Aims: 

The overall aim is to describe relation between motoneuron activity patterns, muscle forces and joint rotations. Such models are essential in medical diagnosis and in artificial control of limb movements. These help to restore or enhance motor functions of people who lost the ability to control their limb movements due to neural disorders.

Methods: 

Activity patterns based on experimentally measured kinematic and electromyographic data of healthy subjects and patients with movement disorders are analysed and compared. Data analysis and known mechanical characteristics are applied to build neuro-mechanical models about processes how neural information can be transformed to mechanical activity as limb movements.

Results: 

We computed muscle activity patterns measuring and modelling reaching arm movements and cycling leg movements. In the case of arm movements we found that even if there are high variances in individual muscle activities, a desired movement of the hand is well stabilized. For cycling leg movements we applied the modelling method to control the movements of paraplegics employing multichannel functional electrical stimulation. Seven patients with complete spinal cord injury showed increasing mechanical performance during 6 months training.

Conclusion: 

Applying neuro-mechanical modelling techniques one can control or generate movements of people with neurologically based movement disorders. Rehabilitation may focus on improvement of activity patterns to approach healthy ones. The use of artificial activity patterns that consider general rules and individual properties of the subject's paralyzed limbs can perform movements by synchronized stimulation of muscles. These give sport opportunities for individuals with serious physical disabilities.