Ann Barr, PT, PhD, Associate Professor of physical therapy at Temple University, Philadelphia, and a 1998 and 1999 NIFTI recipient, recently appeared in a Healthfinders' article about a series of studies she and her colleagues published on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD).

Ann Barr, PT, PhD, Associate Professor of physical therapy at Temple University, Philadelphia, and a 1998 and 1999 NIFTI recipient, recently appeared in a Healthfinders' article about a series of studies she and her colleagues published on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). By analyzing behaviors in rats, such as decreased movement performance and task avoidance, Barr and her colleagues showed how tissue damage can cause symptoms of WMSD. Their studies have shown a direct relationship between repetitive, low-force movement and the inflammation of muscles, bone, nerves, and connective tissue typical of WMSD. This study was highlighted in an earlier edition of PT Bulletin and also appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (Barr AE, Safadi FF, Gorzelany I, et al. Repetitive, negligible force reaching in rats induces pathological overloading of upper extremity bones. J Bone Mineral Res 2003;18:2023-2032).