Influence of Scaling Mass and Height on a Musculoskeletal Model of Joint Moments During Walking: A Simulation Study

This simulation study uses OpenSim models to investigate the influence of scaling mass and height on joint moments, muscle-tendon unit length, and velocity during walking. The study aims to understand the effects of different scaling approaches on OpenSim musculoskeletal model by applying scale factors of 10 and 100 to segmental mass, height, and a combination of both. We found that the net joint moments of the lower extremities scale linearly with increases in mass. However, there was a non-linear relationship between lower extremity net joint moments and height, which manifested both when height was scaled in isolation and when both mass and height were scaled simultaneously. This study provides insights for researchers and practitioners in biomechanics, enhancing our understanding of the role of mass and height scaling in human movement simulations.