Research Interests:
- Clinical trials and observational studies related to knee and shoulder
- Development and validation of patient reported outcomes including applications of items response theory (IRT) and computer adaptive testing (CAT)
Ongoing Projects:
- STaR Trial
- POETT
- TeMPO
- Update IKDC-SKF
- Losartan for treatment of acute hamstring strains in athlete and military personnel
Summary:
James Irrgang is professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. He also has secondary appointments in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute in the School of Medicine. Currently, Irrgang serves as the Scientific Director of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Physical Therapy Outcomes Registry. His research interests include development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures as well as clinical research related to the knee and shoulder. Current active studies include a: 1) multicenter randomized clinical trial to determine the effects of timing of surgery (early vs. delayed) and post-operative rehabilitation (early vs. delayed) for the treatment of multiple ligament knee injuries on time to return to pre-injury activity; 2) prospective observational study to determine the outcome and factors influencing the effects of exercise therapy for individuals with a full-thickness supraspinatus tear; 3) randomized clinical trial to examine four methods of exercise for treatment of degenerative meniscus tears. His areas of clinical expertise are related to evaluation and treatment of the knee and shoulder. Irrgang is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Additionally, he served as President of the Orthopaedic Section from 2007 to 2013 and was presented with the Paris Distinguished Service Award from the Section in 2015.