TY - JOUR A1 - Auer, Simon A1 - Schiebl, Jonas A1 - Iversen, Kristoffer A1 - Subhash Chander, Divyaksh A1 - Damsgaard, Michael A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Biomechanical assessment of the design and efficiency of occupational exoskeletons with the AnyBody Modeling System JF - Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaften N2 - Exoskeletons were invented over 100 years ago but have only become popular in the last two decades, especially in the working industry as they can decrease work-related loads significantly. The most often used exoskeletons are for the lower back and shoulder since these are commonly affected body regions. All devices have in common that their purpose is to reduce internal loads of vulnerable body regions. Nevertheless, there is still little understanding on how biomechanical loading in the human body changes when exoskeletons are used. Therefore, further analyses are needed. A promising candidate for these are musculoskeletal models, which are based on an inverse dynamics approach and can calculate external parameters such as ground reaction forces or other interaction forces as well as internal parameters such as joint reaction forces or muscle activities. The various examples in the literature show that these models are increasingly used for assessing the biomechanical effects of exoskeletons on the human body. Furthermore, musculoskeletal models can calculate biomechanical loadings of humans with and without exoskeletons for all kinds of applications and allow an evaluation of their purpose. Practical Relevance: This article highlights the possibilities of musculoskeletal models for assessing the design and efficiency of occupational exoskeletons. Several practical use cases are described along with distinct descriptions of common implications of musculoskeletal and exoskeleton modeling. KW - Biomechanics KW - Ergonomics KW - Motion capture KW - Inverse dynamics Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s41449-022-00336-4 N1 - Corresponding author: Sebastian Dendorfer VL - 76 IS - 4 SP - 440 EP - 449 PB - Springer Nature ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auer, Simon A1 - Kubowitsch, Simone A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Kombinierter Einfluss von psychologischen und biomechanischen Faktoren auf die muskulären Belastungen beim Fußballspielen JF - Die Orthopädie N2 - When mental stress and musculoskeletal loading interact, the risk for injury increases due to altered body kinematics and increased muscle tension. These changes can be detected with musculoskeletal models, and mental loading and stress must be analyzed at emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels. To investigate these kinematic and loading changes under stress, competitive athletes were subjected to mental stress during highly dynamic movements, and musculoskeletal models were used to analyze the biomechanical loading. It was shown that under mental stress, independent of the subjective perception, a strong change in muscle forces can occur. Accordingly, competitive athletes should undergo screenings to assess individual movement patterns and promote general stress resilience. N2 - Für Fußballer:innen stellen muskuläre Verletzungen der unteren Extremitäten ein großes Problem dar. Ein Beispiel hierfür liefert die Nationalmannschaftsstürmerin Alexandra Popp, die aufgrund muskulärer Probleme das EM-Finale 2022 in Wembley kurzfristig verpasste. Oftmals stehen gerade hohe Anspannungssituationen in zeitlichem Zusammenhang mit Verletzungen, der Einfluss der psychischen Beanspruchung auf die biomechanischen Belastungen wird jedoch meist nur wenig beachtet. KW - Biologische Modelle KW - Biomechanik KW - Leistungssportler KW - Bewegung KW - Resilienz, psychologische KW - Biological models KW - Biomechanics KW - Elite athletes KW - Movement KW - Resilience, psychological Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-65113 N1 - Corresponding author: Sebastian Dendorfer VL - 52 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Springer ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Renkawitz, Tobias A1 - Weber, Tim A. A1 - Dullien, Silvia A1 - Woerner, Michael A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Grifka, Joachim A1 - Weber, Markus T1 - Leg length and offset differences above 5 mm after total hip arthroplasty are associated with altered gait kinematics JF - Gait & Posture N2 - We aimed to investigate the relationship between postoperative leg length/offset (LL/OS) reconstruction and gait performance after total hip arthroplasty (THA). In the course of a prospective randomized controlled trial, 60 patients with unilateral hip arthrosis received cementless THA through a minimally-invasive anterolateral surgical approach. One year post-operatively, LL and global OS restoration were analyzed and compared to the contralateral hip on AP pelvic radiographs. The combined postoperative limb length/OS reconstruction of the operated hip was categorized as restored (within 5 mm) or non-restored (more than 5 mm reduction or more than 5 mm increment). The acetabular component inclination, anteversion and femoral component anteversion were evaluated using CT scans of the pelvis and the femur. 3D gait analysis of the lower extremity and patient related outcome measures (HHS, HOOS, EQ-5D) were obtained pre-operatively, six months and twelve months post-operatively by an observer blinded to radiographic results. Component position of cup and stem was comparable between the restored and non-restored group. Combined LL and OS restoration within 5 mm resulted in higher Froude number (p < 0.001), normalized walking speed (p < 0.001) and hip range-of-motion (ROM) (p = 0.004) during gait twelve months postoperatively, whereas gait symmetry was comparable regardless of LL and OS reconstruction at both examinations. Clinical scores did not show any relevant association between the accuracy of LL or OS reconstruction and gait six/twelve months after THA. In summary, postoperative LL/OS discrepancies larger than 5 mm relate to unphysiological gait kinematics within the first year after THA. DRKS00000739, German Clinical Trials Register. KW - THA KW - Leg length KW - Offset KW - Gait analysis KW - Biomechanics Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.07.011 VL - vol. 49 SP - 196 EP - 201 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Putzer, Michael A1 - Auer, Stefan A1 - Malpica, William A1 - Süß, Franz A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - A numerical study to determine the effect of ligament stiffness on kinematics of the lumbar spine during flexion JF - BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders N2 - Background There is a wide range of mechanical properties of spinal ligaments documented in literature. Due to the fact that ligaments contribute in stabilizing the spine by limiting excessive intersegmental motion, those properties are of particular interest for the implementation in musculoskeletal models. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of varying ligament stiffness on the kinematic behaviour of the lumbar spine. Methods A musculoskeletal model with a detailed lumbar spine was modified according to fluoroscopic recordings and corresponding data files of three different subjects. For flexion, inverse dynamics analysis with a variation of the ligament stiffness matrix were conducted. The influence of several degrees of ligament stiffness on the lumbar spine model were investigated by tracking ligament forces, disc forces and resulting moments generated by the ligaments. Additionally, the kinematics of the motion segments were evaluated. Results An increase of ligament stiffness resulted in an increase of ligament and disc forces, whereas the relative change of disc force increased at a higher rate at the L4/L5 level (19 %) than at the L3/L4 (10 %) level in a fully flexed posture. The same behaviour applied to measured moments with 67 % and 45 %. As a consequence, the motion deflected to the lower levels of the lumbar spine and the lower discs had to resist an increase in loading. Conclusions Higher values of ligament stiffness over all lumbar levels could lead to a shift of the loading and the motion between segments to the lower lumbar levels. This could lead to an increased risk for the lower lumbar parts. KW - Lumbar spine KW - Ligament stiffness KW - Musculoskeletal Modeling KW - Biomechanics Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-016-0942-x VL - 17 IS - 95 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Tim A. A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Bulstra, Sjoerd K. A1 - Grifka, Joachim A1 - Verkerke, Gijsbertus Jacob A1 - Renkawitz, Tobias T1 - Gait six month and one-year after computer assisted Femur First THR vs. conventional THR. Results of a patient- and observer- blinded randomized controlled trial JF - Gait & Posture N2 - A prospective randomized controlled trial is presented that is used to compare gait performance between the computer assisted Femur First (CAS FF) operation method and conventional THR (CON). 60 patients underwent a 3D gait analysis of the lower extremity at pre-operative, 6 months post-operative and twelve months post-operative. Detailed verification experiments were facilitated to ensure the quality of data as well as to avoid over-interpreting of the data. The results confirm a similar data-quality as reported in the literature. Walking speed, range of motion and symmetry thereof improved over the follow-up period, without significant differences between the groups. While all parameters do significantly increase over the follow-up period for both groups, there were no significant differences between them at any given time-point. Patients undergoing CAS FF showed a trend to improved hip flexion angle indicating a possible long-term benefit. KW - Biomechanics KW - Combined anteversion KW - Computer-assisted surgery KW - Femur first KW - Gait analysis Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2016.06.035 VL - vol. 49 SP - 418 EP - 425 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Tim A1 - Al-Munajjed, Amir Andreas A1 - Verkerke, Gijsbertus Jacob A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Renkawitz, Tobias T1 - Influence of minimally invasive total hip replacement on hip reaction forces and their orientations JF - Journal of Orthopaedic Research N2 - Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is becoming increasingly popular. Supporters claim that the main advantages of MIS total hip replacement (THR) are less pain and a faster rehabilitation and recovery. Critics claim that safety and efficacy of MIS are yet to be determined. We focused on a biomechanical comparison between surgical standard and MIS approaches for THR during the early recovery of patients. A validated, parameterized musculoskeletal model was set to perform a squat of a 50th percentile healthy European male. A bilateral motion was chosen to investigate effects on the contralateral side. Surgical approaches were simulated by excluding the incised muscles from the computations. Resulting hip reaction forces and their symmetry and orientation were analyzed. MIS THR seemed less influential on the symmetry index of hip reaction forces between the operated and nonoperated leg when compared to the standard lateral approach. Hip reaction forces at peak loads of the standard transgluteal approach were 24% higher on the contralateral side when compared to MIS approaches. Our results suggest that MIS THR contributes to a greater symmetry of hip reaction forces in absolute value as well as force-orientation following THR. KW - THA KW - THR KW - Biomechanics KW - Conventional surgery KW - Early recovery KW - Hüftgelenkprothese KW - Minimal-invasive Chirurgie KW - Biomechanik Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.22710 VL - 32 IS - 12 SP - 1680 EP - 1687 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Penzkofer, Rainer A1 - Barnsteiner, K. A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - The influence of age, shoe type and kicking direction on the severity of head trauma JF - Journal of Forensic Biomechanics N2 - In the last few years, increasingly kicks to the head were observed as a criminal offense. This study examined the influence of age, shoe type and kicking direction on the severity of head trauma. Male test persons were divided into two groups “Old” and “Young”. Both groups were equipped with light sneakers and combat boots. A standard laboratory crash dummy was used to simulate the victim’s body. First, the dummy’s head, free floating above the ground, was kicked vertically. Second, the dummy’s head was kicked horizontally. Established injury criteria were used to quantify the injury risk. No influence concerning the type of foot wear and no difference between the groups “Old” and “Young” could be found. For all analyses, kicking vertically generally lead to a higher risk for the subject compared to kicking horizontally. In this study, only the integral effect of the kicks could be analyzed. A detailed injury pattern cannot directly be derived from the data. Nevertheless, the presented data show the massive potential of injuries associated with head kicks. KW - Head trauma KW - Biomechanics KW - Kicks KW - Kopfverletzung KW - Schädel-Hirn-Trauma KW - Einflussgröße Y1 - 2014 UR - https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the-influence-of-age-shoe-type-and-kicking-direction-on-the-severity-of-head-trauma-2090-2697-1000116.pdf U6 - https://doi.org/10.4172/2090-2697.1000116 VL - 5 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auer, Simon A1 - Kurbowitsch, Simone A1 - Süß, Franz A1 - Renkawitz, Tobias A1 - Krutsch, Werner A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian T1 - Mental stress reduces performance and changes musculoskeletal loading in football-related movements JF - Science and Medicine in Football N2 - Purpose: Football players have a high risk of leg muscle injuries, especially when exposed to mental stress. Hence, this study investigated the musculoskeletal response of elite youth football players during highly dynamic movements under stress. The hypothesis is that mental stress reduces performance and changes the muscular forces exerted. Materials & methods: Twelve elite youth football players were subjected to mental stress while performing sports-specific change-of-direction movements. A modified version of the d2 attention test was used as stressor. The kinetics are computed using inverse dynamics. Running times and exerted forces of injury-prone muscles were analysed. Results: The stressor runs were rated more mentally demanding by the players (p = 0.006, rs = 0.37) with unchanged physical demand (p = 0.777, rs = 0.45). This resulted in 10% longer running times under stress (p < 0.001, d = −1.62). The musculoskeletal analysis revealed higher peak muscle forces under mental stress for some players but not for others. Discussion: The study shows that motion capture combined with musculoskeletal computation is suitable to analyse the effects of stress on athletes in highly dynamic movements. For the first time in football medicine, our data quantifies an association between mental stress with reduced football players’ performance and changes in muscle force. KW - Biomechanics KW - muscle injury KW - attention KW - musculoskeletal simulation Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2020.1860253 VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - 323 EP - 329 PB - Taylor & Francis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tröster, Mark A1 - Eckstein, Simon A1 - Kennel, Paula A1 - Kopp, Verna A1 - Benkiser, Alina A1 - Bihlmeier, Felicitas A1 - Daub, Urban A1 - Maufroy, Christophe A1 - Dendorfer, Sebastian A1 - Fritzsche, Lars A1 - Schneider, Urs A1 - Bauernhasl, Thomas T1 - Person-specific evaluation method for occupational exoskeletons - Biomechanical body heat map JF - Applied Ergonomics N2 - Human-centred and ergonomic work design is one of the most important drivers for increasing the competitiveness of the European Union. As a flexible, person-specific occupational measure, exoskeletons promise great potential for effectively reducing individual ergonomic stress. Digital human models can provide important insights and offer great potential for systematising the effect and targeted use of exoskeletons, supporting their effective implementation in practice. In this article, digital human models are applied on two levels. Firstly, a realistic industrial logistics scenario in which boxes had to be relocated is designed with the help of a digital human model for workplace and process planning and secondly, a new biomechanical evaluation methodology to analyse intended and unintended effects on internal stress on the human body is demonstrated by applying musculoskeletal exoskeleton human models of four test subjects. Finally, the modelled biomechanical support tendencies of one exoskeleton are preliminary validated using EMG measurement data of the back muscles collected from the four male workers. The preliminary analysis of two back-support exoskeletons to demonstrate the new methodological approach confirms the expected, intended effects in the lower back and reveals unintended effects, such as e.g. changes in knee kinetics when applying a soft or hard-frame exoskeleton. Furthermore, the exemplary results to demonstrate the methodological approach expose notable differences between the test subjects, which underlines the relevance of person-specific evaluation and consideration of exoskeleton support. The preliminary validation shows a correlation between the modelled and the EMG-measured biomechanical exoskeleton support of the considered back muscles. KW - Industry 5.0 KW - Ergonomics KW - Digital human modelling KW - Biomechanics KW - Musculoskeletal modelling KW - Occupational exoskeletons Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104671 VL - 132 PB - Elsevier ER -