College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Nic Fiorentino

Assistant Professor

Nic is a biomechanist with a mechanical engineering background in solid mechanics and dynamics. His areas of expertise include musculoskeletal biomechanics, orthopedics, and imaging. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, after which he completed postdoctoral training in the Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University of Utah. His long-term research goals are to improve the overall health and well-being of those who have suffered an orthopedic injury and to reduce the burden from all disabling musculoskeletal conditions. He leads the Musculoskeletal Imaging and Orthopaedic Biomechanics (MIOB) research laboratory.

Publications

Ramsdell JC, Beynnon BB, Borah A, Gardner-Morse MG, Zhang J, Krug M, Tourville T, Geeslin M, Failla M, DeSarno M, Fiorentino NM. Tibial and femoral articular cartilage exhibit opposite outcomes for T1ρ and T2* relaxation times in response to acute compressive loading in healthy knees. In Review – J Biomech.

Ramsdell JC, Beynnon BB, Borah A, Gardner-Morse MG, Zhang J, Krug M, Tourville T, Geeslin M, Failla M, Vacek PM, Fiorentino NM. T1ρ and T2* Measurements in Small and Knee-Sized Magnetic Resonance Imaging Phantoms: Effect of Phantom Size and Position Relative to Isocenter. Osteoarthritis Imaging. 2023 Jul 11. 3:100162. doi.org/10.1016/j.ostima.2023.100162.

Knaus KR, Handsfield GG, Fiorentino NM, Hart JM, Meyer CH, Blemker SS. Athlete Muscular Phenotypes Identified and Compared with High-Dimensional Clustering of Lower Limb Muscle Volume Measurements. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Jun 1. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003224. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37259254

Ramsdell JC, Scott ME, Beynnon BD, Fiorentino NM. Does interpolation and intra-user variability affect the accuracy of arthrokinematic measurements in the knee? A dual fluoroscopic imaging and model-based tracking study. Med Eng Phys. 2023 Apr;114:103968. doi: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2023.103968. Epub 2023 Mar 14. PMID: 37030894

Schuring LL, Mozingo JD, Lenz AL, Uemura K, Atkins PR, Fiorentino NM, Aoki SK, Peters CL, Anderson AE. Acetabular labrum and cartilage contact mechanics during pivoting and walking tasks in individuals with cam femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. J Biomech. 2023 Jan;146:111424. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111424. Epub 2022 Dec 24. PMID: 36603366

Gurchiek RD, Donahue N, Fiorentino NM, McGinnis R. Wearables-Only Analysis of Muscle and Joint Mechanics: An EMG-Driven Approach. IEEE Trans Biomed. Pre-print 05 Aug 2021. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2021.3102009

Lewis CL, Uemura K, Atkins PR, Lenz AL, Fiorentino NM, Aoki SK, Anderson AE. Patients with cam-type femoroacetabular impingement demonstrate increased change in bone-to-bone distance during walking: A dual fluoroscopy study.J Orthop Res. 2023 Jan;41(1):161-169. doi: 10.1002/jor.25332. Epub 2022 Apr 6. PMID: 35325481.

Pius AK, Beynnon BD, Fiorentino N, Gardner-Morse M, Vacek PM, DeSarno M, Failla M, Slauterbeck JR, Sturnick DR, Argentieri EC, Tourville TW. Articular cartilage thickness changes differ between males and females 4 years following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Orthop Res. 2021 Jul 20. doi: 10.1002/jor.25142. Online ahead of print. PMID: 34288090

Atkins PR, Fiorentino NM, Anderson AE. In Vivo Quantification of Hip Arthrokinematics during Dynamic Weight-bearing Activities using Dual Fluoroscopy. J Vis Exp. 2021 Jul 2;(173). doi: 10.3791/62792. PMID: 34279514

Beynnon BD, Fiorentino NM, et al. Combined Injury to the ACL and Lateral Meniscus Alters the Geometry of Articular Cartilage and Meniscus Soon After Initial Trauma. J Orthop Res . 2020 Apr; 38(4):759-767. doi: 10.1002/jor.24519. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Atkins PR, Fiorentino NM, et al. In Vivo Pelvic and Hip Joint Kinematics in Patients With Cam Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Dual Fluoroscopy Study. J Orthop Res . 2020 Apr; 38(4):823-833. doi: 10.1002/jor.24509. Epub 2019 Nov 14.

Fiorentino NM, et al. Soft Tissue Artifact Causes Significant Errors in the Calculation of Joint Angles and Range of Motion at the Hip. Gait Posture. 2017 Jun; 55:184-190. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.03.033.