Osteoarthritis is a common disease with limited treatment options at this time. In his lab, Richard Souza, PhD, PT, and his team are working on lower extremities biomechanics research, looking at people with diseases of the lower extremity, such as hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), and how they move. The researchers use 3D motion analysis to carefully quantify the movement patterns of patients when they are walking or climbing stairs or rising from a chair. The researchers also look carefully at patients’ joints using quantitative MRI techniques that have been developed by UCSF radiologists. By following these people over time, Dr. Souza’s team can determine which patients are getting worse in their disease and which movement patterns are predictive of disease progression.