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Brambilla C, Beltrame G, Marino G, Lanzani V, Gatti R, Portinaro N, Molinari Tosatti L, Scano A. Biomechanical Analysis of Human Gait When Changing Velocity and Carried Loads: Simulation Study with OpenSim. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:321. [PMID: 38785803 PMCID: PMC11118041 DOI: 10.3390/biology13050321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Walking is one of the main activities of daily life and gait analysis can provide crucial data for the computation of biomechanics in many fields. In multiple applications, having reference data that include a variety of gait conditions could be useful for assessing walking performance. However, limited extensive reference data are available as many conditions cannot be easily tested experimentally. For this reason, a musculoskeletal model in OpenSim coupled with gait data (at seven different velocities) was used to simulate seven carried loads and all the combinations between the two parameters. The effects on lower limb biomechanics were measured with torque, power, and mechanical work. The results demonstrated that biomechanics was influenced by both speed and load. Our results expand the previous literature: in the majority of previous work, only a subset of the presented conditions was investigated. Moreover, our simulation approach provides comprehensive data that could be useful for applications in many areas, such as rehabilitation, orthopedics, medical care, and sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Brambilla
- Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), Italian Council of National Research (CNR), 20133 Milan, Italy; (C.B.); (V.L.); (L.M.T.)
| | - Giulia Beltrame
- Residency Program in Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.B.); (N.P.)
| | - Giorgia Marino
- Physiotherapy Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20098 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (R.G.)
| | - Valentina Lanzani
- Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), Italian Council of National Research (CNR), 20133 Milan, Italy; (C.B.); (V.L.); (L.M.T.)
| | - Roberto Gatti
- Physiotherapy Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 20098 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (R.G.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, 20072 Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Portinaro
- Residency Program in Orthopedics and Traumatology, Universitá degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.B.); (N.P.)
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Molinari Tosatti
- Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), Italian Council of National Research (CNR), 20133 Milan, Italy; (C.B.); (V.L.); (L.M.T.)
| | - Alessandro Scano
- Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), Italian Council of National Research (CNR), 20133 Milan, Italy; (C.B.); (V.L.); (L.M.T.)
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Koo YJ, Hwangbo J, Koo S. Higher coactivations of lower limb muscles increase stability during walking on slippery ground in forward dynamics musculoskeletal simulation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22808. [PMID: 38129534 PMCID: PMC10739792 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49865-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The energy efficiency theory of human bipedal locomotion has been widely accepted as a neuro-musculoskeletal control method. However, coactivation of agonist and antagonist muscles in the lower limb has been observed during various limb movements, including walking. The emergence of this coactivation cannot be explained solely by the energy efficiency theory and remains a subject of debate. To shed light on this, we investigated the role of muscle coactivations in walking stability using a forward dynamics musculoskeletal simulation combined with neural-network-based gait controllers. Our study revealed that a gait controller with minimal muscle activations had a high probability of falls under challenging gait conditions such as slippery ground and uneven terrain. Lower limb muscle coactivations emerged in the process of gait controller training on slippery ground. Controllers with physiological coactivation levels demonstrated a significantly reduced probability of falls. Our results suggest that achieving stable walking requires muscle coactivations beyond the minimal level of muscle energy. This study implies that coactivations likely emerge to maintain gait stability under challenging conditions, and both coactivation and energy optimization of lower limb muscles should be considered when exploring the foundational control mechanisms of human walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Jun Koo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jemin Hwangbo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungbum Koo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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Clancy CE, Gatti AA, Ong CF, Maly MR, Delp SL. Muscle-driven simulations and experimental data of cycling. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21534. [PMID: 38057337 PMCID: PMC10700567 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47945-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Muscle-driven simulations have provided valuable insights in studies of walking and running, but a set of freely available simulations and corresponding experimental data for cycling do not exist. The aim of this work was to develop a set of muscle-driven simulations of cycling and to validate them by comparison with experimental data. We used direct collocation to generate simulations of 16 participants cycling over a range of powers (40-216 W) and cadences (75-99 RPM) using two optimization objectives: a baseline objective that minimized muscle effort and a second objective that additionally minimized tibiofemoral joint forces. We tested the accuracy of the simulations by comparing the timing of active muscle forces in our baseline simulation to timing in experimental electromyography data. Adding a term in the objective function to minimize tibiofemoral forces preserved cycling power and kinematics, improved similarity between active muscle force timing and experimental electromyography, and decreased tibiofemoral joint reaction forces, which better matched previously reported in vivo measurements. The musculoskeletal models, muscle-driven simulations, simulation software, and experimental data are freely shared at https://simtk.org/projects/cycling_sim for others to reproduce these results and build upon this research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin E Clancy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Anthony A Gatti
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Carmichael F Ong
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Monica R Maly
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Scott L Delp
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Mosconi D, Bo APL, Siqueira AAG. Predictive Simulations with OpenSim Moco to Investigate the Interaction Between Human and Assistive Exoskeleton. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2023; 2023:1-4. [PMID: 38082907 DOI: 10.1109/embc40787.2023.10340617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this work was to investigate the interaction between human and lower limbs assistive exoskeleton under different levels of assistance, by using computational simulations. To this, a human-exoskeleton interaction model was used and three predictive simulations were carried out with the OpenSim Moco. The results proved that the increase in the level of robot assistance causes a reduction in human effort. In addition, it was possible to verify the RMS torque of both the robot and the human, as well as the muscle activations, for the different levels of assistance simulated. For future work, we intend to run predictive simulations with more complex movements, such as gait free and with obstacles, in addition to using models that can represent a human being with muscle weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis).
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Heinrich D, van den Bogert AJ, Mössner M, Nachbauer W. Model-based estimation of muscle and ACL forces during turning maneuvers in alpine skiing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9026. [PMID: 37270655 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35775-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In alpine skiing, estimation of the muscle forces and joint loads such as the forces in the ACL of the knee are essential to quantify the loading pattern of the skier during turning maneuvers. Since direct measurement of these forces is generally not feasible, non-invasive methods based on musculoskeletal modeling should be considered. In alpine skiing, however, muscle forces and ACL forces have not been analyzed during turning maneuvers due to the lack of three dimensional musculoskeletal models. In the present study, a three dimensional musculoskeletal skier model was successfully applied to track experimental data of a professional skier. During the turning maneuver, the primary activated muscles groups of the outside leg, bearing the highest loads, were the gluteus maximus, vastus lateralis as well as the medial and lateral hamstrings. The main function of these muscles was to generate the required hip extension and knee extension moments. The gluteus maximus was also the main contributor to the hip abduction moment when the hip was highly flexed. Furthermore, the lateral hamstrings and gluteus maximus contributed to the hip external rotation moment in addition to the quadratus femoris. Peak ACL forces reached 211 N on the outside leg with the main contribution in the frontal plane due to an external knee abduction moment. Sagittal plane contributions were low due to consistently high knee flexion (> 60[Formula: see text]), substantial co-activation of the hamstrings and the ground reaction force pushing the anteriorly inclined tibia backwards with respect to the femur. In conclusion, the present musculoskeletal simulation model provides a detailed insight into the loading of a skier during turning maneuvers that might be used to analyze appropriate training loads or injury risk factors such as the speed or turn radius of the skier, changes of the equipment or neuromuscular control parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Heinrich
- Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | | | - Martin Mössner
- Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Werner Nachbauer
- Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Be Careful What You Wish for: Cost Function Sensitivity in Predictive Simulations for Assistive Device Design. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14122534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Software packages that use optimization to predict the motion of dynamic systems are powerful tools for studying human movement. These “predictive simulations” are gaining popularity in parameter optimization studies for designing assistive devices such as exoskeletons. The cost function is a critical component of the optimization problem and can dramatically affect the solution. Many cost functions have been proposed that are biologically inspired and that produce reasonable solutions, but which may lead to different conclusions in some contexts. We used OpenSim Moco to generate predictive simulations of human walking using several cost functions, each of which produced a reasonable trajectory of the human model. We then augmented the model with motors that generated hip flexion, knee flexion, or ankle plantarflexion torques, and repeated the predictive simulations to determine the optimal motor torques. The model was assumed to be planar and bilaterally symmetric to reduce computation time. Peak torques varied from 41.3 to 79.0 N·m for the hip flexion motors, from 48.0 to 94.2 N·m for the knee flexion motors, and from 42.6 to 79.8 N·m for the ankle plantarflexion motors, which could have important design consequences. This study highlights the importance of evaluating the robustness of results from predictive simulations.
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Park S, Umberger BR, Caldwell GE. A muscle control strategy to alter pedal force direction under multiple constraints: A simulation study. J Biomech 2022; 138:111114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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