Narrative:
Dr. Stauber became part of the PT teaching faculty in 1993. Dr. Stauber reviews manuscripts for a number of prominent journals, and received many awards becoming a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine in 1987. In 2002, he received the Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award. He has an active research laboratory and has been continuously funded by NIOSH/CDC for the past 10 years.

Education & Credentials:

• B.S. Physical Therapy (Magna Cum Laude), Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 1967.
• MS Rutgers University, New Brunswick(Dr. John W.C. Bird), NJ 1969.
• PhD Rutgers University (Dr. John W.C. Bird), New Brunswick, NJ 1972.
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Iowa (Dr. B.A. Schottelius), Iowa City, IA 1972-1976.

Research:
We study skeletal muscle injury that results from overuse, overload, or repeated strains in rats and humans. If the injury to the muscle is minor, skeletal muscle increases its size (hypertrophy) and becomes stronger. If, however, the injury is repeated such that repair is not complete, muscle pathology results with the development of muscle fibrosis (scarring) and a loss of muscle strength. To understand the physiology of muscle injury/repair and to identify the risk factors involved in producing pathology, three areas of research have been developed: 1) measurement of injury producing movement parameters in rats in vivo; using custom built dynamo meter; 2) assessment of the role of fatigability as a risk factor for developing strain injuries in rats and human volunteers; 3) identification of the signaling pathway(s) that is specific for the development of muscle fibrosis and impaired function; 4) measurement of muscle soreness in injured rat muscles. Our studies revealed that repeated muscle strains can produce either muscle adaptation (increased strength and endurance) or pathology leading to fibrosis. When fibrosis did result, it was not completely reversible even after an extended period of rest. These findings may help explain why some types of injuries, resulting from repeated use, require many months of rehabilitation and still do not achieve optimal function.

Current collaborators: Cheryl A. Smith, Ph.D. (WVU).
Lab website: http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/physio/faculty/stauber.htm

Representative Scholarship:

• Stauber, W.T., Barill, E.R., Stauber, R.E., and G.R. Miller. 2000. Isotonic dynamometry for the assessment of power and fatigue in the knee extensor muscles of females. Clin. Physiol. 20: 225-233.
• Willems, M. E. T. and W.T. Stauber. 2000. Performance of plantar flexor muscles with eccentric and isometric contractions in intact rats. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 32: 1293-1299.
• Willems, M. E. T. and W.T. Stauber. 2000. Effect of resistance training on muscle fatigue and recovery in intact rats. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 32: 1887-1893. · Stauber, W.T., Smith, C.A., Miller, G.R., and F.D. Stauber. 2000. Recovery of rat soleus muscles from 6 weeks of repeated strain injury. Muscle & Nerve 23: 1819-1825.
• Willems, M. E. T. and W.T. Stauber. 2000. Changes in force by repeated stretches of skeletal muscle in female Sprague Dawley rats. Aging: Clin. Exp. Res. 12: 478-481.
• Willems, M. E. T. and W.T. Stauber.2000. Force during stretches of rat skeletal muscle after hypertonia at short and long lengths. Archiv. Physiol. Biochem. 108: 391-397.
• NIOSH/CDC Grant R01 OH 02918 Cumulative Trauma Disorder: Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction. 6/01-5/04. $600,000. Principle Investigator.

Teaching:
PT 425 - Physical Therapy Procedures II (lecturer - resistance training)
PT 420 - Therapeutic Physical Agents (lecturer - electrotherapy)
PT 591 - Special Topics (lecturer - electrodiagnosis and surface EMG)