Effects of Genu Varum Deformity on The Activation Patterns of The Knee Abductor and Adductor Muscles During a Complete Gait Cycle

Genu varum deformity is one of the primary skeletal deformities in the lower extremities, leading to postural and gait control problems or even knee OA. Many studies have discussed the effects of genu varum on muscle activation; however, nearly none of these studies have utilized musculoskeletal modeling. A varus model was created based on the skeletal system of a patient who participated in this study by expanding the Rajagopal model using OpenSim’s API in MATLAB to estimate the activation pattern of the knee adductor and abductor muscles. Results showed a decrease in the activation of adductor muscles and an increase in the activation of abductor muscles, specifically the TFL, in the varus model. The reduction in the activation of adductor muscles can be a brain strategy to postpone the possible chance of OA. Also, the rise in the activation of abductors is mainly due to the stabilization mechanism of the knee joint in patients with genu varum.

کلیدواژه ها:

Gait Analysis ، OpenSim ، Musculoskeletal Modeling ، Genu Varum.