The Application of Computer Musculoskeletal Modeling and Simulation to Investigate Compressive Tibiofemoral Force and Muscle Functions in Obese Children

This study aimed to utilize musculoskeletal modelling and simulation to investigate the compressive tibiofemoral force and individual muscle function in obese children. We generated a 3D muscle-driven simulation of eight obese and eight normal-weight boys walking at their self-selected speed. The compressive tibiofemoral force and individual muscle contribution to the support and progression accelerations of center of mass (COM) were computed for each participant based on the subject-specific model. The simulated results were verified by comparing them to the experimental kinematics and EMG data. We found a linear relationship between the average self-selected speed and the normalized peak compressive tibiofemoral force (R (2) = 0.611). The activity of the quadriceps contributed the most to the peak compressive tibiofemoral force during the stance phase. Obese children and nonobese children use similar muscles to support and accelerate the body COM, but nonobese children had significantly greater contributions of individual muscles. The obese children may therefore adopt a compensation strategy to avoid increasing joint loads and muscle requirements during walking. The absolute compressive tibiofemoral force and muscle forces were still greater in obese children. The long-term biomechanical adaptations of the musculoskeletal system to accommodate the excess body weight during walking are a concern.