How knee muscles and ground reaction forces shape knee buckling and ankle push-off in neuromuscular simulations of human walking.

ABSTRACT: Ankle push-off is important for efficient, human-like walking, and many prosthetic devices mimic push-off using motors or elastic elements. The knee is extended throughout the stance phase and begins to buckle just before push-off, with timing being crucial. However, the exact mechanisms behind this buckling are still unclear. We use a predictive neuromuscular simulation to investigate whether active muscles are required for knee buckling and to what extent ground reaction forces (GRFs) drive it. In a systematic parameter search, we tested how long the knee muscles vastus (VAS), gastrocnemius (GAS), and hamstrings could be deactivated while maintaining a stable gait with impulsive push-off. VAS deactivation up to 35% of the gait cycle resulted in a dynamic gait with increased ankle peak po

SUBMITTER: Buchmann A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11742656 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature