Assessment of Muscle Forces and Joint Reaction in Lower Limbs During the Take-Off from the Springboard

Computer simulation methods, based on the biomechanical models of human body and its motion apparatus, are commonly used for the assessment of muscle forces, joint reactions, and some external loads on the human body during its various activities. In this paper a planar musculoskeletal model of human body is presented, followed by its application to the inverse simulation study of a gymnast movement during the take)off from the springboard when performing the handspring somersault vault on the table. Using the kinematic da) ta of the movement, captured from optoelectronic photogrammetry, both the internal loads (muscle forces and joint reactions) in the gym) nast’s lower limbs and the external reactions from the springboard were evaluated. The calculated vertical reactions from the springboard were then compared to the values assessed using the captured board displacements and its measured elastic behaviors.