Athletic Training Education Program
Sports Medicine Assessment Research & Testing
(SMART) Laboratory
Vision and Mission
The Sports Medicine Assessment Research & Testing (SMART) Laboratory at George Mason University strives to enhance the quality of life for all physically active individuals through the development and improvement of methods for the prevention, recognition, and treatment of injury and disease.
The SMART Laboratory serves as the primary research facility for faculty and students in the undergraduate and masters degree programs in Athletic Training and Sports Medicine. The mission of the SMART Laboratory is to encourage evidence-based practice by combining quality research with clinical practice through multiple avenues of scientific inquiry. The laboratory facilitates a collaborative atmosphere where both faculty and student initiated activities work toward decreasing injury risk and advance the well being of physically active individuals of all ages. The SMART Laboratory aspires to have a strong emphasis on seeking and procuring funding to assist and promote its activities.
Facility
The SMART Laboratory is a 2000 square-foot facility housed in the Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center, an innovative joint partnership between George Mason University, Prince William County and the City of Manassas, located on the Prince William campus of George Mason University.
Equipment
The laboratory includes state of the art instrumentation for assessment of human performance.
1. Surface Electromyography (EMG)
Surface EMG is used to measure the electrical activation of muscle. Pictured is a double leg landing task and a typical raw EMG signal of the Quadriceps, Hamstrings, and Gastrocnemius muscles associated with this activity.
Raw EMG data are acquired using a combination of a 16-Channel Myopac surface EMG unit (Run Technologies, Mission Viejo, CA) the Datapac 2K2 Lab Application Software (Run Technologies; Mission Viejo, CA).
2. Kinetics
A force plate acquires the ground reaction forces and center of pressures during activity. These raw data are acquired using a Bertec Force Plate (Type 4060 Non-Conducting) (Bertec Corporation; Columbus, OH).
3. Quinton Stress Testing System
The Quinton stress system (Cardiac Science Inc., Bothell, WA) simulates and measures cardiac stress during walking and running. The machine capabilities include changes in gradient, from 0 to 40 degrees, as well as changes in belt speed, from 1.5 to 9 MPH.