NMBL - Neuromuscular Biomechanics Lab

Related Topics

Crouch gait
internal rotation gait
Stiff-knee gait
Surgical Simulation
Musculoskeletal Modeling
Dynamic Simulation
MR-Based Models
Deformable Model

Movement Abnormalities

Our goal is to provide a scientific basis for determining the causes of gait abnormalities and the effects of common treatments by developing computational models that characterize the muscle-tendon dynamics, musculoskeletal geometry, and multijoint dynamics of the body during movement, in individual patients.


Many factors contribute to gait abnormalities. Gait analysis is used routinely to record EMG patterns, joint angles, and ground reaction forces during walking, but the transformation between EMG patterns and coordinated multijoint movement is complex. Furthermore, to make treatment decisions, clinicians must try to predict how the motions induced by muscles might change after treatments, such as muscle-tendon lengthenings and tendon transfers.
We are using subject-specific musculoskeletal models, dynamic simulations, and medical imaging to help explain the biomechanical causes of movement abnormalities and predict the functional consequences of interventions. Our goal is to establish a scientific basis for treating:
	Crouch gait, which is characterized by excessive knee flexion and is often treated by surgical lengthening of the hamstrings muscles in an effort to reduce the excessive knee flexion and increase the efficiency of movement.
	Internal rotation gait, which is characterized by excessive internal rotation of the hip, and is treated by derotational osteotomies, procedures in which the bones are divided and re-aligned to restore more normal limb rotation.
	Stiff-knee gait, which is characterized by insufficient flexion of the knee during the swing phase of gait, is thought to arise from abnormal activity of the rectus femoris muscle, and is commonly treated by transfer of this muscle to the posterior side of the knee.