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In-Silico Methods in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biotribology Ⅱ

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2022) | Viewed by 7332
Related Special Issue: In-Silico Methods in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biotribology

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Ruggiero

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132-84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: biomechanics; (bio) tribology; human movement analysis; computational mechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, in silico approaches in biomechanics constitute an exciting research area devoted to the possibility of using computer simulations in the description of the mechanical behavior of biological systems with particular reference to their movement, structure, and biotribological interactions. In this research field, studies are often approached using expensive and time-consuming in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro experimental investigations with the aim to obtain useful information in human prosthesis/orthosis design but also in prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring. To date, the possibility of describing the mechanics of the living organism in the language of mathematics, generating sophisticated and useful computer algorithms, has attracted the attention of researchers and encouraged them to develop more and more accurate simulation models, both for understanding the “real” behavior of the investigated biosystems and also for the optimal design of increasingly high-performing devices. Obviously, the accurate modeling of musculoskeletal biomechanics accounting for biotribological issues requires deep knowledge and structured scientific cooperation in multidisciplinary areas, such as musculoskeletal multibody non-linear modeling, muscles and tissues modeling, contact mechanics, synovial lubrication modeling, tribo-corrosion etc.

This Special Issue aims to collect the latest advances in musculoskeletal biomechanical and biotribological modeling in order to allow the scientific community to move toward computer modeling and then in silico investigations. Original theoretical, numerical, and experimental research papers, as well as reviews, dealing with the latest developments on this topic are welcome from both academic researchers and their industrial peers.

This Special Issue will cover principally the following topics:

Biomechanics of the musculoskeletal;
Mechanics of hard and soft tissues;
Dynamic modeling of human motion;
Biotribology of natural and artificial human synovial joints;
Mechanics of bones and joints;
Tribological behavior of biomaterials;
Modeling of biomechanical data uncertainty.

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Ruggiero
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

in-silico methods
biomechanics
musculoskeletal models
(bio)tribology
arthroplasty human synovial joints
bones
biomaterials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1343 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Does the Lumbopelvic Complex Cope with the Obstetrical Load during Standing? Ergonomic Aspects of Body Posture in Pregnant Women

by Robert Michnik, Hanna Zadoń, Katarzyna Nowakowska-Lipiec and Wanda Forczek-Karkosz

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4330; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094330 - 25 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

Pregnancy induces numerous modifications in the musculoskeletal system of the female body. Since one of the essential roles of the lumbopelvic structure is to support mechanical loads in the upright position, this study was designed to simulate the response of this complex to the growing foetus in pregnant women. The authors hypothesized that posture (i.e., lordosis and muscle involvement) under pregnancy conditions might be adjusted to minimize the demands of the obstetrical load. The analysis of the load on the musculoskeletal system during gestation was made based on numerical simulations carried out in the AnyBody Modeling System. The pregnancy-related adjustments such as increased pelvic anteversion and increased lumbar lordosis enhance the reduction of muscle activation (e.g., erector spinae, transversus abdominis or iliopsoas), muscle fatigue and spinal load (reaction force). The results may help develop antenatal exercise programs targeting core strength and pelvic stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In-Silico Methods in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biotribology Ⅱ)

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16 pages, 1599 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Computationally Efficient Musculoskeletal Model of the Lower Limb for the Control of Rehabilitation Robots: Assumptions and Validation

by Nidal Farhat, Pau Zamora, David Reichert, Vicente Mata, Alvaro Page and Angel Valera

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2654; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052654 - 4 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1988

Abstract

We present and validate a computationally efficient lower limb musculoskeletal model for the control of a rehabilitation robot. It is a parametric model that allows the customization of joint kinematics, and it is able to operate in real time. Methods: Since the rehabilitation exercises corresponds to low-speed movements, a quasi-static model can be assumed, and then muscle force coefficients are position dependent. This enables their calculation in an offline stage. In addition, the concept of a single functional degree of freedom is used to minimize drastically the workspace of the stored coefficients. Finally, we have developed a force calculation process based on Lagrange multipliers that provides a closed-form solution; in this way, the problem of dynamic indeterminacy is solved without the need to use an iterative process. Results: The model has been validated by comparing muscle forces estimated by the model with the corresponding electromyography (EMG) values using squat exercise, in which the Spearman’s correlation coefficient is higher than 0.93. Its computational time is lower than 2.5 ms in a conventional computer using MATLAB. Conclusions: This procedure presents a good agreement with the experimental values of the forces, and it can be integrated into real time control systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In-Silico Methods in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biotribology Ⅱ)

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Review

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16 pages, 1612 KiB

Open AccessReview

(Bio)Tribocorrosion in Dental Implants: Principles and Techniques of Investigation

by Marco De Stefano, Silvana Mirella Aliberti and Alessandro Ruggiero

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7421; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157421 - 24 Jul 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2302

Abstract

Tribocorrosion is a current and very discussed theme in tribology and medicine for its impact on industrial applications. Currently, the phenomena are mainly oriented to the biological environment and, in particular, to medical devices such as hip prostheses, dental implants, knee joints, etc. The term tribocorrosion underlines the simultaneous action of wear and corrosion in a tribocouple. It has a non-negligible effect on the total loss of contact materials and the potential failure of the bio-couplings. This overview aims to focus firstly on the basic principles of prosthesis tribocorrosion and subsequently to describe the techniques and the analytical models developed to quantify this phenomenon, reporting the most relevant results achieved in the last 20 years, proposed in chronological order, in order to discuss and to depict the future research developments and tendencies. Despite considerable research efforts, from this investigation come many issues worthy of further investigation, such as how to prevent or minimize tribocorrosion in biological tribopairs, the development of a consolidated protocol for tribological experiments in corrosive environments joined with new biomaterials and composites, the possibility to achieve more and more accurate theoretical models, and how to be able to ensure the success of new implant designs by supporting research and development for the management of implant complications. The above issues certainly constitute a scientific challenge for the next years in the fields of tribology and medicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue In-Silico Methods in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and Biotribology Ⅱ)

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