Though walking impairments are prevalent in society, clinical treatments are often ineffective at restoring lost function. For this reason, researchers have begun to explore the use of patient-specific computational walking models to develop more effective treatments. However, the accuracy with which models can predict internal body forces in muscles and across joints depends on how well relevant model parameter values can be calibrated for the patient. This study investigated how knowledge of internal knee contact forces affects calibration of neuromusculoskeletal model parameter values and subsequent prediction of internal knee contact and leg muscle forces during walking. Model calibration was performed using a novel two-level optimization procedure applied to six normal walking trials from the Fourth Grand Challenge Competition to Predict In Vivo Knee Loads. The outer-level optimization adjusted time-invariant model parameter values to minimize passive muscle forces, reserve actuator moments, and model parameter value changes with (Approach A) and without (Approach B) tracking of experimental knee contact forces. Using the current guess for model parameter values but no knee contact force information, the inner-level optimization predicted time-varying muscle activations that were close to experimental muscle synergy patterns and consistent with the experimental inverse dynamic loads (both approaches). For all the six gait trials, Approach A predicted knee contact forces with high accuracy for both compartments (average correlation coefficient r = 0.99 and root mean square error (RMSE) = 52.6 N medial; average r = 0.95 and RMSE = 56.6 N lateral). In contrast, Approach B overpredicted contact force magnitude for both compartments (average RMSE = 323 N medial and 348 N lateral) and poorly matched contact force shape for the lateral compartment (average r = 0.90 medial and −0.10 lateral). Approach B had statistically higher lateral muscle forces and lateral optimal muscle fiber lengths but lower medial, central, and lateral normalized muscle fiber lengths compared to Approach A. These findings suggest that poorly calibrated model parameter values may be a major factor limiting the ability of neuromusculoskeletal models to predict knee contact and leg muscle forces accurately for walking.
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August 2016
Research-Article
Neuromusculoskeletal Model Calibration Significantly Affects Predicted Knee Contact Forces for Walking
Gil Serrancolí,
Gil Serrancolí
Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: gilserrancoli@hotmail.com
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: gilserrancoli@hotmail.com
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Allison L. Kinney,
Allison L. Kinney
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Dayton,
Dayton, OH 45469
e-mail: akinney2@udayton.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Dayton,
Dayton, OH 45469
e-mail: akinney2@udayton.edu
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Benjamin J. Fregly,
Benjamin J. Fregly
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611
e-mail: fregly@ufl.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611
e-mail: fregly@ufl.edu
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Josep M. Font-Llagunes
Josep M. Font-Llagunes
Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Av. Diagonal 647,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: josep.m.font@upc.edu
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Av. Diagonal 647,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: josep.m.font@upc.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Gil Serrancolí
Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: gilserrancoli@hotmail.com
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: gilserrancoli@hotmail.com
Allison L. Kinney
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Dayton,
Dayton, OH 45469
e-mail: akinney2@udayton.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Dayton,
Dayton, OH 45469
e-mail: akinney2@udayton.edu
Benjamin J. Fregly
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611
e-mail: fregly@ufl.edu
Aerospace Engineering,
University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611
e-mail: fregly@ufl.edu
Josep M. Font-Llagunes
Department of Mechanical Engineering and
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Av. Diagonal 647,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: josep.m.font@upc.edu
Biomedical Engineering Research Centre,
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya,
Av. Diagonal 647,
Barcelona, Catalunya 08028, Spain
e-mail: josep.m.font@upc.edu
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received May 24, 2015; final manuscript received May 10, 2016; published online June 13, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Silvia Blemker.
J Biomech Eng. Aug 2016, 138(8): 081001 (11 pages)
Published Online: June 13, 2016
Article history
Received:
May 24, 2015
Revised:
May 10, 2016
Citation
Serrancolí, G., Kinney, A. L., Fregly, B. J., and Font-Llagunes, J. M. (June 13, 2016). "Neuromusculoskeletal Model Calibration Significantly Affects Predicted Knee Contact Forces for Walking." ASME. J Biomech Eng. August 2016; 138(8): 081001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4033673
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