Visualisation/artistic representations of chronic musculoskeletal conditions to enhance understanding of the lived experience

The deadline for 2012 Doctoral College Studentships has now passed.

The Brighton Doctoral College is pleased to welcome applications from self-funded or externally sponsored students for programmes of research in this or a closely related area, beginning from September 2012. Applications are welcome from students wishing to study full time or part time, and applications are welcome from students in employment who have the support of their employers.

• Based in the Faculty of Health and Social Science
• Supervisors: Professor Ann Moore; Dr Kambiz Saber-Sheikh.

Application deadline

The university cannot guarantee that students can start at their requested date unless deadlines are met.

• UK/EU students: The deadline for the university to receive applications for an entry date of October is the 1 August, for January entry it is the 1 November and for May it is the 1 March.
• International students: The deadline for the university to receive applications for an entry date of October is the 1 June, for January entry it is the 1 September and for May it is the 1 January.

Apply now.

Many people internationally will suffer from a musculoskeletal condition at some time in their life¹.

These conditions can range from debilitating and systemic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis to conditions such as non-specific low back pain ² or tennis elbow. They can have significant impacts on the individual that often remain invisible to their relatives, friends and colleagues because there are often no external signs of the condition apart from the individual’s personal description. Many people e.g. those with low back pain, say they feel that the problem and its impact on them is not understood, not recognised or even believed by others close to them which is both disturbing and depressing³. This situation in itself makes it much harder for them to self-manage their problem. The School of Health Professions is seeking PhD proposals which will develop insight into the burden that exists for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal conditions which can then be transferred into visual phenomena. We are also interested in utilising the visual phenomena together with patients’ narratives to broaden and deepen public awareness and understanding of chronic conditions such as osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid-arthritis or non-specific neuromusculoskeletal conditions.

The project will build on funded work currently underway in collaboration with Dr Shirley Chubb and Neil Bryant from the University of Chichester entitled “Significant walks: personal visualisations of the chronic low back pain experience”.

The proposed multidisciplinary supervisory team will be drawn from Professor Ann Moore who has wide-ranging expertise in musculoskeletal disorders particularly low back pain³, Dr Kambiz Saber-Sheikh⁴ who has expertise in biomechanical engineering (Research Officer Human Movement Laboratory, University of Brighton), Dr Shirley Chubb⁵ who is a senior lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Chichester and who has completed a PhD in the “Thinking path” which considered Charles Darwin a cypher for synchronic knowledge and was exhibited around the UK. Advisors to the team will consist of Mr Neil Bryant who is a video artist who works with interactive technologies and Professor Charlie Hooker, Artist, Professor of sculpture and course leader in MA Fine Art, University of Brighton, Faculty of Arts.

References:

¹ Health & Safety Executive. (2008) Self-Reported Work-Related Illness and Workplace Injuries in 2006/7: Results from the Labour Force Survey. [Online] Poole: Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Available from: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/swi/swi0607.pdf

² Maniadakis, N, Gray A. (2000) ‘The Economic Burden of Back Pain in the U.K’ in Tshui Hung Ha (2010) Measurement of Lumbar Spinal Posture and Motion Using Inertial Sensors. PhD Thesis, University of Brighton.

³ Sokunbi, O, Cross, V, Watt, P. and Moore, A.P. (2010) Experiences of individuals with chronic low back pain during and after their participation in a spinal stabilisation exercise programme – A pilot qualitative study Manual therapy, 15 (2). pp. 179-184.

⁴ Ha TH, Saber-Sheikh K, Moore AP,  Jones MP (2011) Measurement of Lumbar Spine Range of Movement  and Coupled Motion Using Inertial Sensors – a validity study.  Manual Therapy Journal 2011. In press.

⁵ Chubb S (2011) “Location & Intervention: Visual practice enabling a synchronic view of artefacts and sites” in Dudley, S. Ed. The Thing about Museums: Objects and experiences, representation and contestation. London: Routledge. 199-213.

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