School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

This multi-disciplinary group focuses on exercise-based rehabilitation of patients with chronic disease conditions/comorbidities.

Led by Professors Ingle, Vanicek and Carroll, our research has distinct relevance to contemporary clinical practice and NHS service development in exercise rehabilitation for several chronic disorders. We explore exercise-based rehabilitation across a number of conditions including cardiovascular disease and chronic heart failure phenotypes; peripheral vascular disease with intermittent claudication; older postmenopausal women with osteoporosis; and lower limb amputees.

Research within these areas incorporates quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies. We work in collaboration with NHS service providers including the vascular laboratory at Hull Royal Infirmary with Professor Chester and colleagues; Hull City Healthcare Partnership’s Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Services; and different NHS multi-disciplinary care teams supervising patients following both traumatic brain-injury and lower limb amputation.

We have researched and delivered cardiac rehabilitation exercise classes on-campus, in collaboration with the Hull City Healthcare Partnership. This has contributed to the NHS’ regional coverage by delivering clinically supervised, structured exercise classes for individuals recovering from cardiac events.

Our work also investigates prosthetics services within the NHS – an under-researched area, especially concerning prosthetic provision for older and below-knee amputees.

This research explores the mechanisms and adaptations to acute and chronic exercise interventions among a range of primary and secondary settings. These settings include obesity; polycystic ovarian syndrome; type 2 diabetes; and following a cardiovascular or cancer diagnosis.

We aim to increase understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for development of disease – and translate these findings into clinical benefits. Our innovative work tackles a number major global health challenges that also have significance locally; providing access to relevant patient cohorts required for our translational research programmes.

Following a generous philanthropic gift of £8 million from Dr Assam Allam – an alumnus of the University – we are building a new diabetes centre. This will be based on local clinical requirements and underpinned by a cutting-edge research programme.

Our research includes notable investigations into the effects of exercise training on lipid-induced insulin resistance and the effects of standard diabetic medications – statins and metformin – on aspects of lipolysis, endothelial and inflammatory responses.

This new interdisciplinary group researches the role of personal technologies in sport and exercise sciences. Exploring, for example, how smartwatches can influence physical activity behaviour and clinical exercise prescription – as one component of a multifactorial solution to the physical inactivity crisis in health and disease states.

We have completed a range of fundamental studies on the validity and reliability of key personal technology devices in apparently healthy adults, as well as the setting of cardiovascular rehabilitation.

Future research will continue to explore and understand the measurement capabilities of wearable devices – including the development of innovative applications for improving the accuracy of measurement and behaviour change. Our novel Apple Watch app ‘MVPA’ has recently been funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund. This innovative app incorporates a number of unique features that allows moderate-intensity exercise to be quantified more accurately. It also incorporates haptic feedback to guide the user to walk at a cadence that illicits individualised moderate intensity (based on heart rate reserve).

The group aims to continue research and development of this app to create a commercial product.

With an international research profile we examine the performance and physiological responses to intermittent exercise. Areas of exploration include methods of individualising player monitoring and match analysis – within elite rugby league, association football and elite football referees.

Research also focuses on the effect of biological maturity upon sport performance; particularly in relation to association football within elite academies. This research theme has recently been funded by an external competitive award from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe.

We improved the multivariate data-monitoring quantification of internal and external training load. And made recommendations for athlete-monitoring companies to improve their software platforms; combining unique aspects of information provided by multiple training-related variables.

Future research using multivariate approaches will further develop our knowledge of the dose-response nature of training load monitoring. With important training outcomes such as the changes in fitness, performance, and injury risk. Group members also conduct research on our interdisciplinary understanding of fatigue-related processes, including cerebral regulation during maximal exercise, and the influence of psychological stress and coping as a mechanism of enhancing performance.

Doping practices represent a significant threat to the physical and mental health of all sports performers and athletes.

Researchers at the University of Hull have rapidly established themselves as international leaders in the area.

We created the first measurement to assess adolescents and developed a series of alternative approaches to complement traditional anti-doping testing regimes. Our innovative education programmes eradicate doping before athletes are tempted to utilise banned substances – or before coaches recommend doping to their athletes.

We have reduced favourable attitudes towards doping through the delivery of key projects including:

• the development and validation of the Adolescent Sport Doping Inventory (ASDI)
• the implementation of acclaimed innovative educational programmes for young high-level athletes (iPlayClean)
• innovative educational programmes for grassroots coaches ‘Anti-Doping Values in Coach Education’ (ADVICE)
  
  

Our internationally recognised research has been supported by competitive funding from the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the European Commission. Ongoing projects also include collaborations with National Anti-Doping Organisations in Europe.