Subject-specific musculoskeletal modelling in patients before and after total hip arthroplasty

Musculoskeletal modeling and movement simulation for structural hip disorder research: A scoping review of methods, validation, and applications

Musculoskeletal modeling is a powerful tool to quantify biomechanical factors typically not feasible to measure in vivo, such as hip contact forces and deep muscle activations. While technological advancements in musculoskeletal modeling have increased accessibility, selecting the appropriate modeling approach for a specific research question, particularly when investigating pathological populations, has become more challenging. The purposes of this review were to summarize current modeling and simulation methods in structural hip disorder research, as well as evaluate model validation and study reproducibility. MEDLINE and Web of Science were searched to identify literature relating to the use of musculoskeletal models to investigate structural hip disorders (i.e., involving a bony abnormality of the pelvis, femur, or both). Forty-seven articles were included for analysis, which either compared multiple modeling methods or applied a single modeling workflow to answer a research question. Findings from studies comparing methods were summarized, such as the effect of generic versus patient-specific modeling techniques on model-estimated hip contact forces or muscle forces. The review also discussed limitations in validation practices, as only 11 of the included studies conducted a validation and used qualitative approaches only. Given the lack of information related to model validation, additional details regarding the development and validation of generic models were retrieved from references and modeling software documentation. To address the wide variability and under-reporting of data collection, data processing, and modeling methods highlighted in this review, we developed a template that researchers can complete and include as a table within the methodology section of their manuscripts. The use of this table will help increase transparency and reporting of essential details related to reproducibility and methods without being limited by word count restrictions. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive synthesis of modeling approaches that can help researchers make modeling decisions and evaluate existing literature.

Musculoskeletal modeling-based definition of load cases and worst-case fracture orientation for the design of clavicle fixation plates

Mechanical performance of clavicle fracture fixation plates is often evaluated using finite element (FE) analysis. Typically, these studies use simplified loading conditions and assume a transversal fracture orientation. However, the loading conditions and fracture orientation influence how the fracture site and thus fixation plate is loaded. In this study, a musculoskeletal model that included the clavicle muscles and scapulohumeral rhythm was defined based on previously published models. The standard OpenSim workflow (inverse kinematics, inverse dynamics, static optimization, and joint reaction analysis) was used to calculate muscle and joint contact forces based on 3D marker data collected in three subjects during seven activities of daily living (ADL). These loading conditions were then applied to a 3D clavicle model with three different fracture orientations and the mean resulting moments on both fragments were calculated to assess fracture stability. Magnitude of glenohumeral contact forces showed good agreement with instrumented shoulder prosthesis data, whereas simulated muscle activations were comparable to experimental EMG data. An oblique fracture orienting from superomedial to inferolateral was the least self-stabilizing. The loading to which the clavicle is exposed during ADL tasks is more complex than the simplified loading conditions typically used as boundary conditions in FE analyses of clavicle fracture fixation plates. Additionally, transversal fractures did not represent the least self-stabilizing fracture orientation, and thus calculated stresses in the plate could be underestimated. Therefore, more complex loading conditions and evaluation of a midshaft fracture running from superomedial to inferolateral is more relevant in FE analyses of midshaft clavicle fracture fixation plates.

Thin patient-specific clavicle fracture fixation plates can mechanically outperform commercial plates: An in silico approach

Current fixation plates used to operatively stabilize clavicular fractures are suboptimal, leading to reoperation rates up to 53%. Plate irritation, which can be caused by a poor geometric fit and plate thickness, has been found to be an important factor for reoperation. Moreover, muscle attachment sites (MAS) have to be detached occasionally. To improve current surgical clavicle fracture treatment with plate osteosynthesis, a change in plate design is required. The goal of this study was to design a patient-specific clavicle fracture fixation plate that includes geometrical optimization and stiffness determination. Its biomechanical performance has been compared with a commercial plate by examining the geometric fit, anatomical outline, stresses and interfragmentary motion using a finite element analysis with physiological loading and boundary conditions. Evaluation showed a better geometrical fit of the patient-specific plate as well as an improved fracture reduction. Displacements between fracture fragments were lower in case of the patient-specific plate, both when a fracture gap and no fracture gap were present. Results indicate a superior mechanical performance in terms of all investigated outcomes of the patient-specific plate compared to the commercial plate, while better aligning with the patient-specific geometry and without the need for MAS release. Due to the patient-specific geometry and reduced thickness, these fixation plates are expected to decrease the operation time, as intraoperative contouring will become irrelevant, and to decrease reoperation rates as implant irritation will be minimized.

Abductor Muscle Strength Deficit in Patients After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The aims of this study were to assess and quantify hip abductor muscle strength deficits after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and to determine associations with external factors.

METHODS

Studies reporting on hip abductor muscle strength before and/or after THA performed for osteoarthritis or atraumatic osteonecrosis of the hip were considered for inclusion. Data sources were Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Muscle strength on the affected side was compared with the healthy contralateral side or with control subjects. Study quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies reporting on 875 subjects met the inclusion criteria. Patients scheduled for THA had a mean strength deficit of 18.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) [-33.9, -3.2%]) compared with control subjects. Abductor muscle strength then increased by 20.2% (CI [5.6, 34.8%]) at 4-6 months, 29.6% (CI [4.7, 54.4%]) at 9-12 months, and 49.8% (CI [-31.0, 130.6%]) at 18-24 months postoperatively compared with preoperative values. For unilateral THA, the mean torque ratio was 86.3% (CI [75.4, 97.2%]) and 93.4% (CI [75.1, 111.6%]) before and >24 months after THA, respectively. Study quality was low to moderate.

CONCLUSION

Hip abductor muscle strength deficits may gradually improve during 24 months after THA possibly without complete recovery. Cautious interpretation of these findings is warranted because high-quality evidence is largely missing.

Torsion Tool: An automated tool for personalising femoral and tibial geometries in OpenSim musculoskeletal models

Common practice in musculoskeletal modelling is to use scaled musculoskeletal models based on a healthy adult, but this does not consider subject-specific geometry, such as tibial torsion and femoral neck-shaft and anteversion angles (NSA and AVA). The aims of this study were to (1) develop an automated tool for creating OpenSim models with subject-specific tibial torsion and femoral NSA and AVA, (2) evaluate the femoral component, and (3) release the tool open-source. The Torsion Tool (https://simtk.org/projects/torsiontool) is a MATLAB-based tool that requires an individual's tibial torsion, NSA and AVA estimates as input and rotates corresponding bones and associated muscle points of a generic musculoskeletal model. Performance of the Torsion Tool was evaluated comparing femur bones as personalised with the Torsion Tool and scaled generic femurs with manually segmented bones as golden standard for six typically developing children and thirteen children with cerebral palsy. The tool generated femur geometries closer to the segmentations, with lower maximum (-19%) and root mean square (-18%) errors and higher Jaccard indices (+9%) compared to generic femurs. Furthermore, the tool resulted in larger improvements for participants with higher NSA and AVA deviations. The Torsion Tool allows an automatic, fast, and user-friendly way of personalising femoral and tibial geometry in an OpenSim musculoskeletal model. Personalisation is expected to be particularly relevant in pathological populations, as will be further investigated by evaluating the effects on simulation outcomes.

Pre- and postoperative in silico biomechanics in individuals with cam morphology during stair tasks

BACKGROUND

Osteochondroplasty for cam femoroacetabular impingement is a common treatment to improve hip function and prevent joint degeneration. The purpose was to compare in-silico hip biomechanics during stair tasks in pre- and postoperative patients matched with healthy controls.

METHODS

Ten symptomatic cam femoroacetabular impingement patients performed stair ascent and descent pre- and 2 years postoperatively. Patients were age, and body-mass-index matched to controls. Full-body kinematics and kinetics were computed and, muscle and hip contact forces were estimated using musculoskeletal modeling and static optimization. Stance-phases were time-normalized and compared using statistical non-parametric mapping.

FINDINGS

Preoperatives showed lower hip abduction than controls during stairs ascent (76-100%, P = .007). Pre- and postoperative showed lower hip external rotation compared to controls on stair ascent (Pre-op vs controls: 71-100%, P = .005; Post-op vs controls: 72-100%, P = .01) and stair descent (Pre-op vs controls: 0-62%, P = .001; Post-op vs controls: 0-60%, P = .001). Postoperatives showed lower iliacus force compared to preoperative (1-3%, P = .012) and control (3-6%, P = .008), and higher gluteus maximus and piriformis forces compared to controls during stair descent. Lower postoperative anterior hip contact force (0-7%, P = .004) during descent, and superior (33-35%, P = .018) during ascent compared to controls were observed. Postoperative contact forces were medialized compared to preoperative (0-2%, P = .011) and controls (1-2%, P = .016).

INTERPRETATION

Forcing participants to adhere to standardized step length/rise minimized sagittal kinematic differences between conditions and groups. Persistent reduced hip external rotation postoperatively and minor muscle force adaptations led to reduced superior hip contact force during stair ascent and reduced anterior and more medialized contact forces during stair descent.

Effects of Hip Abductor Strengthening on Musculoskeletal Loading in Hip Dysplasia Patients after Total Hip Replacement

Hip dysplasia patients after total hip replacement show worse functional performance compared to primary osteoarthritis patients, and unfortunately there is no research on muscle and joint loads that would help understand rehabilitation effects, motor dysfunctions and failure events. We tested the hypothesis that a higher functional improvement in hip dysplasia patients who received hip abductor strengthening after hip replacement, would result in different gait function and musculoskeletal loads during walking compared to patients who performed standard rehabilitation only. In vivo gait analysis and musculoskeletal modeling were used to analyze the differences in gait parameters and hip and muscle forces during walking between the two groups of patients. We found that, in a functional scenario of very mild abnormalities, the patients who performed muscle strengthening expressed a more physiological force pattern and a generally greater force in the operated limb, although statistically significant in limited portions of the gait cycle, and likely related to a higher gait speed. We conclude that in a low-demand task, the abductor strengthening program does not have a marked effect on hip loads, and further studies on hip dysplasia patients would help clarify the effect of muscle strengthening on loads.

Automated creation and tuning of personalised muscle paths for OpenSim musculoskeletal models of the knee joint

Computational modelling is an invaluable tool for investigating features of human locomotion and motor control which cannot be measured except through invasive techniques. Recent research has focussed on creating personalised musculoskeletal models using population-based morphing or directly from medical imaging. Although progress has been made, robust definition of two critical model parameters remains challenging: (1) complete tibiofemoral (TF) and patellofemoral (PF) joint motions, and (2) muscle tendon unit (MTU) pathways and kinematics (i.e. lengths and moment arms). The aim of this study was to develop an automated framework, using population-based morphing approaches to create personalised musculoskeletal models, consisting of personalised bone geometries, TF and PF joint mechanisms, and MTU pathways and kinematics. Informed from medical imaging, personalised rigid body TF and PF joint mechanisms were created. Using atlas- and optimisation-based methods, personalised MTU pathways and kinematics were created with the aim of preventing MTU penetration into bones and achieving smooth MTU kinematics that follow patterns from existing literature. This framework was integrated into the Musculoskeletal Atlas Project Client software package to create and optimise models for 6 participants with incrementally increasing levels of personalisation with the aim of improving MTU kinematics and pathways. Three comparisons were made: (1) non-optimised (Model 1) and optimised models (Model 3) with generic joint mechanisms; (2) non-optimised (Model 2) and optimised models (Model 4) with personalised joint mechanisms; and (3) both optimised models (Model 3 and 4). Following optimisation, improvements were consistently shown in pattern similarity to cadaveric data in comparison (1) and (2). For comparison (3), a number of comparisons showed no significant difference between the two compared models. Importantly, optimisation did not produce statistically significantly worse results in any case.

A multi-scale modelling framework combining musculoskeletal rigid-body simulations with adaptive finite element analyses, to evaluate the impact of femoral geometry on hip joint contact forces and femoral bone growth

Multi-scale simulations, combining muscle and joint contact force (JCF) from musculoskeletal simulations with adaptive mechanobiological finite element analysis, allow to estimate musculoskeletal loading and predict femoral growth in children. Generic linearly scaled musculoskeletal models are commonly used. This approach, however, neglects subject- and age-specific musculoskeletal geometry, e.g. femoral neck-shaft angle (NSA) and anteversion angle (AVA). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of proximal femoral geometry, i.e. altered NSA and AVA, on hip JCF and femoral growth simulations. Musculoskeletal models with NSA ranging from 120° to 150° and AVA ranging from 20° to 50° were created and used to calculate muscle and hip JCF based on the gait analysis data of a typically developing child. A finite element model of a paediatric femur was created from magnetic resonance images. The finite element model was morphed to the geometries of the different musculoskeletal models and used for mechanobiological finite element analysis to predict femoral growth trends. Our findings showed that hip JCF increase with increasing NSA and AVA. Furthermore, the orientation of the hip JCF followed the orientation of the femoral neck axis. Consequently, the osteogenic index, which is a function of cartilage stresses and defines the growth rate, barely changed with altered NSA and AVA. Nevertheless, growth predictions were sensitive to the femoral geometry due to changes in the predicted growth directions. Altered NSA had a bigger impact on the growth results than altered AVA. Growth simulations based on mechanobiological principles were in agreement with reported changes in paediatric populations.

Lower functioning patients demonstrate atypical hip joint loading before and following total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis

Previous studies have established that up to 1 year post total hip arthroplasty (THA), patients do not recover normal function and the magnitude of hip joint loading remains reduced compared to healthy individuals. However, the temporal nature of the loading profile has not been considered to identify individuals who are at a greater risk of poor functional outcomes following THA. This study aimed to determine changes to the profile and magnitude of the resultant hip joint reaction force before and up to 6 months post-primary THA, and factors associated with atypical loading profiles. Hip joint loading was computed using a personalized lower-limb musculoskeletal model in 43 participants awaiting primary THA for osteoarthritis (mean age: SD = 65, 14 years; body mass index: SD = 30, 5 kg/m² ) before and up to 6 months after THA. Atypical, single-peak loading profiles were observed for 11 patients before surgery, where four showed a single peak at 6 months. Patients displaying a single-peak profile walked slower (mean difference: -0.4 m/s) compared to individuals displaying double-peak profile (P = <.001) and had significantly reduced sagittal plane hip range of motion during gait (mean difference -9.6°, P = <.001). Self-reported pain, function, and stiffness did not differentiate between patients with a single or double-peak loading profile. Individuals with a single-peak force profile did not meet the minimal clinically important hip range of motion during gait and would be classified as low-functioning THA patients. Clinical Relevance: The temporal nature of the force profile may help to identify individuals who are at the greatest risk of poor functional outcomes after THA.

Predicting longitudinal changes in joint contact forces in a juvenile population: scaled generic versus subject-specific musculoskeletal models

Subject-specific musculoskeletal model use in clinical settings is limited due to development-associated time and effort burdens together with potential medical imaging unavailability. As an alternative, this study investigated consistency in estimating longitudinal changes in joint contact forces (JCF) between scaled generic and subject-specific models. For 11 children, joint kinematics and JCF were calculated using subject-specific and scaled generic models. JCF changes estimated by both models were strongly correlated for the hip and knee although JCF estimates varied between models. Findings suggest that within specified limits of accuracy, scaled generic models are sensitive enough to detect JCF changes consistent with subject-specific models.

A Machine Learning Approach to Estimate Hip and Knee Joint Loading Using a Mobile Phone-Embedded IMU

Hip osteoarthritis patients exhibit changes in kinematics and kinetics that affect joint loading. Monitoring this load can provide valuable information to clinicians. For example, a patient's joint loading measured across different activities can be used to determine the amount of exercise that the patient needs to complete each day. Unfortunately, current methods for measuring joint loading require a lab environment which most clinicians do not have access to. This study explores employing machine learning to construct a model that can estimate joint loading based on sensor data obtained solely from a mobile phone. In order to learn such a model, we collected a dataset from 10 patients with hip osteoarthritis who performed multiple repetitions of nine different exercises. During each repetition, we simultaneously recorded 3D motion capture data, ground reaction force data, and the inertial measurement unit data from a mobile phone attached to the patient's hip. The 3D motion and ground reaction force data were used to compute the ground truth joint loading using musculoskeletal modeling. Our goal is to estimate the ground truth loading value using only the data captured by the sensors of the mobile phone. We propose a machine learning pipeline for learning such a model based on the recordings of a phone's accelerometer and gyroscope. When evaluated for an unseen patient, the proposed pipeline achieves a mean absolute error of 29% for the left hip and 36% for the right hip. While our approach is a step in the direction of using a minimal number of sensors to estimate joint loading outside the lab, developing a tool that is accurate enough to be applicable in a clinical context still remains an open challenge. It may be necessary to use sensors at more than one location in order to obtain better estimates.

A musculoskeletal modelling approach to explain sit-to-stand difficulties in older people due to changes in muscle recruitment and movement strategies

By 2050 the proportion of over 65s is predicted to be 20% of the population. The consequences of an age-related reduction in muscle mass have not been fully investigated and, therefore, the aim of the present study was to quantify the muscle and joint contact forces using musculoskeletal modelling, during a sit-to-stand activity, to better explain difficulties in performing everyday activities for older people. A sit-to-stand activity with and without the use of arm rests was observed in ninety-five male participants, placed into groups of young (aged 18-35 years), middle-aged (aged 40-60 years) or older adults (aged 65 years and over). Older participants demonstrated significantly lower knee extensor and joint forces than the young when not using arm rests, compensating through elevated hip extensor and ankle plantarflexor muscle activity. The older group were also found to have higher shoulder joint contact forces whilst using arm rests. This tendency to reorganise muscle recruitment to include neighbouring groups or other parts of the body could make everyday activities more susceptible to age-related functional decline. Reductions in leg strength, via age- or atrophy- related means, creates increased reliance on the upper body and may result in further lower limb atrophy through disuse. The eventual decline of upper body function reduces strength reserves, leading to increased vulnerability, dependence on others and risk of institutionalisation.

Accuracy of patient-specific instrumentation in shoulder arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

There has been significant recent emphasis on the use of patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) in shoulder arthroplasty. However, clinical data are lacking to support the increased time and expense associated with PSI. Our purposes were to determine whether PSI significantly improves implantation accuracy during total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and to analyze available techniques and correlation with clinical outcomes. We hypothesized that PSI may improve glenoid component position radiographically but without correlation with clinical outcomes.

Methods

The MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were queried. Included articles reported use of any preoperative or intraoperative PSI techniques, models, or guides to assist with TSA prosthesis implantation. The primary outcomes were mean deviation from the preoperative plan in version (in degrees), inclination (in degrees), and entry-point offset on the glenoid (in millimeters).

Results

Among the included articles, 518 TSA procedures (352 anatomic and 166 reverse) were performed. The mean postoperative errors in both version and inclination angles were 5° or less in 20 articles (90.9%) using PSI. Meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in version error (P > .999, I ² = 64.6%), inclination error (P = .702, I ² = 82.2%), or positional offset (P = .777, I ² = 85.7%) between PSI and standard instrumentation. No data regarding patient-reported outcome measures, range of motion, strength, or glenoid component loosening and longevity were reported.

Conclusions

Meta-analysis revealed no significant differences in accuracy between PSI and standard instrumentation. Although PSI may possess the potential to improve TSA techniques, further investigations regarding long-term clinical outcomes, impact on operating room time, and cost-effectiveness are warranted before PSI can be routinely recommended over conventional instrumentation.

The effects of electromyography-assisted modelling in estimating musculotendon forces during gait in children with cerebral palsy

Neuro-musculoskeletal modelling can provide insight into the aberrant muscle function during walking in those suffering cerebral palsy (CP). However, such modelling employs optimization to estimate muscle activation that may not account for disturbed motor control and muscle weakness in CP. This study evaluated different forms of neuro-musculoskeletal model personalization and optimization to estimate musculotendon forces during gait of nine children with CP (GMFCS I-II) and nine typically developing (TD) children. Data collection included 3D-kinematics, ground reaction forces, and electromyography (EMG) of eight lower limb muscles. Four different optimization methods estimated muscle activation and musculotendon forces of a scaled-generic musculoskeletal model for each child walking, i.e. (i) static optimization that minimized summed-excitation squared; (ii) static optimization with maximum isometric muscle forces scaled to body mass; (iii) an EMG-assisted approach using optimization to minimize summed-excitation squared while reducing tracking errors of experimental EMG-linear envelopes and joint moments; and (iv) EMG-assisted with musculotendon model parameters first personalized by calibration. Both static optimization approaches showed a relatively low model performance compared to EMG envelopes. EMG-assisted approaches performed much better, especially in CP, with only a minor mismatch in joint moments. Calibration did not affect model performance significantly, however it did affect musculotendon forces, especially in CP. A model more consistent with experimental measures is more likely to yield more physiologically representative results. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of calibrated EMG-assisted modelling when estimating musculotendon forces in TD children and even more so in children with CP.

Selective dorsal rhizotomy improves muscle forces during walking in children with spastic cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND

Selective dorsal rhizotomy aims to reduce spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Early investigations indicated postoperative weakness, whereas more recent studies showed that selective dorsal rhizotomy either does not change or improves muscle strength. All previous studies assessed muscle strength in a static position, which did not represent the walking situation. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of selective dorsal rhizotomy on muscle forces during gait.

METHODS

Motion capture data of 25 children with spastic cerebral palsy and 10 typically developing participants were collected. A musculoskeletal OpenSim model was used to calculate joint kinematics, joint kinetics and muscle forces during gait. Static optimization and an electromyography-informed approach to calculate muscle forces were compared. A Muscle-Force-Profile was introduced and used to compare the muscle forces during walking before and after a selective dorsal rhizotomy.

FINDINGS

Independent of the approach used (electromyography-informed versus static optimization), selective dorsal rhizotomy significantly normalized forces in spastic muscles during walking and did not reduce the contribution of non-spastic muscles.

INTERPRETATION

This study showed that selective dorsal rhizotomy improves dynamic muscle forces in children with cerebral palsy and leads to less gait pathology, as shown in the improvement in joint kinematics and joint kinetics. Individual muscle force analyses using the Muscle-Force-Profile extend standard joint kinematics and joint moment analyses, which might improve clinical-decision making in children with cerebral palsy in the future. The reference data of our participants and MATLAB code for the Muscle-Force-Profile are publicly available on simtk.org/projects/muscleprofile.

Patient-Specific Static Structural Analysis of Femur Bone of different lengths

Background:

The femur bone is an essential part of human activity, providing stability and support in carrying out our day to day activities. The inter-human anatomical variation and load bearing ability of humans of different heights will provide the necessary understanding of their functional ability.

Objective:

In this study, femur bone of two humans of different lengths (tall femur and short femur) were subjected to static structural loading conditions to evaluate their load-bearing abilities using Finite Element Analysis.

Methods:

The 3D models of femur bones were developed using MIMICS from the CT scans which were then subjected to static structural analysis by varying the load from 1000N to 8000N. The von Mises stress and deformation were captured to compare the performance of each of the femur bones.

Results:

The tall femur resulted in reduced Von-Mises stress and total deformation when compared to the short femur. However, the maximum principle stresses showed an increase with an increase in the bone length. In both the femurs, the maximum stresses were observed in the medullary region.

Conclusion:

When the applied load exceeds 10 times the body weight of the person, the tall femur model exceeded 134 MPa stress value. The short femur model failed at 9 times the body weight, indicating that the tall femur had higher load-bearing abilities.

Patient-specific mobility assessment to monitor recovery after total hip arthroplasty

Total hip arthroplasty is a ubiquitously successful orthopedic surgical procedure, whose prevalence is rising worldwide. While many investigations focus on characterizing periprosthetic pathophysiology, the objective of our research is to develop and describe multi-metric assemblies as a first step toward creating a patient-specific mobility index that rehabilitators and orthopedic surgeons can utilize for prescribing their respective procedures. In total, 48 total hip arthroplasty patients (both cemented and uncemented) undergoing unilateral, primary surgery went through computed tomographic scans and gait analysis measurements both before and 1 year following their surgery. Altogether, the reported quantitative metrics include 11 spatial and temporal gait parameters, muscle density, and electromyography signals from the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis, and bone mineral density values from bioimage analysis around the implant stem. We found that measured parameters from a subgroup were sensitive to changes observed during patient recovery, implicating the predictive sensitivity of these patient conditions. Most post-operative gait parameters changed significantly, while electromyography data indicated few significant differences. Moreover, results from bioimage analyses indicate a general reduction of periprosthetic bone mineral density after 1 year, in association with increasing density of the quadriceps muscles. Furthermore, this work identifies which quantitative metrics undergo the greatest variation after total hip arthroplasty and demonstrates the clinical feasibility of a multimodal approach to mobility assessment that may ultimately support decision-making for post-surgical rehabilitation protocols.

Longitudinal joint loading in patients before and up to one year after unilateral total hip arthroplasty

Abnormal kinematics and kinetics have been reported in hip osteoarthritis (OA) patients before and after total hip arthroplasty (THA). These changes can affect the loading of the ipsilateral hip, as well as the contralateral hip and knee joint. As it is not clear how hip and knee loading evolves in THA patients during the first year after surgery, the goal of this study is to define how joint loading changes in patients before and at three evaluation times after THA surgery. Musculoskeletal modelling in combination with gait analysis data was used to calculate hip and knee contact forces in 14 patients before and 3-, 6- and 12-months after unilateral THA, as well as in 18 healthy controls. Results showed that bilateral hip and knee loading were decreased compared to controls, both before and after THA surgery. Loading symmetry was altered compared to controls at 3-months post-surgery for the hip and at all evaluation times, except for 6-months post-surgery, for the knee, with ipsilateral joint loading decreased compared to the contralateral side. To conclude, 12-months after THA joint loading was not normalized, with both hip and knee loading in patients decreased compared to controls. Therefore, no overloading of the ipsi- or contralateral hip and knee joint was found before and up to one year after unilateral THA.

Sagittal alignment and mobility of the thoracolumbar spine are associated with radiographic progression of secondary hip osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To identify predictors of radiographic progression of hip osteoarthritis (OA) over 12 months among functional hip impairments and spinal alignment and mobility.

DESIGN

Fifty female patients with secondary hip OA, excluding those with end-stage hip OA, participated in this prospective cohort study. Joint space width (JSW) of the hip was measured at baseline and 12 months later. With radiographic progression of hip OA over 12 months (>0.5 mm in JSW) as dependent variable, logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for hip OA progression among functional impairments of the hip and spine with and without adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), and minimum JSW at baseline. The independent variables were hip pain, Harris hip score (HHS), hip morphological parameters, hip passive range of motion (ROM) and muscle strength, and alignment and mobility of the thoracolumbar spine at baseline.

RESULTS

Twenty-one (42.0%) patients demonstrated radiographic progression of hip OA. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that larger anterior inclination of the spine in standing position (adjusted OR [95% CI], 1.37 [1.04-1.80]; P = 0.028) and less thoracolumbar spine mobility (adjusted OR [95% CI], 0.96 [0.92-0.99]; P = 0.037) at baseline were statistically significantly associated with radiographic progression of hip OA, even after adjustment for age, BMI, and minimum JSW.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that spinal alignment and mobility should be considered when assessing risk and designing preventive intervention for radiographic progression of secondary hip OA.

nmsBuilder: Freeware to create subject-specific musculoskeletal models for OpenSim

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Musculoskeletal modeling and simulations of movement have been increasingly used in orthopedic and neurological scenarios, with increased attention to subject-specific applications. In general, musculoskeletal modeling applications have been facilitated by the development of dedicated software tools; however, subject-specific studies have been limited also by time-consuming modeling workflows and high skilled expertise required. In addition, no reference tools exist to standardize the process of musculoskeletal model creation and make it more efficient. Here we present a freely available software application, nmsBuilder 2.0, to create musculoskeletal models in the file format of OpenSim, a widely-used open-source platform for musculoskeletal modeling and simulation. nmsBuilder 2.0 is the result of a major refactoring of a previous implementation that moved a first step toward an efficient workflow for subject-specific model creation.

METHODS

nmsBuilder includes a graphical user interface that provides access to all functionalities, based on a framework for computer-aided medicine written in C++. The operations implemented can be used in a workflow to create OpenSim musculoskeletal models from 3D surfaces. A first step includes data processing to create supporting objects necessary to create models, e.g. surfaces, anatomical landmarks, reference systems; and a second step includes the creation of OpenSim objects, e.g. bodies, joints, muscles, and the corresponding model.

RESULTS

We present a case study using nmsBuilder 2.0: the creation of an MRI-based musculoskeletal model of the lower limb. The model included four rigid bodies, five degrees of freedom and 43 musculotendon actuators, and was created from 3D surfaces of the segmented images of a healthy subject through the modeling workflow implemented in the software application.

CONCLUSIONS

We have presented nmsBuilder 2.0 for the creation of musculoskeletal OpenSim models from image-based data, and made it freely available via nmsbuilder.org. This application provides an efficient workflow for model creation and helps standardize the process. We hope this would help promote personalized applications in musculoskeletal biomechanics, including larger sample size studies, and might also represent a basis for future developments for specific applications.

Physical Activity for Strengthening Fracture Prone Regions of the Proximal Femur

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Physical activity improves proximal femoral bone health; however, it remains unclear whether changes translate into a reduction in fracture risk. To enhance any fracture-protective effects of physical activity, fracture prone regions within the proximal femur need to be targeted.

RECENT FINDINGS

The proximal femur is designed to withstand forces in the weight-bearing direction, but less so forces associated with falls in a sideways direction. Sideways falls heighten femoral neck fracture risk by loading the relatively weak superolateral region of femoral neck. Recent studies exploring regional adaptation of the femoral neck to physical activity have identified heterogeneous adaptation, with adaptation principally occurring within inferomedial weight-bearing regions and little to no adaptation occurring in the superolateral femoral neck. There is a need to develop novel physical activities that better target and strengthen the superolateral femoral neck within the proximal femur. Design of these activities may be guided by subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling and finite-element modeling approaches.

EMG-Driven Optimal Estimation of Subject-SPECIFIC Hill Model Muscle-Tendon Parameters of the Knee Joint Actuators

OBJECTIVE

the purpose of this paper is to propose an optimal control problem formulation to estimate subject-specific Hill model muscle-tendon (MT-) parameters of the knee joint actuators by optimizing the fit between experimental and model-based knee moments. Additionally, this paper aims at determining which sets of functional motions contain the necessary information to identify the MT-parameters.

METHODS

the optimal control and parameter estimation problem underlying the MT-parameter estimation is solved for subject-specific MT-parameters via direct collocation using an electromyography-driven musculoskeletal model. The sets of motions containing sufficient information to identify the MT-parameters are determined by evaluating knee moments simulated based on subject-specific MT-parameters against experimental moments.

RESULTS

the MT-parameter estimation problem was solved in about 30 CPU minutes. MT-parameters could be identified from only seven of the 62 investigated sets of motions, underlining the importance of the experimental protocol. Using subject-specific MT-parameters instead of more common linearly scaled MT-parameters improved the fit between inverse dynamics moments and simulated moments by about 30% in terms of the coefficient of determination (from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]) and by about 26% in terms of the root mean square error (from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] ). In particular, subject-specific MT-parameters of the knee flexors were very different from linearly scaled MT-parameters.

CONCLUSION

we introduced a computationally efficient optimal control problem formulation and provided guidelines for designing an experimental protocol to estimate subject-specific MT-parameters improving the accuracy of motion simulations.

SIGNIFICANCE

the proposed formulation opens new perspectives for subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling, which might be beneficial for simulating and understanding pathological motions.