Abstract
Locomotion is a fundamental human skill. Real-time sensing and feedback is a promising strategy for motion training to reconstruct healthy locomotion patterns lost due to aging or disease, and to prevent injuries. In this paper, we present a pilot study on locomotion training via biomechanical modeling and a wearable haptic feedback system. In addition, a novel simulation framework for motion tracking and analysis is introduced. This unified framework, implemented within the Unity environment, is used to analyze subject’s baseline and performance characteristics, and to provide real-time haptic feedback during locomotion. The framework incorporates accurate musculoskeletal models derived from OpenSim, closed-form calculations of muscle routing kinematics and kinematic Jacobian matrices, dynamic performance metrics (i.e., muscular effort), human motion reconstruction via inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, and real-time visualization of the motion and its dynamics. A pilot study was conducted in which 6 healthy subjects learned to alter running patterns to lower the knee flexion moment (KFM) through haptic feedback. We targeted three gait parameters (trunk lean, cadence, and foot strike) that previous studies had identified as having an influence on reducing the knee flexion moment and associated with increased risk of running injuries. All subjects were able to adopt altered running patterns requiring simultaneous changes to these kinematic parameters and reduced their KFM to 30–85% of their baseline values. The muscular effort during motion training stayed comparable to subjects’ baseline. This study shows that biomechanical modeling, together with real-time sensing and wearable haptic feedback can greatly increase the efficiency of motion training.
Highlights
Despite the positive health effects, there is a high incidence of lower extremity injuries during running [1, 2]
Half occur at the knee joint, with patellofemoral pain (PFP) being the most common diagnosis [2, 4]
PFP can lead to severe pain and disability and is a precursor of knee osteoarthritis [5]
Summary
Despite the positive health effects, there is a high incidence of lower extremity injuries during running [1, 2]. Estimates suggest that 10–20% of Americans run regularly, with 40–50% of these injured annually [3], causation is more complex, with a survey of results across 17 published studies, involving a range specific population characteristics (age, experience, gender, etc.) showing annual injury rates can vary from 19 to 79% [4]. Among these injuries, half occur at the knee joint, with patellofemoral pain (PFP) being the most common diagnosis [2, 4]. Increased knee flexion moment is suggestive of greater quadriceps force requirements and has been reported to result in higher PFJ reaction force and stress [7, 8]
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