The Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling Pipeline: MATLAB-based Model Personalization and Treatment Optimization Functionality for OpenSim

This article introduces the Neuromusculoskeletal Modeling (NMSM) Pipeline, two MATLAB-based toolsets that add Model Personalization and Treatment Optimization functionality to OpenSim. The two toolsets facilitate computational design of individualized treatments for neuromusculoskeletal impairments through the use of personalized neuromusculoskeletal models and predictive simulation. The Model Personalization toolset contains four tools for personalizing 1) joint structure models, 2) muscle-tendon models, 3) neural control models, and 4) foot-ground contact models. The Treatment Optimization toolset contains three tools for predicting and optimizing a patient’s functional outcome for different treatment options using a patient’s personalized neuromusculoskeletal model with direct collocation optimal control methods.

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  The software predicted that the subject could increase his walking speed by 60% without increasing his metabolic cost per unit time by modifying existing muscle synergy recruitment.
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  These DO results suggest that upregulating weak paretic leg synergy activations while downregulating paired non-paretic leg synergy activations could potentially allow the modeled subject to increase his self-selected walking speed by 60% without increasing his metabolic cost per unit time.
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  The GCP tool produced a personalized non-uniform distribution of spring stiffness coefficients and matched ground reaction forces, ground reaction moments, foot positions, and foot orientations with RMSEs of 4.6 N, 2.1 Nm, 6.4 mm, and 1.7 degrees, respectively.