MODELING OF MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEMS USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
B. Stojanović, M. Kojić (UDC: 611.737:[519.87+519.673])
Abstract
Muscles are organs whose primary function is to produce force and motion. Skeletal muscles
are attached to bones and can move them voluntarily. Although numerous mathematical models
of muscles have been developed, most of them consider muscle behavior under specific
conditions only.
Motivated by the fact that the existing muscle models are very limited under arbitrary
conditions of activation and loading, we here first sumarize the extension of Hill’s model to
include different fiber types and then implement the extended model to the analysis of
musculoskeletal systems. The proposed models are verified by comparing the calculated results
with experimental measurements and data from literature. In order to provide efficient modeling
of muscles and musculoskeletal systems, a software for automatic muscle generation using
medical images has been developed and incorporated into the general-purpose finite element
program PAK.
The muscle models and the developed software can be used as a powerful tool in designing
medical and sport equipment, planning trainings and analyzing exercises, to prevent work
injuries and significantly reduce costs for individuals and society.
