Steve Messier

Steve Messier is Professor and Director of the J.B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory at Wake Forest University, where he has been for 42 years. His primary focus is on knee osteoarthritis (OA) research, with 32 years of specialized experience in clinical trials specifically related to this condition.

Dr. Messier's research primarily centers on the effects of exercise and weight loss on gait, strength, function, and pain in knee osteoarthritis. He is renowned for discovering that for every pound lost, the knee loses four pounds of stress. His work has established that dietary weight loss and exercise interventions may not only treat but potentially prevent knee osteoarthritis. His research spans biomechanics, clinical interventions, and long-term outcomes for patients with joint conditions, with particular emphasis on gender differences as osteoarthritis affects nearly twice as many women as men.

Dr. Messier has received numerous prestigious awards including the lifetime achievement award from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (2022), the Borelli Award from the American Society of Biomechanics (2020) for outstanding career accomplishment through exemplary research in biomechanics, and the career achievement award from the American College of Sports Medicine Biomechanics Group (2009).

As principal investigator of multiple large-scale clinical trials, Dr. Messier has secured significant research funding totaling $17.1 million from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His current project, The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study (TOPS), is a multi-center trial examining whether dietary weight loss, exercise, and weight-loss maintenance can prevent knee osteoarthritis in 1,230 at-risk women over four years.

Dr. Messier leads the J.B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory at Wake Forest University, where his research team conducts cutting-edge work on knee osteoarthritis, gait analysis, and intervention strategies. The laboratory serves as a hub for clinical research and collaborates with institutions including Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Sydney in Australia.