Simulation of elbow motion in vitro: a comparison of passive versus active control

摘要

Biomechanical in vitro testing of the elbow and forearm, particularly the investigation of joint kinematics, has been the subject of a number of studies. While passive testing (produced by direct manipulation) of the elbow has been employed, it is known that in-vitro modeling is sensitive to the nature of simulated muscle loading, with the magnitude of loading affecting kinematics (King et al., 1993). Moreover, electromographic (EMG) studies have indicated that muscle activation is not symmetricduring motion (Funk et al., 1987; Caldwell et al., 1993). As a component of the development of a testing simulator for measuring elbow and forearm motion pathways, this study assessed the influence of passive vs. active loading. It was the hypothesis ofthis study that active load control produces more stable motion pathways than passive control.