Georgia Southern University is the state’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta. With 142 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, Georgia Southern has been designated a Carnegie Doctoral/Research university and serves more than 27,000 students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico as well as 102 nations. With three vibrant campuses — the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, the Statesboro Campus and the Liberty Campus in Hinesville — Georgia Southern offers an attractive campus environment that encourages learning, discovery and personal growth. Georgia Southern’s nationally accredited academic programs prepare diverse scholars for leadership and service as world citizens. A unit of the University System of Georgia, the University boasts 200-plus student organizations, outstanding Division I athletics, and state-of-the art residence halls and campus facilities.

Since 1906, the University’s hallmark has been a culture of engagement that bridges theory with practice, extends the learning environment beyond the classroom, and promotes student growth and life success. Central to the University’s mission is the faculty’s dedication to excellence in teaching and the development of a fertile learning environment exemplified by a free exchange of ideas, high academic expectations, and individual responsibility for academic achievement. Faculty, staff, and students embrace core values expressed through integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness, and social responsibility.

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Physical Therapy Treatment Effectiveness for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Comparison of Supervised Clinical Exercise and Manual Therapy Procedures Versus a Home Exercise Program

Comparison of Acute Swelling and Function in Subjects With Lateral Ankle Injury

Effectiveness of Manual Physical Therapy and Exercise in Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Reliability of Water Volumetry and the Figure of Eight Method on Subjects With Ankle Joint Swelling

Dr. Henderson began teaching in Georgia Southern’s DPT program in 2006 and teaches in the research and orthopedic curriculums. Dr. Henderson has extensive outpatient clinical experience in both military and civilian facilities and currently treats patients in the local military PT clinics on a weekly basis. She is one of the creators of the Soldier Athlete Human Performance Optimization (SAHPO) program. The SAHPO program is a collaborative effort between Georgia Southern University and the 3rd Infantry Division and allows students to work with soldiers on injury prevention in an effort to improve medical readiness.

Dr. Henderson is an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and also holds a manual therapy certification in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy. She is actively involved in both student-centered research and collaborative military research with the United States Army Institute for Environmental Medicine. Her research interests include injury prevention, running form, and assessing meaningful change of interventions.

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Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

The Georgia Southern University Soldier Performance and Readiness (SPAR) program received a $1.5 million, two-year grant from the Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC). The grant will expand Georgia’s Southern research and programming capacity in injury prevention techniques that ensure force readiness for the Army. 

“Through this large-scale research study, Georgia Southern doctoral students have opportunities to be involved in the research process and work directly with soldiers,” said Nancy Henderson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. “Additionally, the grant will fund graduate assistant positions in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.”  USAMRDC’s mission is to provide solutions to medical problems for American service members at home and abroad, as well as to the public at large. The scope of this effort and the priorities attached to specific projects are influenced by changes in military and civilian medical science and technology, operational requirements, military threat assessments and national defense strategies. Extramural research and development programs play a vital role in the fulfillment of the objectives established by the organization.

 Research and development funded through this are intended to benefit both military and civilian medical practices. 

“The grant investigates different physical training programs to identify those practices that best prevent non-combat injuries,” said Henderson. “Faculty on the research team will seek to advance the body of literature by determining the best educational models to educate soldiers on injury-prevention topics.”  This is the first time that Georgia Southern will act as lead investigator on a collaborative research project with an Army research institute. However, SPAR has long been involved in multiple branches of research with community impact. 

“Georgia Southern has several initiatives underway to help improve the health, fitness and performance of military service members, law enforcement personnel and firefighting and rescue personnel,” said Joseph Kardouni, Ph.D., director of the Tactical Performance Group.  “The Tactical Athlete Certificate (TAC) program is one of these initiatives that teaches service members exercise fundamentals to help mitigate training-related injuries. The funding coming through Medical Research and Development Command will improve evidence-based teaching methods and inform similar efforts to teach service members within this field. Leaders from health and human performance programs within the Army understand the importance of leveraging partnerships with academic institutions to work toward improving the quality of life, health and occupational performance of soldiers.”  Faculty and students in the DPT program have educated soldiers on injury prevention topics since 2016 and this grant further provides students with the opportunity to assess effectiveness while learning how to improve educational methods with military service members. 

“This research is an important next step in delivering on the promise of the SPAR program and Georgia Southern’s close working relationship with Army research partners,” said Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Christopher Curtis, Ph.D.   Curtis also noted that funding was made possible by the advocacy of U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and the strong support of Georgia’s legislative delegation in Washington D.C.

 Interested in learning more or looking to talk with Nancy Henderson? Simply click on her icon now or Contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.


Georgia Southern receives $1.5M grant from U.S. Army medical research and development to enhance soldier performance and readiness

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 A new program being offered by the Waters College of Health Professions at Georgia Southern University is helping soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division (ID) rank up their readiness by offering a new Tactical Athlete Certificate (TAC) program. 
This program is designed to help soldiers improve their performance, avoid musculoskeletal injuries in physical training, receive college credits and points toward promotions. The program comprises three courses including a basic course, trainer course and programming course.

 “The Tactical Athlete Certificate is a beneficial program for both the military as a whole and the individual soldier,” said Nancy Henderson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. “The military gains more knowledgeable soldiers who can develop science-based and comprehensive physical training plans, and the individual soldier benefits by receiving college credits, which can help them as they advance in their military careers.” Each course is a three-week hybrid course with two weeks online and one week of face-to-face instruction and could be completed in one semester. Institutional fees are waived for active-duty military, and the admissions process does not require a minimum GPA or SAT/ACT score.

 
If you are a journalist and are looking to cover this topic or learn more about how Georgia Southern University is working with the armed forces, the let us help with your stories.

Dr. Nancy Henderson is an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Georgia Southern University. She is an expert in injury prevention, running form and assessing meaningful change of interventions. Nancy is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.




Being all that you can be and more – Find out how Georgia Southern University is helping soldiers boost their performance

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Musculoskeletal disorders are the number one reason for soldier evacuation and account for almost 25 percent of all military injuries compared to combat injuries, which account for 14 percent in the armed forces. It was with that knowledge that students from Georgia Southern University’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences met up with soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia to gear up and better understand soldiers’ unique physical challenges and how they can help better prepare them for combat. “The event provided our students with a much better insight as to the physical demands of soldiers at Fort Stewart,” said Nancy Henderson, DPT, assistant professor of rehabilitation sciences on Georgia Southern’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah . “This added knowledge will help them to better tailor their education while working with soldiers.” As technology and equipment change and adjust between each theatre of operation it is imperative that the America’s soldiers stay fit and have all the knowledge and resources, they require to achieve their assigned task. But why were so many soldiers suffering from musculoskeletal  disorders? Is the issue easily solved? And how can every branch of the armed forces adopt and adapt how they’re operating on the ground to avoid these issues?  There are a lot of questions to be answered and that’s where our experts can help. Dr. Nancy Henderson is an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Georgia Southern University. She is an expert in injury prevention, running form and assessing meaningful change of interventions. Nancy is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.  

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