Dr Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra graduated from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London, with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences, followed by an MSc in Musculoskeletal Sport Science and Health at Loughborough University.
He then worked in industry as an R&D researcher, participating in projects focused on developing new technologies and methodologies for injury prevention and rehabilitation, particularly targeting the lower limbs. His work included diverse populations, from elite and amateur athletes to elderly and military cohorts.
Jose completed his PhD at Loughborough University (2024) in collaboration with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), investigating the long-term musculoskeletal biomechanics of UK military veterans with above and below knee amputations. His research explored the relationships between muscle size, strength, and gait biomechanics to inform individualised rehabilitation pathways.
After completing his PhD, Jose worked as a Research Associate at Loughborough University with Dr Daniel Fong and Professor David Williams on the Ministry of Defence-funded project “Optimising Rehabilitation Pathways in Severely Injured Personnel: An ADVANCE Study Extension.” He later became a University Teacher in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.
Dr Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra’s research interests focus on the application and evaluation of medical and rehabilitation technologies to enhance recovery, independence, and quality of life in people with acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders and trauma, with a particular emphasis on clinical biomechanics.
His doctoral work formed a “bolt-on” study to the ongoing ArmeD serVices trAuma rehabilitatioN outComE Study (ADVANCE) at the UK Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Stanford Hall — a long-term, multicentre project investigating the health of injured service personnel in collaboration with Imperial College London. The study employed advanced methods, including 3D motion capture, MRI-based musculoskeletal modelling, ultrasound shear wave elastography, isokinetic dynamometry, and robust statistical analysis, all within a high-quality academic and clinical research environment.
Featured publications
Conference publications and disseminations
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Natalie Egginton, Daniel Fong, Patrick Wheeler, Tom Blankenstein, Mark Lewis, Alex Bennett, David Williams and Sarah Stapley. Using knee extensor-flexor torque and functional performance measurement with biomechanical analysis to understand the risk of musculoskeletal injury in the intact limb of young veterans with lower limb amputations due to battlefield trauma. Poster presentation at the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2024, Florida, USA.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Natalie Egginton, Daniel Fong, Patrick Wheeler, Tom Blankenstein, Mark Lewis, Alex Bennett, David Williams and Sarah Stapley. Measurement of gluteal size, hip extensor strength and gait biomechanics evaluated by a 6MWT demonstrates preserved physical performance in young military veterans with lower limb amputations 10-15 years post-battlefield trauma. Oral presentation at Blast and Conflict Injury Conference 2024, Imperial College London, UK.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Natalie Egginton, Daniel Fong, Alex Bennett, David Williams and Sarah Stapley. Measuring differences in functional gait performance using the 6-Minute Walking Test in participants 10-15 years post traumatic amputation. E-poster presentation at the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) Congress 2023, Liverpool, UK.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Natalie Egginton, Daniel Fong, Patrick Wheeler, Tom Blankenstein, Mark Lewis, Alex Bennett, David Williams and Sarah Stapley. Muscle size, strength and gait biomechanics in rehabilitated UK veteran unilateral and bilateral transfemoral amputees. Oral presentation at the Combined Services Orthopaedic Society (CSOS) Conference 2023, Keble College. University of Oxford, UK.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Natalie Egginton, Daniel Rothwell, Daniel Fong, Patrick Wheeler, Tom Blankenstein, Mark Lewis, Alex Bennett, David Williams and Sarah Stapley. Strength development and muscle quality in military traumatic lower limb below knee amputations. Oral presentation at the Combined Services Orthopaedic Society (CSOS) Conference 2022, China Fleet Club Plymouth, UK.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra, Richard Allan, Daniel Fong, Patrick Wheeler, Mark Lewis, Alex Bennett, David Williams, and Sarah Stapley. Major musculoskeletal study limitations with military traumatic lower limb amputations. Oral presentation at the Combined Services Orthopaedic Society (CSOS) Conference 2021, D-Day Museum Portsmouth, UK.
- Jose Manuel Frias Bocanegra and Daniel Fong. The effects of sport surface traction on the ankle biomechanics in male futsal players during a sidestep cutting task. Poster presentation at the Scandinavian Sports Medicine Congress 2020, Copenhagen, Denmark.