Liang Chenyang, Jiang Fei, Kawaguchi Daisuke, Chen Xian
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Tokiwadai, Ube 7558611, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2023 Dec 25;11(1):23. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11010023.
Upper limb movement is vital in daily life. A biomechanical simulation of the forearm with consideration of the physiological characteristics of the muscles is instrumental in gaining deeper insights into the upper limb motion mechanisms. In this study, we established a finite element model of the forearm, including the radius, biceps brachii, and tendons. We simulated the motion of the forearm resulting from the contraction of the biceps brachii by using a Hill-type transversely isotropic hyperelastic muscle model. We adjusted the contraction velocity of the biceps brachii muscle in the simulation and found that a slower muscle contraction velocity facilitated forearm flexion. Then, we changed the percentage of fast-twitch fibers, the maximum muscle strength, and the neural excitation values of the biceps brachii muscle to investigate the forearm flexion of elderly individuals. Our results indicated that reduced fast-twitch fiber percentage, maximum muscle strength, and neural excitation contributed to the decline in forearm motion capability in elderly individuals. Additionally, there is a threshold for neural excitation, below which, motion capability sharply declines. Our model aids in understanding the role of the biceps brachii in forearm flexion and identifying the causes of upper limb movement disorders, which is able to provide guidance for enhancing upper limb performance.
上肢运动在日常生活中至关重要。考虑肌肉生理特征的前臂生物力学模拟有助于更深入地了解上肢运动机制。在本研究中，我们建立了一个包括桡骨、肱二头肌和肌腱的前臂有限元模型。我们使用希尔型横向各向同性超弹性肌肉模型模拟了肱二头肌收缩引起的前臂运动。我们在模拟中调整了肱二头肌的收缩速度，发现较慢的肌肉收缩速度有利于前臂屈曲。然后，我们改变了肱二头肌的快肌纤维百分比、最大肌肉力量和神经兴奋值，以研究老年人的前臂屈曲情况。我们的结果表明，快肌纤维百分比、最大肌肉力量和神经兴奋的降低导致了老年人前臂运动能力的下降。此外，神经兴奋存在一个阈值，低于该阈值，运动能力会急剧下降。我们的模型有助于理解肱二头肌在前臂屈曲中的作用，并识别上肢运动障碍的原因，能够为提高上肢性能提供指导。
