Estimating Infant Hip Joint Moments Using a Novel Musculoskeletal Model

Musculoskeletal models offer a convenient method to non-invasively study human development, function, and pathologies. While adult musculoskeletal models have been extensively studied [1], infant populations have been widely underserved. However, understanding infant joint biomechanics during the first year of life is vital considering abnormal loads may be detrimental to growth and development. Joint moments from an infant musculoskeletal model could help assess pathologies such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Previous computational studies involving infant biomechanics [2, 3] lacked the modeling of active muscle response which may affect musculoskeletal development [4]. As such, the purpose of this study is to create a preliminary musculoskeletal infant model that considers the muscle response to quantify hip joint moments.