Roles of Mono- and Bi-articular Muscles in Human Limbs: Two-joint Link Model and Applications

We review the two-joint link model of mono- and bi-articular muscles in the human branchium and thigh for applications related to biomechanical studies of tetrapod locomotion including gait analyses of humans and non-human tetrapods. This model has been proposed to elucidate functional roles of human mono- and bi-articular muscles by analyzing human limb movements biomechanically and testing the results both theoretically and mechanically using robotic arms and legs. However, the model has not yet been applied to biomechanical studies of tetrapod locomotion, in part since it was established based mainly on mechanical engineering analyses and because it has been applied mostly to robotics, fields of mechanical engineering, and to rehabilitation sciences. When we discovered and published the identical pairs of mono- and bi-articular muscles in pectoral fins of the coelacanth fish Latimeria chalumnae to those of humans, we recognized the significant roles of mono- and bi-articular muscles in evolution of tetrapod limbs from paired fins and tetrapod limb locomotion. Therefore, we have been reviewing the theoretical background and mechanical parameters of the model in order to analyze functional roles of mono- and bi-articular muscles in tetrapod limb locomotion. Herein, we present re-defined biological parameters including 3 axes among 3 joints of forelimbs or hindlimbs that the model has formulated and provide biological and analytical tools and examples to facilitate applicable power of the model to our on-going gait analyses of humans and tetrapods.