A finite element model of the lower limb during stance phase of gait cycle including the muscle forces

Abstract

BackgroundResults of finite element (FE) analyses can give insight into musculoskeletal diseases if physiological boundary conditions, which include the muscle forces during specific activities of daily life, are considered in the FE modelling. So far, many simplifications of the boundary conditions are currently made. This study presents an approach for FE modelling of the lower limb for which muscle forces were included.MethodsThe stance phase of normal gait was simulated. Muscle forces were calculated using a musculoskeletal rigid body (RB) model of the human body, and were subsequently applied to a FE model of the lower limb. It was shown that the inertial forces are negligible during the stance phase of normal gait. The contact surfaces between the parts within the knee were modelled as bonded. Weak springs were attached to the distal tibia for numerical reasons.ResultsHip joint reaction forces from the RB model and those from the FE model were similar in magnitude with relative differences less than 16%. The forces of the weak spring were negligible compared to the applied muscle forces. The maximal strain was 0.23% in the proximal region of the femoral diaphysis and 1.7% in the contact zone between the tibia and the fibula.ConclusionsThe presented approach based on FE modelling by including muscle forces from inverse dynamic analysis of musculoskeletal RB model can be used to perform analyses of the lower limb with very realistic boundary conditions. In the present form, this model can be used to better understand the loading, stresses and strains of bones in the knee area and hence to analyse osteotomy fixation devices.

Numerical comparative study of five currently used implants for high tibial osteotomy: realistic loading including muscle forces versus simplified experimental loading

“…The foot was not modelled, and a segment was used to model the foot sole and to locate the centre of pressure (COP), to which the ground reaction forces (GRF) were applied. The experimentally measured knee contact forces by Bergmann et al (Bergmann 2008) were comparable to the knee joint forces of the used MRB model (Diffo Kaze et al 2017). Hence, the muscle forces calculated by using the MRB model (Fig.…”

“…Loading and boundary conditions for the simulation of the stance phase of normal gait including the muscle forces Inertia effects are negligible in comparison to muscle forces during normal walking and hence were not considered in the present study. A more detailed description of the modelling methods of the present finite element models of the lower limb was published in a previous study (Diffo Kaze et al 2017). The muscle forces acting in the lower limb during normal gait were calculated by means of a validated musculoskeletal rigid body (MRB) model (Manders et al 2008;Thielen 2009;Asfour and Eltoukhy 2011) This MRB model, namely the Gaitfullbody model, is available in the model repository of the musculoskeletal modelling software AnyBody version 6 (AnyBody Technology 2014).…”

Changes in hip joint contact stress during a gait cycle based on the individualized modeling method of “gait-musculoskeletal system-finite element”

“…However, limitations in this study must be acknowledged. Like most studies about the FEA [ 46 – 49 ], all bone models were assigned with homogenization, while the actual bone density of different parts is uneven. The cartilage thickness of models was universal.…”

Changes in hip Joint Contact Stress During a Gait Cycle based on the Individualized Modeling Framework of"Gait-Musculoskeletal System-Finite Element"

“…However, limitations in this study must be acknowledged. Like most studies about the FEA [42][43][44][45], all bone models are treated with homogenization, while the actual bone density of different parts is uneven. In this regard, some errors may exist in our study.…”