Paul Bruno

Associate Professor

Office: CK 164.21
E-mail: paul.bruno@uregina.ca
Phone: 306-337-3343

Research interests
Motor control, Biomechanics, Gait Variability

Paul Bruno obtained his Bachelor of Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia (1999) and Doctor of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (2004). He was a research fellow and lecturer at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in the United Kingdom from 2004-10, during which time he was awarded the Elsevier International Post-Graduate Research Prize (2005, 2006, 2007) before receiving his PhD from the University of Portsmouth (2008). In July 2010, he was appointed Assistant Professor and CCRF Research Chair in Neuromusculoskeletal Health in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina. His research focuses on rehabilitative exercise therapy targeted at restoring optimal neuromuscular control strategies (i.e. movement patterns, muscle activation patterns) in patients with low back pain. The current aims of his research program are to investigate:

  • the diagnostic utility of clinical tests that are used to assess for the presence of neuromuscular control deficits in the lumbopelvic region.
  • the neuromuscular control parameters demonstrated by patients during these tests and their relationship to those demonstrated during functional activities (e.g. gait).
  • the association between test findings and empirical measures of spinal stiffness and spinal stability.
  • the effectiveness of specific treatment protocols on restoring optimal neuromuscular control strategies and improving clinical outcomes.

The long-term goal of Dr. Bruno’s research program is to establish evidence-based clinical protocols that can be used to diagnose the presence of specific neuromuscular control deficits in low back pain patients. Such protocols would allow clinicians to more effectively target rehabilitative exercise therapy to the specific needs of individual patients. Tailoring therapeutic strategies to specific patient presentations will lead to improved clinical outcomes and an earlier return to normal activity levels, thereby lowering the socioeconomic burden associated with low back pain.

Current Funding Awards:

  • Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) – Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Establishment Grant (Principal Investigator; $95385)
  • Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) Equipment Grant (Principal Investigator; $10000)

Recent Publications

Hadjistavropoulos H, Juckes K, Dirkse D, Cuddington C, Walker K, Bruno P, Pitzel Bazylewski M, Ruda L, White G. Student evaluations of an interprofessional education workshop on pain management. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 2015; 29(1): 73-75.

Bruno P, Goertzen D, Millar D. Patient-reported perception of difficulty as a clinical indicator of dysfunctional neuromuscular control during the prone hip extension test and active straight leg raise test. Manual Therapy. 2014; 19(6): 602-7.

Stuber K, Bruno P, Sajko S, Hayden J. Core stability exercises for low back pain in athletes: a systematic review of the literature. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 2014; 24(6): 448-456.

Stuber K, Lerede C, Kristmanson K, Sajko S, Bruno P. The diagnostic accuracy of the Kemp’s test: a systematic review. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. 2014; 58(3): 258-67.

Bruno P, Millar D, Goertzen D. Inter-rater agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of the prone hip extension test and active straight leg raise test. 2014. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 22:23. doi: 10.1186/2045-709X-22-23.

Bruno P. The use of “stabilization exercises” to affect neuromuscular control in the lumbopelvic region: a narrative review. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. 2014; 58(2): 119-30.

Busse J, Bruno P, Malik K, Connell G, Torrance D, Ngo T, Kirmayr K, Avrahami D, Riva J, Ebrahim S, Struijs P, Brunarski D, Burnie S, LeBlanc F, Coomes E, Steenstra I, Slack T, Rodine R, Jim J, Montori V, Guyatt G. An efficient strategy allowed English-speaking reviewers to identify foreign-language articles that met eligibility criteria for a systematic review of management for fibromyalgia. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2014. 67(5): 547-53.

Busse J, Ebrahim S, Connell G, Coomes E, Bruno P, Malik K, Torrance D, Ngo T, Kirmayr K, Avrahami D, Riva J, Struijs P, Brunarski D, Burnie S, LeBlanc F, Steenstra I, Mahood Q, Thorlund K, Montori V, Sivarajah V, Alexander P, Jankowski M, Lesniak W, Faulhaber M, Bała M, Schandelmaier S, Guyatt G. Systematic review and network meta-analysis of interventions for fibromyalgia: a protocol. Systematic Reviews. 2013; 2:18. doi: 10.1186/2046-4053-2-18. (Highly Accessed)

Stuber K, Bruno P, Kristmanson K, Ali Z. Dietary supplement recommendations by Saskatchewan chiropractors: results of an online survey. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2013; 21:11. doi: 10.1186/2045-709X-21-11.