An approach to a muscle model with a stimulus frequency-force relationship for FES applications

A simplified model of electrically stimulated muscle for use in applications of functional electrical stimulation (FES) is discussed in this paper. The muscle model was required to have both stimulus frequency and stimulus intensity (amplitude/width) inputs. The stimulus frequency versus force relationship of rabbit muscle was modeled first with a small number of model parameters that could be identified by simple experiments in a short time. The model identified was found to be applicable to human muscles. The frequency-force relationships of electrically stimulated fast and slow type muscles were also predicted by the model. The frequency-force model and a simplified model of muscle activation dynamics were used to construct a muscle model that described the summation of muscle contraction. The use of this model decreased the time burden on patients during parameter identification at the clinical site. The clinical applicability of these new model descriptions was suggested through computer simulations.