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Development of a musculoskeletal shoulder model considering anatomic joint structures and soft-tissue deformation for dynamic simulation

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Abstract

The shoulder joint has a high degree of freedom and an extremely complex and unstable kinematic mechanism. Coordinated contraction of the rotator cuff muscles that stop around the humeral head and the deltoid muscles and the extensibility of soft tissues, such as the joint capsule, labrum, and ligaments, contribute to shoulder-joint stability. Understanding the mechanics of shoulder-joint movement, including soft-tissue characteristics, is important for disease prevention and the development of a device for disease treatment. This study aimed to create a musculoskeletal shoulder model to represent the realistic behavior of joint movement and soft-tissue deformation as a dynamic simulation using a rigid-body model for bones and a soft-body model for soft tissues via a spring–damper–mass system. To reproduce the muscle-contraction properties of organisms, we used a muscle-expansion representation and Hill’s mechanical muscle model. Shoulder motion, including the movement of the center of rotation in joints, was reproduced, and the strain in the joint capsule during dynamic shoulder movement was quantified. Furthermore, we investigated narrowing of the acromiohumeral distance in several situations to induce tissue damage due to rotator cuff impingement at the anterior–subacromial border during shoulder abduction. Given that the model can analyze exercises under disease conditions, such as muscle and tendon injuries and impingement syndrome, the proposed model is expected to help elucidate disease mechanisms and develop treatment guidelines.

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank those who donated their bodies to science so that anatomic research could be conducted. Results from such research can increase humankind’s overall knowledge, which can subsequently improve patient care. Therefore, these donors and their families deserve our highest gratitude. The authors thank Kazuto Arimura, Yoshiko Kunita, and Yohei Maruyama for their assistance.

Funding

This research was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 20K19362.

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Author notes

  1. Taku Tazawa

    Present address: ASAHI INTECC CO., LTD., Aichi, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku-Ku, Nagoya-Shi, Aichi, Japan

    Taku Tazawa, Shigemichi Ohshima & Hiroki Yokota

  2. Department of Judo Seifuku and Health Sciences, Tokoha University, 1230 Miyakodacho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka, Japan

    Masaya Yasui

  3. Department of Anatomy, Aichi Medical University, 1–1 Yazakokarimata, Nagakute-shi, Aichi, Japan

    Shun Otsuka, Naoyuki Hatayama & Munekazu Naito

Authors
  1. Taku Tazawa
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  2. Masaya Yasui
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  3. Shun Otsuka
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  4. Naoyuki Hatayama
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  6. Shigemichi Ohshima
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  7. Hiroki Yokota
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Contributions

TT and HY conceived and designed the research. TT and HY performed the experiments, collected the data, prepared the figures, and conducted the simulation analysis. MY, SO, NH, and MN provided constructive suggestions and discussions. SO and HY reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors were involved in the discussion of the results and writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hiroki Yokota.

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Ethics approval

Experimental measurements using a cadaver were performed according to the protocol approved by the Ethics Committee of Aichi Medical University (Permit Number: 2019-M003).

Conflicts of interest

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Tazawa, T., Yasui, M., Otsuka, S. et al. Development of a musculoskeletal shoulder model considering anatomic joint structures and soft-tissue deformation for dynamic simulation. Anat Sci Int (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-024-00773-7

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