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Forces Generated by Vastus Lateralis and Vastus Medialis Decrease with Increasing Stair Descent Speed

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Abstract

Stair descent (SD) is a common, difficult task for populations who are elderly or have orthopaedic pathologies. Joint torques of young, healthy populations during SD increase at the hip and ankle with increasing speed but not at the knee, contrasting torque patterns during gait. To better understand the sources of the knee torque pattern, we used dynamic simulations to estimate knee muscle forces and how they modulate center of mass (COM) acceleration across SD speeds (slow, self-selected, and fast) in young, healthy adults. The vastus lateralis and vastus medialis forces decreased from slow to self-selected speeds as the individual lowered to the next step. Since the vasti are primary contributors to vertical support during SD, they produced lower forces at faster speeds due to the lower need for vertical COM support observed at faster speeds. In contrast, the semimembranosus and rectus femoris forces increased across successive speeds, allowing the semimembranosus to increase acceleration downward and forward and the rectus femoris to provide more vertical support and resistance to forward progression as SD speed increased. These results demonstrate the utility of dynamic simulations to extend beyond traditional inverse dynamics analyses to gain further insight into muscle mechanisms during tasks like SD.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation. Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No DGE-0822215 as well as by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases under Award No R01AR056700.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, E305 Scott Laboratory, 201 W 19th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210-1142, USA

    Elena J. Caruthers, Ajit M. W. Chaudhari & Robert A. Siston

  2. Department of Engineering, Otterbein University, Westerville, OH, USA

    Elena J. Caruthers

  3. FirstEnergy, Oak Harbor, OH, USA

    Kassandra K. Oxendale

  4. ARCCA, Inc., Penns Park, PA, USA

    Jacqueline M. Lewis

  5. Department of Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Ajit M. W. Chaudhari & Robert A. Siston

  6. Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Laura C. Schmitt

  7. Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Ajit M. W. Chaudhari & Laura C. Schmitt

  8. Departments of Orthopedics, Family Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, and Kinesiology, University Health Sports Medicine Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Thomas M. Best

  9. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Robert A. Siston

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  1. Elena J. Caruthers
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  2. Kassandra K. Oxendale
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  3. Jacqueline M. Lewis
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  4. Ajit M. W. Chaudhari
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  5. Laura C. Schmitt
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  6. Thomas M. Best
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Correspondence to Elena J. Caruthers.

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Associate Editor Thurmon E. Lockhart oversaw the review of this article.

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Caruthers, E.J., Oxendale, K.K., Lewis, J.M. et al. Forces Generated by Vastus Lateralis and Vastus Medialis Decrease with Increasing Stair Descent Speed. Ann Biomed Eng 46, 579–589 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-018-1979-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-018-1979-9

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