Browsing by Author "Stutzig, Norman"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Open Access
Active exoskeleton reduces erector spinae muscle activity during lifting
(2023) Walter, Tobias; Stutzig, Norman; Siebert, Tobias
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a widespread problem, often regarding the lumbar region. Exoskeletons designed to support the lower back could be used in physically demanding professions with the intention of reducing the strain on the musculoskeletal system, e.g., by lowering task-related muscle activation. The present study aims to investigate the effect of an active exoskeleton on back muscle activity when lifting weights. Within the framework of the study, 14 subjects were asked to lift a 15 kg box with and without an active exoskeleton which allows the adjustment of different levels of support, while the activity of their M. erector spinae (MES) was measured using surface electromyography. Additionally, the subjects were asked about their overall rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during lifting under various conditions. Using the exoskeleton with the maximum level of support, the muscle activity was significantly lower than without exoskeleton. A significant correlation was found between the exoskeleton’s support level and the reduction of MES activity. The higher the support level, the lower the observed muscle activity. Furthermore, when lifting with the maximum level of support, RPE was found to be significantly lower than without exoskeleton too. A reduction in the MES activity indicates actual support for the movement task and might indicate lower compression forces in the lumbar region. It is concluded that the active exoskeleton supports people noticeably when lifting heavy weights. Exoskeletons seem to be a powerful tool for reducing load during physically demanding jobs and thus, their use might be helpful in lowering the risk of MSD.
Open Access
Cervical muscle reflexes during lateral accelerations
(2023) Millard, Matthew; Hunger, Susanne; Broß, Lisa; Fehr, Jörg; Holzapfel, Christian; Stutzig, Norman; Siebert, Tobias
Autonomous vehicles will allow a variety of seating orientations that may change the risk of neck injury during an accident. Having a rotated head at the time of a rear-end collision in a conventional vehicle is associated with a higher risk of acute and chronic whiplash. The change in posture affects both the movement of the head and the response of the muscles. We are studying the reflexes of the muscles of the neck so that we can validate the responses of digital human body models that are used in crash simulations. The neck movements and muscle activity of 21 participants (11 female) were recorded at the Stuttgart FKFS mechanical driving simulator. During the maneuver we recorded the acceleration of the seat and electromyographic (EMG) signals from the sternocleidomastoid (STR) muscles using a Biopac MP 160 system (USA). As intuition would suggest, the reflexes of the muscles of the neck are sensitive to posture and the direction of the acceleration.
Open Access
The effect of multidirectional loading on contractions of the M. medial gastrocnemius
(2021) Ryan, David S.; Stutzig, Norman; Helmer, Andreas; Siebert, Tobias; Wakeling, James M.
Research has shown that compression of muscle can lead to a change in muscle force. Most studies show compression to lead to a reduction in muscle force, although recent research has shown that increases are also possible. Based on methodological differences in the loading design between studies, it seems that muscle length and the direction of transverse loading influence the effect of muscle compression on force production. Thus, in our current study we implement these two factors to influence the effects of muscle loading. In contrast to long resting length of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) in most studies, we use a shorter MG resting length by having participant seated with their knees at a 90° angle. Where previous studies have used unidirectional loads to compress the MG, in this study we applied a multidirectional load using a sling setup. Multidirectional loading using a sling setup has been shown to cause muscle force reductions in previous research. As a result of our choices in experimental design we observed changes in the effects of muscle loading compared to previous research. In the present study we observed no changes in muscle force due to muscle loading. Muscle thickness and pennation angle showed minor but significant increases during contraction. However, no significant changes occurred between unloaded and loaded trials. Fascicle thickness and length showed different patterns of change compared to previous research. We show that muscle loading does not result in force reduction in all situations and is possibly linked to differences in muscle architecture and muscle length.
Open Access
Impact of multidirectional transverse calf muscle loading on calf muscle force in young adults
(2018) Siebert, Tobias; Eb, Manuel; Ryan, David S.; Wakeling, James M.; Stutzig, Norman
It has been demonstrated that unidirectional transversal muscle loading induced by a plunger influences muscle shape and reduces muscle force. The interaction between muscle and transversal forces may depend on specific neuromuscular properties that change during a lifetime. Compression garments, applying forces from all directions in the transverse plane, are widely used in sports for example to improve performance. Differences in the loading direction (unidirectional vs. multidirectional) may have an impact on force generating capacity of muscle and, thus, on muscle performance. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of multidirectional transversal loads, using a sling looped around the calf, on the isometric force during plantarflexions. Young male adults (25.7 ± 1.5 years, n = 15) were placed in a prone position in a calf press apparatus. The posterior tibial nerve was stimulated to obtain the maximal double-twitch force of the calf muscles with (59.4 N and 108.4 N) and without multidirectional transverse load. Compared to the unloaded condition, the rate of force development was reduced by 5.0±8.1 % (p=0.048) and 6.9±10.7 % (p=0.008) for the 59.4 N and the 108.4 N load, respectively. No significant reduction (3.2±4.8 %, p=0.141) in maximum muscle force (Fm) was found for the lower load (59.4 N), but application of the higher load (108.4 N) resulted in a significant reduction of Fm by 4.8±7.0 % (p=0.008). Mean pressures induced in this study (14.3 mm Hg and 26.3 mm Hg corresponding to the 59.4 N and 108.4 N loads, respectively) are within the pressure range reported for compression garments. Taking the results of the present study into account, a reduction in maximum muscle force would be expected for compression garments with pressures ≥ 26.3 mm Hg. However, it should be noted that the loading condition (sling vs. compression garment) differs and that compression garments may influence other mechanisms contributing to force generation. For example, wearing compression garments may enhance sport performance by enhanced proprioception and reduced muscle oscillation. Thus, superposition of several effects should be considered when analyzing the impact of compression garments on more complex sport performance.
Open Access
Improving the accuracy of musculotendon models for the simulation of active lengthening
(2023) Millard, Matthew; Kempter, Fabian; Stutzig, Norman; Siebert, Tobias; Fehr, Jörg
Vehicle accidents can cause neck injuries which are costly for individuals and society. Safety systems could be designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if it were possible to accurately simulate the tissue-level injuries that later lead to chronic pain. During a crash, reflexes cause the muscles of the neck to be actively lengthened. Although the muscles of the neck are often only mildly injured, the forces developed by the neck’s musculature affect the tissues that are more severely injured. In this work, we compare the forces developed by MAT_156, LS-DYNA’s Hill-type model, and the newly proposed VEXAT muscle model during active lengthening. The results show that Hill-type muscle models underestimate forces developed during active lengthening, while the VEXAT model can more faithfully reproduce experimental measurements.
Open Access
Influence of augmented visual feedback on balance control in unilateral transfemoral amputees
(2021) Fuchs, Katharina; Krauskopf, Thomas; Lauck, Torben B.; Klein, Lukas; Mueller, Marc; Herget, Georg W.; Von Tscharner, Vinzenz; Stutzig, Norman; Stieglitz, Thomas; Pasluosta, Cristian
Patients with a lower limb amputation rely more on visual feedback to maintain balance than able-bodied individuals. Altering this sensory modality in amputees thus results in a disrupted postural control. However, little is known about how lower limb amputees cope with augmented visual information during balance tasks. In this study, we investigated how unilateral transfemoral amputees incorporate visual feedback of their center of pressure (CoP) position during quiet standing. Ten transfemoral amputees and ten age-matched able-bodied participants were provided with real-time visual feedback of the position of their CoP while standing on a pressure platform. Their task was to keep their CoP within a small circle in the center of a computer screen placed at eye level, which could be achieved by minimizing their postural sway. The visual feedback was then delayed by 250 and 500 ms and was combined with a two- and five-fold amplification of the CoP displacements. Trials with eyes open without augmented visual feedback as well as with eyes closed were further performed. The overall performance was measured by computing the sway area. We further quantified the dynamics of the CoP adjustments using the entropic half-life (EnHL) to study possible physiological mechanisms behind postural control. Amputees showed an increased sway area compared to the control group. The EnHL values of the amputated leg were significantly higher than those of the intact leg and the dominant and non-dominant leg of controls. This indicates lower dynamics in the CoP adjustments of the amputated leg, which was compensated by increasing the dynamics of the CoP adjustments of the intact leg. Receiving real-time visual feedback of the CoP position did not significantly reduce the sway area neither in amputees nor in controls when comparing with the eyes open condition without visual feedback of the CoP position. Further, with increasing delay and amplification, both groups were able to compensate for small visual perturbations, yet their dynamics were significantly lower when additional information was not received in a physiologically relevant time frame. These findings may be used for future design of neurorehabilitation programs to restore sensory feedback in lower limb amputees.
Open Access
A muscle model for injury simulation
(2023) Millard, Matthew; Kempter, Fabian; Fehr, Jörg; Stutzig, Norman; Siebert, Tobias
Car accidents frequently cause neck injuries that are painful, expensive, and difficult to simulate. The movements that lead to neck injury include phases in which the neck muscles are actively lengthened. Actively lengthened muscle can develop large forces that greatly exceed the maximum isometric force. Although Hill-type models are often used to simulate human movement, this model has no mechanism to develop large tensions during active lengthening. When used to simulate neck injury, a Hill model will underestimate the risk of injury to the muscles but may overestimate the risk of injury to the structures that the muscles protect. We have developed a musculotendon model that includes the viscoelasticity of attached crossbridges and has an active titin element. In this work we evaluate the proposed model to a Hill model by simulating the experiments of Leonard et al. [1] that feature extreme active lengthening.
Open Access
On the validation of human body models with a driver-in-the-loop simulator
(2018) Kempter, Fabian; Fehr, Jörg; Stutzig, Norman; Siebert, Tobias
For the development of modern integrated safety systems, standard simulation models of anthropometric test devices, often called crash test dummies, are inappropriate for Pre-Crash investigations due to missing activation possibilities, tuned characteristics for one specific accident scenario and high passive stiffness properties. To validate safety concepts getting active prior to the crash new tools like suitable virtual models of human occupants are required. Human Body Models (HBM) provide a higher biofidelity and can be equipped with active muscle elements enabling different muscle activation strategies. To improve the muscle activation strategy and the stiffness properties of active HBMs, validation processes on the basis of low-acceleration experiments are inevitable. In contrast to Post Mortem Human Surrogates only low-severity tests can be performed with real human subjects. This paper presents the workflow of a validation process based on an academic scale Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) simulator in combination with a synchronized measurement chain consisting of an Optitrack stereo vision and an electromyography detection system.
Open Access
Role of rotated head postures on volunteer kinematics and muscle activity in braking scenarios performed on a driving simulator
(2022) Kempter, Fabian; Lantella, Lorena; Stutzig, Norman; Fehr, Jörg; Siebert, Tobias
Occupants exposed to low or moderate crash events can already suffer from whiplash-associated disorders leading to severe and long-lasting symptoms. However, the underlying injury mechanisms and the role of muscle activity are not fully clear. Potential increases in injury risk of non-nominal postures, i.e., rotated head, cannot be evaluated in detail due to the lack of experimental data. Examining changes in neck muscle activity to hold and stabilize the head in a rotated position during pre-crash scenarios might provide a deeper understanding of muscle reflex contributions and injury mechanisms. In this study, the influence of two different head postures (nominal vs. rotation of the head by about 63 ± 9° to the right) on neck muscle activity and head kinematics was investigated in simulated braking experiments inside a driving simulator. The braking scenario was implemented by visualization of the virtual scene using head-mounted displays and a combined translational-rotational platform motion. Kinematics of seventeen healthy subjects was tracked using 3D motion capturing. Surface electromyography were used to quantify muscle activity of left and right sternocleidomastoideus (SCM) and trapezius (TRP) muscles. The results show clear evidence that rotated head postures affect the static as well as the dynamic behavior of muscle activity during the virtual braking event. With head turned to the right, the contralateral left muscles yielded higher base activation and delayed muscle onset times. In contrast, right muscles had much lower activations and showed no relevant changes in muscle activation between nominal and rotated head position. The observed delayed muscle onset times and increased asymmetrical muscle activation patterns in the rotated head position are assumed to affect injury mechanisms. This could explain the prevalence of rotated head postures during a crash reported by patients suffering from WAD. The results can be used for validating the active behavior of human body models in braking simulations with nominal and rotated head postures, and to gain a deeper understanding of neck injury mechanisms.
Open Access
Three-dimensional muscle architecture and comprehensive dynamic properties of rabbit gastrocnemius, plantaris and soleus: input for simulation studies
(2015) Siebert, Tobias; Leichsenring, Kay; Rode, Christian; Wick, Carolyn; Stutzig, Norman; Schubert, Harald; Blickhan, Reinhard; Böl, Markus
The vastly increasing number of neuro-muscular simulation studies (with increasing numbers of muscles used per simulation) is in sharp contrast to a narrow database of necessary muscle parameters. Simulation results depend heavily on rough parameter estimates often obtained by scaling of one muscle parameter set. However, in vivo muscles differ in their individual properties and architecture. Here we provide a comprehensive dataset of dynamic (n=6 per muscle) and geometric (three-dimensional architecture, n=3 per muscle) muscle properties of the rabbit calf muscles gastrocnemius, plantaris, and soleus. For completeness we provide the dynamic muscle properties for further important shank muscles (flexor digitorum longus, extensor digitorum longus, and tibialis anterior; n=1 per muscle). Maximum shortening velocity (normalized to optimal fiber length) of the gastrocnemius is about twice that of soleus, while plantaris showed an intermediate value. The force-velocity relation is similar for gastrocnemius and plantaris but is much more bent for the soleus. Although the muscles vary greatly in their three-dimensional architecture their mean pennation angle and normalized force-length relationships are almost similar. Forces of the muscles were enhanced in the isometric phase following stretching and were depressed following shortening compared to the corresponding isometric forces. While the enhancement was independent of the ramp velocity, the depression was inversely related to the ramp velocity. The lowest effect strength for soleus supports the idea that these effects adapt to muscle function. The careful acquisition of typical dynamical parameters (e.g. force-length and force-velocity relations, force elongation relations of passive components), enhancement and depression effects, and 3D muscle architecture of calf muscles provides valuable comprehensive datasets for e.g. simulations with neuro-muscular models, development of more realistic muscle models, or simulation of muscle packages.
Open Access
Whiplash simulation: how muscle modelling and movement interact
(2022) Millard, Matthew; Siebert, Tobias; Stutzig, Norman; Fehr, Jörg
Whiplash injury and associated disorders are costly to society and individuals. Accurate simulations of neck movement during car accidents are needed to assess the risk of whiplash injury. Existing simulations indicate that Hill-type muscle models are too compliant, and as a result, predict more neck movement than is observed during in-vivo experiments. Simulating head and neck movement is challenging because many of the neck muscles operate on the descending limb of the force-length curve, a region that Hill-type models inaccurately capture. Hill-type muscle models have negative stiffness on the descending limb of the force-length curve and so develop less force the more they are lengthened. Biological muscle, in contrast, can develop large transient forces during active lengthening and sustain large forces when aggressively lengthened. Recently, a muscle model has been developed that mimics the active impedance of muscle in the short range and can capture the large forces generated during extreme lengthening. In this work, we will compare the accuracy of simulated neck movements, using both a Hill-type model and the model of Millard et al., to the in-vivo neck movement. If successful, the improved accuracy of our simulations will make it possible to predict and help prevent neck injury.