The PRIME (Performance, Rehabilitation & Injury Management through Exercise) Laboratory at the University of Michigan focuses on understanding how injury, training, and physical activity shape human movement, performance, and long-term health. The PRIME lab integrates expertise in athletic training, biomechanics, neurophysiology, and wearable technology to study movement across athletic and clinical populations.
A central focus of the PRIME Lab is examining the neuromuscular and neurophysiological consequences of musculoskeletal injury, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and how these changes influence strength, coordination, movement quality, and recovery. In parallel, the lab has a specific emphasis on applied use of wearable technologies and real-world monitoring, using wearable devices to objectively quantify physical activity, movement behavior, and physiological responses outside of the laboratory.
By integrating laboratory-based neuromuscular and neurophysiological measures with free-living activity data, the PRIME Lab bridges the gap between controlled assessments and how individuals actually move, train, and recover in daily life. This approach enables the lab to address clinically meaningful questions related to rehabilitation effectiveness, injury risk, performance optimization, and long-term health outcomes.
The PRIME Lab collaborates closely with clinicians, sport performance staff, engineers, and industry partners, and is committed to training the next generation of researchers and practitioners through hands-on research, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Ultimately, the lab’s goal is to generate evidence that supports data-driven, individualized, and ecologically valid approaches to rehabilitation, performance, and injury management.