerc · December 2020 PURPOSE: This study aimed 1) to define the principal components of physical function assessed by 10 common lower extremity physical performance tests and 2) to derive a reduced-item set of physical performance tests that efficiently and accurately measures ... Full text Link to item Cite

Landing biomechanics are not immediately altered by a single-dose patellar tendon isometric exercise protocol in male athletes with patellar tendinopathy: A single-blinded randomized cross-over trial.

Journal Article Phys Ther Sport · November 2020 OBJECTIVES: To a) determine the acute effects of a single-dose patellar tendon isometric exercise protocol on involved limb landing biomechanics in individuals with patellar tendinopathy and asymptomatic patellar tendon pathology, and b) determine if indiv ... Full text Link to item Cite

Landing Biomechanics, But Not Physical Activity, Differ in Young Male Athletes With and Without Patellar Tendinopathy.

Journal Article J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · March 2020 OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in biomechanical and physical activity load in young male athletes with and without patellar tendinopathy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study. METHODS: Forty-one young male athletes (15-28 years of age) were categorized ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hop Testing Lacks Strong Association With Key Outcome Variables After Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Journal Article Am J Sports Med · February 2020 BACKGROUND: Single-legged hop tests are commonly used assessments in return to sport (RTS) testing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Although these tests are commonly used, their predictive validity has not yet been established. PURPO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Gait Mechanics and T1ρ MRI of Tibiofemoral Cartilage 6 Months after ACL Reconstruction.

Journal Article Med Sci Sports Exerc · April 2019 PURPOSE: Aberrant walking biomechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are hypothesized to be associated with deleterious changes in knee cartilage. T1ρ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sensitive to decreased proteoglycan density ... Full text Link to item Cite

Body Mass Index and Type 2 Collagen Turnover in Individuals After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Journal Article J Athl Train · March 2019 CONTEXT: Individuals with an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are at an increased risk of developing posttraumatic osteoarthritis. How osteoarthritis risk factors, such as increased body mass index (BMI), may influence early changes in join ... Full text Link to item Cite

Preliminary Investigation on the Effect of Cognition on Jump-Landing Performance Using a Clinically Relevant Setup

Journal Article Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science · January 2, 2019 Objective: Little is known about cognition’s effect on jump-landing movement patterns. Design: Participants completed three baseline cognitive tasks. Then, participants performed three jump-landing trials per condition (dual-task trials (DT)): Stroop Color ... Full text Cite

Ankle Dorsiflexion displacement is associated with hip and knee kinematics in females following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Journal Article Res Sports Med · 2019 The purpose of this study was to examine associations between ankle dorsiflexion (ankle-DF) displacement and knee and hip kinematics and kinetics during a jump-landing task in females following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Females (n = ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between double-leg squat and single-leg squat performance and injury incidence among incoming NCAA Division I athletes: A prospective cohort study.

Journal Article Phys Ther Sport · November 2018 OBJECTIVES: Determine the association between performance on the double-leg squat (DLS) and single-leg squat (SLS) and prospective injury incidence in athletes. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Walking gait asymmetries 6 months following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction predict 12-month patient-reported outcomes.

Journal Article J Orthop Res · November 2018 The study sought to determine the association between gait biomechanics (vertical ground reaction force [vGRF], vGRF loading rate [vGRF-LR]) collected 6 months following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with patient-reported outcomes at 12 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations Between Slower Walking Speed and T1ρ Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Femoral Cartilage Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Journal Article Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) · August 2018 OBJECTIVE: To determine whether walking speed, collected at 6 and 12 months following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), is associated with inter-extremity differences in proteoglycan density, measured via T1ρ magnetic resonance imaging, in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Peak knee biomechanics and limb symmetry following unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Associations of walking gait and jump-landing outcomes.

Journal Article Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) · March 2018 BACKGROUND: Aberrant walking-gait and jump-landing biomechanics may influence the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis and increase the risk of a second anterior cruciate ligament injury, respectively. It remains unknown if individuals who demonstr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quadriceps Neuromuscular Function and Jump-Landing Sagittal-Plane Knee Biomechanics After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Journal Article J Athl Train · February 2018 CONTEXT:   Aberrant biomechanics may affect force attenuation at the knee during dynamic activities, potentially increasing the risk of sustaining a knee injury or hastening the development of osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction ... Full text Link to item Cite

Achilles tendon adaptation in cross-country runners across a competitive season.

Journal Article Scand J Med Sci Sports · January 2018 Ultrasound tissue characterization (UTC) is an imaging tool used to quantify tendon structural integrity. UTC has quantified Achilles tendon (AT) acute response to load in athletes; however, AT response to cumulative load over a season is unknown. The purp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Automated Quantification of the Landing Error Scoring System With a Markerless Motion-Capture System.

Journal Article J Athl Train · November 2017 CONTEXT:   The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) can be used to identify individuals with an elevated risk of lower extremity injury. The limitation of the LESS is that raters identify movement errors from video replay, which is time-consuming and, there ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biochemical markers of cartilage metabolism are associated with walking biomechanics 6-months following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Journal Article J Orthop Res · October 2017 The purpose of our study was to determine the association between biomechanical outcomes of walking gait (peak vertical ground reaction force [vGRF], vGRF loading rate [vGRF-LR], and knee adduction moment [KAM]) 6 months following anterior cruciate ligamen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Benign Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor in a Distance Runner.

Journal Article J Orthop Sports Phys Ther · February 2017 A 31-year-old female runner presented to physical therapy via direct access with an 8-month history of atraumatic left lateral calf pain. Following 1 month of physical therapy, the patient was referred to an orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Ultrasoun ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sagittal plane kinematics predict kinetics during walking gait in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Journal Article Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) · November 2016 BACKGROUND: Alterations in mechanical loading following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may lead to the development of knee osteoarthritis. Feedback that cues a change in knee kinematics during walking gait may influence mechanical loading, yet i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex Differences in the Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Medial Collateral Ligament, and Meniscal Injuries in Collegiate and High School Sports: 2009-2010 Through 2013-2014.

Journal Article Am J Sports Med · June 2016 BACKGROUND: Previous research has noted sex-based differences in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates in young athletes, while little is known about medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscal injury rates in this population. The objective of th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Collegiate Cross Country Athlete Lower Extremity Stress Fracture Risk Factors

Conference Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · May 2016 Full text Cite