Combining personalised gait data with finite element models will not only allow us to study changes in motion/movement, but also their effects on critical internal structures, such as the femur.
This study from our MultiSim researchers, for the first time, proposed a pipeline for a fully personalised multiscale (body-organ level) model to investigate the strain levels at the femoral neck during a normal gait walking cycle.
Muscle forces derived from the body level musculoskeletal models were used as boundary constraints on the finite element femur models.
The results suggested that personal variation among individuals is substantial in terms of the amount of loads induced in the femoral neck during normal walking. However, the highest femoral neck loads occur at the toe-off and/or heel strike phases of the gait cycle.
The model can be extended to be used for various applications, such as orthopaedics, where this modelling approach could help planning treatment for hip and knee replacement.
Article
Femoral neck strain prediction during level walking using a combined musculoskeletal and finite element model approach (PLoS ONE) Z Altai, E Montefiori, B van Veen, M A Paggiosi, E VMcCloskey, M Viceconti, C Mazzà, X Li.
