Profile
Dr. Luke Donovan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to coming to UNC-Charlotte, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo and served as the Director of the CAATE-accredited Post-Professional Graduate Athletic Training program. Currently, Dr. Donovan teaches within the undergraduate Athletic Training program and will be advising students within the graduate Applied Physiology and Neuromechanics program. Dr. Donovan’s research interests includes the utilization of an impairment-based rehabilitation model for the treatment of chronic ankle instability, in which he is further refining the model by studying novel assessment and rehabilitation techniques.
Education
- S.- Pennsylvania State University, 2009, Kinesiology (Athletic Training Option)
- Ed- University of Virginia, 2010, Athletic Training
- PhD- University of Virginia, 2014, Sports Medicine
Teaching
- Evidence-Based Practice
Research Interests/Areas of Expertise
- Donovan has completed numerous projects that contribute to the understanding of muscle function during gait and functional exercises in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Furthermore, he has developed an impairment-based rehabilitation model for the treatment of patients with CAI. Recently, he determined that impairment-based rehabilitation is an effective rehabilitation strategy to improve both clinical and patient oriented outcomes in patients with CAI. Currently, Dr. Donovan has continued to research functional movement dysfunction and rehabilitation strategies for patients with CAI. Specifically, he is in the process of developing a low-cost biomechanical ankle assessment tool for clinicians and developing low-cost gait retraining instruments. Overall, his goal is to improve function and quality of life over the long term in patients with CAI and to develop prevention strategies that can be implemented in youth sports and in the general population to reduce the injury rates of lateral ankle sprains.
Awards & Honors
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 2014.
- Doctoral Student Free Communications Oral Presentation Winner, National Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, June 2013.
- Eagle Scout, 2004
Selected Publications
Donovan L, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Feger MA, Herb CC, Hertel J. Effects of ankle destabilization devices and rehabilitation on gait biomechanics in chronic ankle instability patients: a randomized controlled trial. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2016
Donovan L, Feger MA, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Hertel. Effects of an auditory biofeedback device on plantar pressure in participants with chronic ankle instability. Gait and Posture. 2016
Donovan L, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Feger M, Herb CC, Hertel J. Rehabilitation for chronic ankle instability with and without destabilization devices: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Athletic Training. 2016
Feger M, Glaviano N, Donovan L, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Hertel J. Current trends in the evaluation, treatment, and physical therapy referral patterns following lateral ankle sprain in the United States. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016
Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Effects of 2 Ankle Destabilization Devices on Electromyography Measures during Functional Exercises in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 45.3 (2015): 220-232.
Feger M, Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Lower extremity muscle activation in patients with and without chronic ankle instability. Journal of Athletic Training. 2015.
Barlow G, Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Effect of lace-up ankle braces on electromyography measures during walking in subjects with chronic ankle instability. Physical Therapy in Sport. (2015)
Feger MA, Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Effect of ankle braces on lower extremity muscle activation during functional exercises in participants with chronic ankle instability. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. (2014)
Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Lower extremity electromyography measures during walking with ankle destabilization devices. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. 2014.
Feger M, Donovan L, Hart JM, Hertel J. Lower extremity muscle activation during functional exercises in patients with and without chronic ankle instability. PM&R. 2014.
Donovan L, Hertel J. A New Paradigm for Rehabilitation of Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability. The Physician and Sportsmedicine. 2012;40(4).
