Modeling and simulating the neuromuscular mechanisms regulating ankle and knee joint stiffness during human locomotion.

ABSTRACT: This work presents an electrophysiologically and dynamically consistent musculoskeletal model to predict stiffness in the human ankle and knee joints as derived from the joints constituent biological tissues (i.e., the spanning musculotendon units). The modeling method we propose uses electromyography (EMG) recordings from 13 muscle groups to drive forward dynamic simulations of the human leg in five healthy subjects during overground walking and running. The EMG-driven musculoskeletal model estimates musculotendon and resulting joint stiffness that is consistent with experimental EMG data as well as with the experimental joint moments. This provides a framework that allows for the first time observing 1) the elastic interplay between the knee and ankle joints, 2) the individual muscle con

SUBMITTER: Sartori M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4620138 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature