Anthropometric scaling of musculoskeletal models of the hand captures age-dependent differences in lateral pinch force

JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS

卷:123

Article

Diaz, Tamara Ordonez¹  Nichols, Jennifer A.¹ 

[1] Univ Florida, J Crayton Pruitt Family Dept Biomed Engn, Gainesville, FL USA

关键词: Thumb;    Computer simulation;    Key pinch;    Lifespan;    Muscle activations;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110498

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Musculoskeletal models and computer simulations enable non-invasive study of muscle function and contact forces. Hand models are useful for understanding the complexities of hand strength, precision movement, and the dexterity required during daily activities. Yet, generic models fail to accurately rep-resent the entire scope of the population, while subject-specific models are labor-intensive to create. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of scaled generic models to represent the broad spectrum of strength profiles across the lifespan. We examined one hundred lateral pinch simulations using a gen-eric model of the wrist and thumb anthropometrically scaled to represent the full range of heights reported for four ages across childhood, puberty, older adolescence, and adulthood. We evaluated max-imum lateral pinch force produced, muscle control strategies, and the effect of linearly scaling the max-imum isometric force. Our simulations demonstrated three main concepts. First, anthropometric scaling could capture age-dependent differences in pinch strength. Second, a generic muscle control strategy is not representative of all populations. Lastly, simulations do not employ optimal fiber length to complete a lateral pinch task. These results demonstrate the potential of anthropometrically-scaled models to study hand strength across the lifespan, while also highlighting that muscle control strategies may adapt as we age. The results also provide insight to the force-length relationship of thumb muscles during lateral pinch. We conclude that anthropometric scaling can accurately represent age characteristics of the pop-ulation, but subject-specific models are still necessary to represent individuals. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free