Trajectory Planning of Spine Motion During Flexion Using a Stability-Based Optimization

A central problem in motor control is to understand how the many biomechanical degrees of freedom are coordinated to achieve a goal. A common assumption is that Central Nervous System (CNS) would minimize a performance index to achieve this goal which is called objective function. In this paper, two popular objective functions are utilized to design the optimal trajectory of trunk movements. A 3D computational method incorporated with 18 anatomically oriented muscles is used to simulate human trunk system. Inverse dynamics allows us to compute torque which is generated around Lumbosacral joint. This torque is divided among muscles by static stability-based optimization. Trunk movement from the upright standing to 30 degrees of flexion is simulated based on this method. Incorporation of the stability condition with the static optimization resulted in an increase of antagonistic activities which would increase the joint stiffness around the Lumbosacral joint in response to gravity perturbation. Results would shed light on the interaction mechanisms in muscle activation patterns, seen in various performance indices.