Biography
Dr Fearghal Behan is an Assistant Professor in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy in Trinity College Dublin. Fearghal's research focuses on musculoskeletal health, sports/exercise related injury, and neuromuscular function. His research aims to improve injury prevention and rehabilitation. He is interested in precision exercise science based interventions and utilises neuromuscular function, biomechanical, and imaging methods (MRI, 2 dimensional ultrasound) to conduct his research.
Fearghal commenced his career as a Physiotherapist following his undergraduate and master's degrees. He worked in a variety of clinical settings before specialising as a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist. He practiced both in acute hospitals and in elite sports medicine settings. After many years of clinical practice, Fearghal completed a PhD in 'Neuromechanics of Explosive Performance for Movement Control and Joint Stabilisation' in Loughborough University. Thereafter, he worked as a Research Scientist in Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha, Qatar, as an Assistant Professor in Dublin City University, and as a Research Fellow in Imperial College London, where he obtained a Marie Curie Fellowship. He continues to collaborate with imperial College London as a Visiting Research Fellow.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Behan F.P., Bull A.M.J., Beck B.R., Brooke-Wavell K., Muller R., Vico L., Isaksson H., Harvey N.C., Buis A., Sherman K., Jefferson G., Cleather D.J., McGregor A., Bennett A.N., Developing an exercise intervention to minimise hip bone mineral density loss following traumatic lower limb amputation: a Delphi study, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2024
Watson F.C.E., Kedgley A.E., Schofield S., Behan F.P., Boos C.J., Fear N.T., Bennett A.N., Bull A.M.J., Upper Limb Function in People With Upper and Lower Limb Loss 8 Years Postinjury: The Armed Services Trauma Outcome Study (ADVANCE) Cohort Study, Physical Therapy, 104, (10), 2024
O'Sullivan O., Behan F.P., Coppack R.J., Stocks J., Kluzek S., Valdes A.M., Bennett A.N., Osteoarthritis in the UK Armed Forces: a review of its impact, treatment and future research, BMJ Military Health, 170, (4), 2024, p359 - 364, p359-364
Whyte E., O'Connor S., Jones H.T., McBride C., O'Flynn A., Quinn O., Behan F., The relationship between hamstring strength tests and sprint performance in female Gaelic footballers: A correlation and linear regression analysis, PLoS ONE, 19, (6 June), 2024
Behan F.P., Van Dyk N., Rane L., Thorne E., Banaghan A., Gilsenan K., Whyte E.F., Implementing hamstring injury prevention programmes remotely: a randomised proof of concept trial, BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 10, (1), 2024
McMenemy L., Behan F.P., Kaufmann J., Cain D., Bennett A.N., Boos C.J., Fear N.T., Cullinan P., Bull A.M.J., Phillips A.T.M., McGregor A.H., Association Between Combat-Related Traumatic Injury and Skeletal Health: Bone Mineral Density Loss Is Localized and Correlates With Altered Loading in Amputees: the Armed Services Trauma Rehabilitation Outcome (ADVANCE) Study, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 38, (9), 2023, p1227 - 1233, p1227-1233
Behan F.P., Opar D.A., Vermeulen R., Timmins R.G., Whiteley R., The dose"response of pain throughout a Nordic hamstring exercise intervention, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 33, (4), 2023, p542 - 546, p542-546
Behan F.P., Bull A.M.J., Bennett A., Developing an exercise intervention to improve bone mineral density in traumatic amputees: Protocol for a Delphi study, BMJ Open, 13, (10), 2023
Behan F.P., Vermeulen R., Whiteley R., Timmins R.G., Ruddy J.D., Opar D.A., The Dose-Response of the Nordic Hamstring Exercise on Biceps Femoris Architecture and Eccentric Knee Flexor Strength: A Randomized Interventional Trial, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 17, (4), 2022, p646 - 654, p646-654
Labidi M., Ihsan M., Behan F.P., Alhammoud M., Smith T., Mohamed M., Tourny C., Racinais S., Six weeks of localized heat therapy does not affect muscle mass, strength and contractile properties in healthy active humans, European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121, (2), 2021, p573 - 582, p573-582
Opar D.A., Timmins R.G., Behan F.P., Hickey J.T., van Dyk N., Price K., Maniar N., Is Pre-season Eccentric Strength Testing During the Nordic Hamstring Exercise Associated with Future Hamstring Strain Injury? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Sports Medicine, 51, (9), 2021, p1935 - 1945, p1935-1945
Behan F.P., Moody R., Patel T.S., Lattimore E., Maden-Wilkinson T.M., Balshaw T.G., Biceps femoris long head muscle fascicle length does not differ between sexes, Journal of Sports Sciences, 37, (21), 2019, p2452 - 2458, p2452-2458
Van Dyk N., Behan F.P., Whiteley R., Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53, (21), 2019, p1362 - 1370, p1362-1370
Behan F.P., Vermeulen R., Smith T., Arnaiz J., Whiteley R., Timmins R.G., Opar D.A., Poor agreement between ultrasound and inbuilt diffusion tensor MRI measures of biceps femoris long head fascicle length, Translational Sports Medicine, 2, (2), 2019, p58 - 63, p58-63
Girard O., Behan F.P., Cabello-Manrique D., Fernandez-Fernandez J., Badminton preferentially decreases explosive over maximal voluntary torque in both the plantar flexors and extensors, Translational Sports Medicine, 2, (1), 2019, p39 - 46, p39-46
Behan F.P., Willis S., Pain M.T.G., Folland J.P., Effects of football simulated fatigue on neuromuscular function and whole-body response to disturbances in balance, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 28, (12), 2018, p2547 - 2557, p2547-2557
Behan F.P., Pain M.T.G., Folland J.P., Explosive voluntary torque is related to whole-body response to unexpected perturbations, Journal of Biomechanics, 81, 2018, p86 - 92, p86-92
Behan F.P., Maden-Wilkinson T.M., Pain M.T.G., Folland J.P., Sex differences in muscle morphology of the knee flexors and knee extensors, PLoS ONE, 13, (1), 2018