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Age-related changes in the human musculoskeletal system: A modeling-based approach
This webinar presents a series of studies using the AnyBody Modeling System to investigate age-related changes in muscle activity, muscle fatigue, and joint loading under different functional conditions. It demonstrates how mathematical musculoskeletal modeling can be used to simulate the effects of strength decline across the lifespan – from dynapenia to healthy aging – by incorporating population-based strength percentiles (P20, P50, P80). The results reveal a nonlinear increase in total muscle activity and muscle fatigue during upright standing, with a pronounced acceleration in late life and substantially higher demands in individuals with reduced strength capacity. Cross-sectional analyses of gait biomechanics are also presented, showing that age, sex, and physical activity influence internal knee joint loading in a phase-dependent manner. In addition, prospective modeling results over a five-year period highlight how aging and changes in physical activity are associated with alterations in knee joint reaction forces. Overall, this webinar highlights the potential of musculoskeletal modeling to improve the understanding of aging-related biomechanical adaptations and support the development of personalized strategies for healthy aging.
Presenter:
Assistant Professor Katarzyna Nowakowska-Lipiec, Ph.D. Eng.
Department of Biomechatronics, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Poland