Project

3D neuromuscular model of the human ankle-foot complex

Copyright

Stephanie Ku

 Stephanie Ku

Groups

During the gait cycle, the human ankle complex serves as a primary power generator while simultaneously stabilizing the entire limb. These actions are controlled by an intricate interplay of several lower leg muscles that cannot be fully uncovered using experimental methods alone. A combination of experiments and mathematical modeling may be used to estimate aspects of neuromusculoskeletal functions that control human gait. In this research, a three-dimensional neuromuscular model of the human ankle-foot complex based on biplanar fluoroscopy gait analysis is presented. Driven by kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography (EMG), the model seeks to solve the redundancy problem, individual muscle-tendon contributions to net joint torque, in ankle and subtalar joint actuation during overground gait. An optimization approach was employed to calculate sets of morphological parameters that simultaneously maximize the neuromuscular model’s metabolic efficiency and fit to experimental joint torques. Optimal morphological parameter sets produce estimates of force contributions and states for individual muscles.