Dr. Kenneth Games

Tactical Athlete Health and Safety

The goal of this research line is to develop and deploy interventions and education focused on injury prevention, physical and technical performance, and health-related quality of life of tactical athletes.  Much of our work in the past 18 months has focused on tactical athlete health and safety.  Currently our research group is examining the relationship between firefighter personal protective equipment and musculoskeletal injury.  Personal protective equipment has greatly reduced exposure to occupational hazards in firefighting (smoke, flames, etc), but it has had the unintended consequence of increasing musculoskeletal injuries due to the increased loads now placed on firefighters.  Through this work, I have developed and currently direct the Tactical Athlete Research and Education Center (TAREC) at Indiana State University.  The Tactical Athlete Research and Education Centers serves as a center for collaboration between researchers and public or private agencies to further the development of new knowledge in health and wellness.  It works to improve resiliency and provide leadership through research, education, training, and implementation of new knowledge to better serve our Civil Servants, Soldiers, Veterans, their families, and the community.  Most recently, the work of the TAREC has resulted in a new collaboration among the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative, the Terre Haute Fire Department, and Indiana State University to create an injury prevention and care clinic for local firefighters.  This collaboration will provide experiential learning and scholarship opportunities for students and faculty at Indiana State University.  Faculty and researchers associated with the TAREC have submitted external funding proposals to the Centers for Disease Control, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Institute of Justice.

Military Aviator Health and Safety

The goal of this research line is to improve the health and safety of Military aviators, specifically rotary-wing aviators (helicopter pilots).  Due to increased worldwide conflicts and the need for 24/7 strike capability, Military helicopters have increased their flight time capabilities from 3 hours to 24+ hours.  Unfortunately, this increased flight time places aviators in dangerous positions.  Specifically, prolonged restricted sitting has created temporary paresthesia and decreased neuromuscular control during flights lasting longer than 8 hours.  Decreased lower extremity neuromuscular control in flight has led to increased errors and unfortunately, death in aviators and crew due to an inability to control the aircraft’s flight control systems.  My work in this area has been to specifically identify the physiologic and neuromechanical etiology of this decreased neuromuscular control during flight.  My work has successfully determined that the edge of seat pan is the location at which the peripheral nervous system is compromised which is creating the decreased neuromuscular control.  Additionally, we worked to create a unique, MRI compatible robot which replicates the mechanical stresses of flight on the buttocks of pilots and allows researchers to examine the soft tissue changes occurring in response to these mechanical stresses.

Effectiveness of Athletic Training Interventions

The goal of this research line is to reduce the burden and number of musculoskeletal injuries and create patient-centered prevention and intervention programs.  By investigating the neuromuscular and physiologic effects of musculoskeletal injury and interventions we are able to identify best practices for athletic trainers and other health care providers treating musculoskeletal injuries as part of their daily practice.  Often in today’s medical marketplace, there are interventions which remain untested, but marketed as an effective treatment for any number of conditions.  Our research in this area focuses on collecting objective physiologic, neurologic, and patient-oriented evidence in order to examine the physiologic effects and patient care outcomes of these interventions.  This work has bolstered Indiana State University’s international reputation as a leader in athletic training interventions research.