An activation-recruitment scheme for use in muscle modeling

The derivation of a new activation-recruitment scheme and the results of a study designed to test its validity are presented. The activation scheme utilizes input data of processed surface EMG signals, muscle composition, muscle architecture, and experimentally determined activation coefficients. In the derivation, the relationship between muscle activation and muscle fiber recruitment was considered. In the experimental study, triceps muscle force was determined for isometric elbow extension tasks varying in intensity from 10 to 100% of a maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) using both a muscle model that incorporates the activation scheme, and inverse dynamics techniques. The forces calculated using the two methods were compared statistically. The modeled triceps force was not significantly different from the experimental results determined using inverse dynamics techniques for average activation levels greater than 25% of MVC, but was significantly different for activation levels less than 25% of MVC. These results lend support for use of the activation-recruitment scheme for moderate to large activation levels, and suggest that factors in addition to fiber recruitment play a role in force regulation at lower activation levels.