Study of dynamic forces in human upper limb in forward fall.

Abstract

Knowledge of dynamic forces acting on the upper limb is useful, and sometimes even necessary, in its treatment and rehabilitation after injuries, during prostheses designing, as well as in optimization of the sports training process. In this work an attempt to determine the quantity of the inertia forces generated in forward fall has been undertaken. For this purpose a simplified mechanical model of the human body biokinematic chain has been prepared. Geometric data and mass of each element have been taken from anthropometric atlas for the Polish population. Kinematic data necessary to perform the analysis was calculated using fundamental laws of Mechanics. In this way accelerations of the selected points necessary for the determination of inertia forces acting on the individual links of the model were yielded. For validation of the obtained results a numerical model was constructed using SimMechanic module of the Matlab Simulink software. It made possible to compare the results obtained in both simulation methods. To make joints model more realistic a values of the viscous friction were assumed.