Applied Biomechanics research project in Osteopathy
Beyond the fundamental knowledge provided by the biomechanics, the aim is to enable students to have a critical scientific view on the therapeutic approaches taught. Up to now, few scientific studies have succeeded in clearly identifying what the osteopathic treatment provides in terms of functional biomechanical changes.
The development of collaborations between clinicians and researchers is a crucial medical and scientific challenge. In this sense, in France, since the article N°2014/11, biomechanics can officially be taught in the osteopathic curriculum as a distinct teaching unit.
Osteopaths rely on manual tests which often lie in a simple deductive approach, inspired by the clinical experience. However, the last 20 years of research has struggled to understand how these tests are integrated into clinical reasoning since they seem to be unreliable and not easily reproducible. Rather than using tests that aim to identify mobility restrictions only, the challenge would be to use tests that assess personalized biomechanical function. Exploring new dimensions to the interpretation of traditional clinical and manual tests opens up new perspectives in the field of osteopathic research.
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IO-RB partnership with the University of Rennes 2 in collaboration with the M2S laboratory
The « Applied Biomechanics » research area focuses on the evaluation of osteopathic tests and manual care through tools and methods used in biomechanics. Thanks to the collaboration between the IO-RB and the University of Rennes 2, osteopathy students have access to the resources of the M2S lab to set up research protocols, supervised by Mathieu Ménard, PhD in Biomechanics and Associate Researcher at the M2S lab. These experiments aim, in the long term, to improve the understanding and the management of musculoskeletal disorders.
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Work on the effects of physical activity
The M2S lab adopts a holistic approach to physical activity. It studies the mechanisms and their effects, using tools and methods grounded in physiology and biomechanics. Sport and health are the most natural fields of application. One of the lab's aims is to improve the benefit/risk ratio of physical activity in healthy individuals and in those with pathologies.
Osteopathy students carry out research projects during their course, using their internships, in particular within companies and at Rennes IO's osteopathic clinic, to investigate a number of common topics, such as MSDs for example.
IO Rennes therefore obviously cooperates with the M2S lab, located only 200 meters away on the Ker Lann Campus. "Research is an integral part of our study curriculum. It is one of the key assets helping us gain recognition, as osteopaths, in the medical and scientific world" [Marylène Bourgin].
A high-level facility and equipment, classified Rennes at the world palmares of Universities
The M2S laboratory, headed by Professor Benoît Bideau, is housed in a 2,000 m2 building on the Ker Lann Campus, next to the “Ecole Normale Supérieure” and only 200 meters from IO Rennes. The premises house experimentation and research facilities, making it one of France's leading research centers for the study of sporting activity in relation to health, and of sports performance and ergonomics.
A 900 m2 platform is dedicated to movement capture and analysis. This includes a gymnasium and a virtual reality room used for high definition interaction, leading to a better understanding and improved learning of motor performance through simulation. This research has, in particular, led to improved training and coaching practices, with reduced risk of injury. In the health field, the laboratory has helped to foster a better understanding of the benefits and risks of sporting practice in relation to certain diseases.
In January 2017, the M2S lab's research output earned it a place among the top 200 in the prestigious Shanghai Academic Ranking, in the Sports Science category. This world ranking drawn up by researchers from Jiao-Tong University is based on the international outreach of the university through its publications, its research staff and its students. It highlights the scientific quality of the research conducted by the establishment. This allows students of the Rennes Institute of Osteopathy to conduct the experiments for their final year dissertation in an exceptional scientific environment.
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