Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2019
25th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
PREDICTIVE SIMULATION OF THE SWING-THROUGH CRUTCH GAIT
Submission Author:
Marko Ackermann , SP
Co-Authors:
Vinicius Lima, Marko Ackermann
Presenter: Marko Ackermann
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2019.COB2019-1277
Abstract
Predictive simulations have been employed in human gait analysis as a tool to elucidate and investigate neuromusculoskeletalsystemcoordination. However,therearefewmodelsavailabletoapplythiskindofsimulationframework to the analysis of crutch gait, limiting studies in this field. These simulations could give broad comprehension of the gait patterns by allowing non-intrusive observations of how the whole neuromusculoskeletal system coordinates a movement, which is important in the development and prescription of walking strategies, custom orthosis and crutches and clinical research focused on crutch users. The swing-through gait type is preferred by many crutch users because it provides greater agility and speed, including to some users with spinal cord injury that present some levels of paraplegia. When possible, the upright locomotion with crutches brings psychological and physiological compared to wheelchair locomotion. However, the large upper extremity loads and energy requirements in crutch locomotion renders it inadequate to overcome long distances. This work proposes a musculoskeletal model of the swing-through crutch gait and a simulation framework with potential use in studies of crutch gait of individuals with spinal cord injury, covering from partial to total impairment of the muscles of the hip.
Keywords
biomechanics, Gait, Crutches, Simulation, Optimization
