A method for estimating subject-specific body segment inertial parameters in human movement analysis

An optimization-based, non-invasive, radiation-free method was developed for estimating subject-specific body segment inertial properties (BSIPs) using a motion capture system and two forceplates. The method works with accurate descriptions of the geometry of the body segments, subject-specific center of pressure (COP) and kinematic data captured during stationary standing, and an optimization procedure. Twelve healthy subjects performed stationary standing in different postures, level walking and squatting while kinematic and forceplate data were measured. The performance of the current method was compared to three commonly used predictive methods in terms of the errors of the calculated ground reaction force, COP and joint moments using the corresponding predicted BSIPs. The current method was found to be capable of producing estimates of subject-specific BSIPs that predicted accurately the important variables in human motion analysis during static and dynamic activities. With the differences in the BSIPs from the current method, the mean COP errors were less than 5 mm during stationary standing postures, while those from the existing comparative methods ranged from 11 to 25 mm. During dynamic activities, the existing methods gave COP errors three times as large as the proposed method, with up to 2.5 times RMSE in joint moments during walking. Being non-invasive and using standard motion laboratory equipment, the current method will be useful for routine clinical gait analysis and relevant clinical applications, particularly in patient populations that are not targeted by the existing predictive methods.