Dr María B. Sánchez Puccini

My profile

Biography

I am a Research Associate in the Health Professions Department. I am a qualified physiotherapist, committed and passionate about research that combines clinical physiotherapy and objective movement analysis. I have valuable experience, both clinical and research, in the treatment of patients (adult and children) and biomechanical analysis respectively.

I have experience working within a multidisciplinary team (health science, computer science, and clinical), and therefore have demonstrated strong clinical and scientific communication skills. I have published high-level journal articles as well as presented original research at scientific conferences both within and outside the UK.

I remain committed to science and determined to continue contributing to the field for the benefit of patients.

What I do

Interests and expertise

As a researcher, my main interest is to understand how and why, therapeutic interventions, that are traditionally done in physiotherapy, work.

Been a biomechanist, my main tool is movement analysis; this allows me to quantify movement and relate it to different situations or conditions.

My PhD work was based on the analysis of head and trunk movement of children with cerebral palsy, in relation to motor control. Currently I am working on the development of models to accurately measure the movement of the trunk in adults.

This interest is complemented by the work that I am an currently doing in relation to patellofemoral pain (PFP). For this project, we are trying to know how many people suffer from PFP, so that then we can identify associated risk factors that could be prevented. This information will also enable the generation of evidence-based practice guidelines both for the prevention of PFP and for the reduction of the impact PFP has in the quality of life of people.

My research is related to the following research themes:

  • Science of Physical Movement
    • Clinical Physical Rehabilitation (Musculoskeletal)

    • Optimising Health & Healthcare Resources (Biomechanics)

Projects

Currently, I am working in the development of a three-dimensional model for the trunk to be used to evaluate the impact of different therapeutic interventions; for example interventions aim at reducing lower back pain.

I am also involved on the cultural validation of the Spanish version of the SNAPPS tool, so that it can be used to identify the incidence and prevalence of patellofemoral pain in Latin American countries.

Person holding their exposed knee in pain

Identifying patellofemoral pain

A survey that works as screening tool to identify people suffering with patellofemoral pain.

Go to research

Teaching

I am the lead organiser of the elective placement in research for the physiotherapy students in year 3. 

I am part of the teaching team in the “Biomechanical Analysis of the Lower Limb (BALL)” module in the MSc Advance Physiotherapy and of the “Maximising Performance” module for the Sport and Exercise Medicine Masters. 

Courses

Supervision

I supervise Masters’ and Doctoral students.

Current PhD students

A comparison of muscle strength and rate of torque development between healthy individuals and people with Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAIS) - informing targeted rehabilitation for FAIS patients

I am interested in supervising doctoral research students in the area of clinical biomechanics, especially the influence of physiotherapy intervention in clinical conditions. 

If you are interesting in studying any of these subject areas, please contact me on the contact details above.

Research outputs

As a physiotherapist that decided to go back to academia and develop her research in biomechanics, I have valuable experience, both clinical and research: in the treatment of patients (adult and children) and biomechanical analysis respectively. This critical combination has given me vital scientific and people skills, which gives me the ability to carry out thorough scientific research with clinical and therapeutic applications in mind, while also appreciating the importance of caring for study participants.

As a biomechanist, my main research interest is the analysis and quantification of the human movement, specially the quantification of the movement of the trunk. Having a measure of the movement of the trunk helps to understand motor control development in typically developing children and in children with neuromuscular conditions, for example cerebral palsy.

Having a way to quantify the movement of the trunk is also useful to understand and evaluate the impact of musculoskeletal conditions, for example lower back pain, and relate it with other everyday activities, for example walking. We can evaluate how a person walks via a gait analysis.

I have worked within a multidisciplinary teams (health science, computer science, and clinical). I have published high-level journal articles as well as presented original research at scientific conferences both within and outside the UK.

Career history

Mar 2020

Joined the SNAPPS project team.

Aug 2019

Started working as a Research Associate – Physiotherapy, in the Department of Health Professions, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Aug 2017

Awarded the PhD, Healthcare Science from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

With the thesis: “The development and validation of a movement evaluation system for children with Cerebral Palsy”.

May 2017

Started working as a Research Assistant – Physiotherapy, in the School or Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

Jun 2013

Started working as a Lecturer / Researcher in Physiotherapy at the Universidad Manuela Beltrán (Bogotá, Colombia)

Feb 2013

Started working as a Lecturer for the Kinesiology and Movement Analysis module in the Physical Exercise for Health PgDip, at the Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá, Colombia)

Jan 2013

Awarded the Msc, Biomechanics of Gait and Posture , from Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

Dissertation: “Head movement quantification using 3D motion analysis while playing virtual reality games”.

Sep 2010

Graduated of PgDip, Physical Exercise for Health from the Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá, Colombia)

Sep 2008

Graduated as a Physiotherapist from the Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá, Colombia)

Aug 2008

Start working as a clinical Physiotherapist in a private practice in Bogotá, Colombia