Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling: Estimation of Muscle Forces and Joint Moments and Movements from Measurements of Neural Command

Click name to view affiliation

Thomas S. Buchanan University of Delaware

Search for other papers by Thomas S. Buchanan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
David G. Lloyd University of Western Australia

Search for other papers by David G. Lloyd in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
,
Kurt Manal University of Delaware

Search for other papers by Kurt Manal in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
, and
Thor F. Besier University of Western Australia

Search for other papers by Thor F. Besier in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Restricted access

This paper provides an overview of forward dynamic neuromusculoskeletal modeling. The aim of such models is to estimate or predict muscle forces, joint moments, and/or joint kinematics from neural signals. This is a four-step process. In the first step, muscle activation dynamics govern the transformation from the neural signal to a measure of muscle activation—a time varying parameter between 0 and 1. In the second step, muscle contraction dynamics characterize how muscle activations are transformed into muscle forces. The third step requires a model of the musculoskeletal geometry to transform muscle forces to joint moments. Finally, the equations of motion allow joint moments to be transformed into joint movements. Each step involves complex nonlinear relationships. The focus of this paper is on the details involved in the first two steps, since these are the most challenging to the biomechanician. The global process is then explained through applications to the study of predicting isometric elbow moments and dynamic knee kinetics.

Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716

School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

  • Collapse
  • Expand
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 7570 2002 127
Full Text Views 758 196 47
PDF Downloads 708 99 18