The interaction between muscle pathophysiology, body mass, walking speed and ankle foot orthosis stiffness on walking energy cost: a predictive simulation study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The stiffness of a dorsal leaf AFO that minimizes walking energy cost in people with plantarflexor weakness varies between individuals. Using predictive simulations, we studied the effects of plantarflexor weakness, passive plantarflexor stiffness, body mass, and walking speed on the optimal AFO stiffness for energy cost reduction.

Methods

We employed a planar, nine degrees-of-freedom musculoskeletal model, in which for validation maximal strength of the plantar flexors was reduced by 80%. Walking simulations, driven by minimizing a comprehensive cost function of which energy cost was the main contributor, were generated using a reflex-based controller. Simulations of walking without and with an AFO with stiffnesses between 0.9 and 8.7 Nm/degree were generated. Af

SUBMITTER: Waterval NFJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10483766 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature