[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":96},["ShallowReactive",2],{"collection-portrait":3},[4],{"id":5,"title":6,"body":7,"description":83,"extension":84,"floatImageLeft":85,"floatImageRight":85,"heroImage":85,"images":86,"isAd":88,"meta":89,"multipleImages":85,"navigation":90,"objectFit":85,"objectPosition":85,"ogDescription":85,"ogTitle":85,"order":85,"path":91,"seo":92,"stem":93,"tagName":94,"__hash__":95},"portrait\u002Fportrait\u002Fbeyond-the-lab-how-biomechanics-improves-lives.md","Beyond the Lab: How Biomechanics Improves Lives",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":80},"minimark",[10],[11,12,14],"article-layout",{":title":13},"title",[15,16,18,24,33,37,40,43,46,49,52,55,58,61,64,67],"template",{"v-slot:content":17},"",[19,20,21],"h1",{"id":17},[22,23],"binding",{"value":13},[25,26,27],"p",{},[28,29,30],"em",{},[22,31],{"value":32},"description",[34,35],"article-image",{":image":36},"articles\u002Fportrait\u002Fhero.webp",[25,38,39],{},"For many of us, the word “biomechanics” conjures images of scientists in lab coats working with subjects in motion-capture suits. But for Associate Professor Kong Pui Wah from the Physical Education & Sports Science (PESS) Department, the field has always been deeply personal.",[25,41,42],{},"“My interest began during my school years as a springboard diver,” she reveals to NIEWS. “Given the technical demands of the sport, I was eager to understand how I could improve my somersaults and twisting techniques.” Those early questions set her on a path that would eventually lead her to the NIE’s Sports Biomechanics Laboratory, where cutting-edge research is quietly changing lives far beyond the diving pool.",[25,44,45],{},"Take running shoes, for instance. Biomechanical testing allows researchers to assess which designs may be better suited for different runners, helping everyday athletes choose footwear that reduces injury risks and supports safer movement. It is a small example but an important reminder that good research, when thoughtfully applied, can improve lives in ways that many may not even notice.",[25,47,48],{},"The beneficiaries of the NIE’s biomechanics research span a surprisingly wide range. Soldiers have gained from studies on military boots and exoskeleton technology that offloads weight while carrying heavy loads. Emergency responders, such as firefighters and paramedics, have drawn on findings about functional strength training for the prevention of back pain. Patients living with chronic low back pain have been guided toward more effective exercise therapies (e.g. Clinical Pilates). And athletes and their coaches have used biomechanics insights to improve movement techniques and sharpen competitive performance.",[25,50,51],{},"None of this happens in isolation, and Associate Professor Kong is quick to credit her collaborators across medicine, sport and industry. In clinical settings, she works alongside physiotherapists, podiatrists and physicians in hospitals and clinics. She also partners with coaches and sport scientists at the High Performance Sport Institute, as well as equipment manufacturers and retailers such as Li Ning, Xtep and Runner Camp when footwear and sporting gear are involved. Occupational research has brought her into partnership with agencies like the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Singapore Armed Forces.",[25,53,54],{},"When asked what success might look like in a field this wide-ranging, Associate Professor Kong is unequivocal: academic citations are just part of the answer. “When the research findings make a positive change, for example, when people live a pain-free life after effective exercise therapy, that is what true success looks like to me.”",[25,56,57],{},"Back on campus, this philosophy of life-changing research is very much alive at the Sports Biomechanics Lab. It offers more than 10 biomechanics-related courses through the PESS curriculum for student teachers, undergraduates and graduate students. Crucially, all of them include hands-on lab sessions designed to connect theory with real-world practice.",[25,59,60],{},"In one lab activity, students can jump and land on a force platform that measures the forces involved when they adopt different landing postures. Seeing the data firsthand makes abstract principles tangible. “It reinforces why bending the knees and hips is crucial for a softer, safer landing,” Associate Professor Kong explains. Students leave not only having learned the science, but also knowing how to identify movement errors and provide corrective feedback. These are skills that will make PE and sports safer in schools and the community.",[25,62,63],{},"In the global arena, Associate Professor Kong is a Fellow of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS), where she serves on its Board of Directors and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sub-committee. She believes that an inclusive biomechanics community can produce better science, bringing diverse perspectives that reduce blind spots and encourage more thoughtful and equitable practices.",[25,65,66],{},"Her message to students and colleagues is consistent: pursue what you love. “I emphasise the importance of passion because I see it as a natural driving force for us to work hard, to overcome challenges and to make a difference in what we believe in.”",[68,69,70],"article-box-content",{},[25,71,72,73,79],{},"Associate Professor Kong Pui Wah is the Associate Dean for Continuing Education & Training at the Office of Graduate Studies & Professional Learning (GPL). She is also an Associate Professor at the Physical Education & Sports Science (PESS) Department. Connect with her at ",[74,75,78],"a",{":target":76,"href":77},"_blank","mailto:puiwah.kong@nie.edu.sg","puiwah.kong@nie.edu.sg",".",{"title":17,"searchDepth":81,"depth":81,"links":82},2,[],"From springboard diver to biomechanics specialist, Associate Professor Kong Pui Wah has spent her career turning a childhood curiosity about movement into research that helps athletes, soldiers and patients live and move better.","md",null,[87],{"resource":36},false,{},true,"\u002Fportrait\u002Fbeyond-the-lab-how-biomechanics-improves-lives",{"title":6,"description":83},"portrait\u002Fbeyond-the-lab-how-biomechanics-improves-lives","Portrait","NM4LUQLPpUY6pbq7bSc-b9EUHM9nhknNgAMJV3v0Yc0",1779952970631]