The investigation and mechanical description of skeletal muscles has always been a core of our institute. We are therefore pleased that our paper on a novel multi-scale muscle model for the continuum-mechanical description of passive muscle behaviour received the publication prize of the University of Stuttgart. The work was done in close collaboration between Christian Bleiler and Prof. Oliver Röhrle from the IMSB and Prof. Pedro Ponte Castañeda from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA).
Summary: Skeletal muscles are an integral part of the musculoskeletal system. The modelling and computer-based simulation of movements of the musculoskeletal system thus requires an accurate description of the mechanical properties of muscles. Tissue alterations, for example as a result of disease, can strongly influence these properties, but usually show up on much smaller length scales, such as in the underlying protein structures in the micrometre range. The multiscale continuum-mechanical model for skeletal muscle tissue presented in the publication allows the direct use of microstructural data and thus represents an important paradigm shift in skeletal muscle modelling. Experimental results from histological examinations or image-based methods can thus be used directly as input parameters for simulations. The presented model is thus an important step on the way to envisioned clinical applications.
Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.05.012
Further information: https://www.uni-stuttgart.de/en/university/news/all/publication-prizes/