RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ultrasound-based optimal parameter estimation improves assessment of calf muscle-tendon interaction during walking
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 778720
DO 10.1101/778720
A1 T. Delabastita
A1 M. Afschrift
A1 B. Vanwanseele
A1 F. De Groote
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/09/23/778720.abstract
AB We present and evaluate a new approach to estimate calf muscle-tendon parameters and calculate calf muscle-tendon function during walking. We used motion analysis, ultrasound, and EMG data of the calf muscles collected in six young and six older adults during treadmill walking as inputs to a new optimal estimation algorithm. We used estimated parameters or scaled generic parameters in an existing approach to calculate muscle fiber lengths and activations. We calculated the fit with experimental data in terms of root mean squared differences (RMSD) and coefficients of determination (R2). We also calculated the calf muscle metabolic energy cost. RMSD between measured and calculated fiber lengths and activations decreased and R2 increased when estimating parameters compared to using scaled generic parameters. Moreover, R2 between measured and calculated gastrocnemius medialis fiber length and soleus activations increased by 19 % and 70 %, and calf muscle metabolic energy decreased by 25% when using estimated parameters compared to using scaled generic parameters at speeds not used for estimation. This new approach estimates calf muscle-tendon parameters in good accordance with values reported in literature. The approach improves calculations of calf muscle-tendon interaction during walking and highlights the importance of individualizing calf muscle-tendon parameters.