About Jackie
BKin, Kinesiology, University of Toronto (2015)
MSc, Biomechanics, University of Toronto (2017)
PhD, Biomechanics, University of Waterloo (2023)
PDF, Mechanobiology, University of Calgary (2025)
Dr. Jackie Zehr is the director of the Integrative Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab (iMBL). Her research combines human movement analysis with joint-, tissue- and molecular-level mechanical testing to investigate the causes of debilitating overuse injuries, particularly those occurring in soft tissues of the spine and knee joints. A central theme of her work is understanding how repetitive and sustained loading leads to microdamage accumulation, and how recovery from such exposures is governed by the interactions between time and mechanical/physiological stimuli experienced during inter-session rest periods. Complementing this, Dr. Zehr further incorporates mechanobiology approaches to examine how cells and tissues sense and respond to mechanical loading, linking mechanical environments to biological signaling pathways, tissue remodeling, and repair processes. Through this multi-scale, integrative approach, the iMBL aims to bridge the gap between whole-body movement and tissue-level adaptation to inform strategies for injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization.
Spine Biomechanics
Cumulative Load and Mechanical Fatigue in Soft Tissues
Initiation and Accumulation of Microdamage in Response to Subthreshold Loading
Mechanisms of Acute Inter-Session Recovery in Soft Tissues of the Spine
Acute and Long-term Adaptation to Mechanical and Physiological Stimuli
Overuse Injury Causation and Prevention
Mechanical Testing of Joints and Tissues
Zehr, JD., Joumaa, V., Callaghan, JP., Herzog, W. (2025). Region-dependent properties of lamellae constituents. A microscopic insight into intervertebral disc herniation mechanisms. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. 168; 107045
Zehr, JD., Quadrilatero, J., Callaghan JP. (2024). Indentation mechanics and native collagen content in the cartilaginous endplate: A comparison between porcine cervical and human lumbar spines. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. 150; 106344
Zehr, JD., Watson, MI., Callaghan, JP. (2023). Experimentally dissociating the overuse mechanisms of endplate fracture lesions and Schmorl’s node injuries using the porcine cervical spine model. Clinical Biomechanics. 104; 105946
Zehr, JD., Quadrilatero, J, Callaghan, JP. (2023). Incidence of compression induced microinjuries in the cartilage endplate of the spine. Spine. 48(9); E122-E129.
Zehr, JD., Barrett, JM., Callaghan, JP. (2022). Cyclic loading history alters the joint compression tolerance and regional indentation responses in the cartilaginous endplate. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. 136; 105542.
Zehr, JD., Rahman, FA., Callaghan, JP., Quadrilatero, J. (2022). Mechanically induced histochemical and structural damage in the annulus fibrosus and cartilaginous endplate: A multi-colour immunofluorescence analysis. Cell and Tissue Research. 390(1); 59-70.
Zehr, JD., Callaghan, JP. (2022). Reaction forces and flexion-extension moments imposed on functional spinal units with constrained and unconstrained in vitro testing systems. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 144(5); 054501.
Zehr, JD., Buchman-Pearle, JM., Beach, TAC., Gooyers, CE., Callaghan, JP. (2021). Regulating movement frequency and speed: Implications for lumbar spine load management strategies demonstrated using an in vitro porcine model. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 37(6); 538-546.
Zehr, JD., Buchman-Pearle, JM., Callaghan, JP. (2020). Joint fatigue-failure: A demonstration of viscoelastic responses to rate and frequency loading parameters using the porcine cervical spine. Journal of Biomechanics, 113; 110081.
Zehr, JD., Tennant, LM., Callaghan, JP. (2019). Incorporating loading variability into in vitro injury analyses and its effect on cumulative compression tolerance in porcine cervical spine units. Journal of Biomechanics, 88; 48-54.
Zehr, JD., Howarth, SJ., Beach, TAC. (2018). Using relative phase analyses and vector coding to quantify pelvis-thorax coordination during lifting – A methodological investigation. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 39; 104-113
KPE365: Advanced Biomechanics
KIN8455: Motion Analysis for the Sports Sciences - 3D Kinematics and Kinetics
International Society of Biomechanics
International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine
Canadian Society for Biomechanics
American College of Sports Medicine