An improved inverse dynamics formulation for estimation of external and internal loads during human sagittal plane movements

Planar musculoskeletal models are common in the inverse dynamics analysis of human movements such as walking, running and jumping. The continued interest in such models is justified by their simplicity and computational efficiency. Related to a human planar model, a unified formulation for both the flying and support phases of the sagittal plane movements is developed. The actuation involves muscle forces in the lower limbs and the resultant muscle torques in the other body joints. The dynamic equations, introduced in absolute coordinates of the segments, are converted into useful compact forms using the projective technique. The solution to a determinate inverse dynamics problem allows for the explicit determination of the external reactions (presumed to vanish during the flying phases) and the resultant muscle torques in all the model joints. The indeterminate inverse dynamics problem is then focused on the assessment of muscle forces and joint reaction forces selectively in the supporting lower limb. Numerical results of the inverse dynamics simulation of sample sagittal plane movements are reported to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the improved formulation.