Jo Verschueren

CURRENT (AND PREVIOUS) FUNCTION: Jo Verschueren obtained his joint PhD (Vrije Universiteit Brussel: Doctor in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physical Therapy; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Doctor in Philosophy) in April 2021 and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the research group Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy, Faculty LK of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Jo has been working as Assistant Academic Staff at the research group since 2010 and is, among other things, coordinator of the 2nd Master's in Sports Physical Therapy.

RESEARCH AREA: Jo's research focuses on the role of fatigue in the development of sports injuries. Fatigue can, for example, cause athletes to move differently, react more slowly or perform less well. As a result, they may have a higher risk of being injured. In this context, Jo, together with colleagues from the research group and international colleagues, has developed a functional test that assesses the observation and response capacity of athletes. According to the initial results, these insights appear to be relevant for assessing an athlete's risk of injury. In addition, Jo is working within the research group to translate this into rehabilitation and Return-to-Sport decisions for athletes.

CURRENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Jo's current research mainly focuses on the role of fatigue on the injury risk profile. Can we recognise the influence of fatigue on the basis of tests we use in practice? Both the impact of physical and mental fatigue is estimated. His recent contributions to congresses provide insight into the first results.

PRACTICAL APPLICABILITY: Physical activity and sport are enormously important for health, both physically and mentally. With our research we want to contribute to this by further reducing the risk of injuries. With these insights, sport physiotherapists can be supported in practice to make an assessment of which athletes are at risk of injury. This can be relevant for colleagues who work with elite athletes, but also for colleagues who work with recreational athletes who want to stay physically active and healthy.