Investigation of Form-Function Relationships in the Human Musculoskeletal System

肌肉骨骼关节是实现身体各部分之间复杂运动的关键要素。它们在传递力的同时促进运动的能力是非凡的。然而，它们错综复杂的排列和形状是如何使我们能够执行复杂的动态任务的，我们并不总是很清楚。先前，我们发现人类足弓使踝关节功能得以发挥。这项工作为研究人类脚的机械功能提供了新的思路，并为解释为什么人类脚的形状与其他非人类类人猿有如此巨大的不同提供了潜在的解释。我们还发现，膝盖骨骼的形状对其功能有相当大的影响。然而，足部如何完成其在踝关节功能中的作用以及该功能如何影响膝关节力学仍不清楚。这个研究项目有三个互补的目标。第一个目标是了解脚和脚踝的运动是如何完成的。我们将检查脚部内复杂的关节及其周围的软组织。第二个目标是调查足部骨骼形状的差异如何映射到人的足部和脚踝功能的差异。在第三个目标中，我们将研究人群中关节形状的广泛范围如何影响足和膝关节的机械功能。为了实现这一目标，我们将使用最先进的成像和肌肉骨骼建模方法，如高速双平面x射线和六自由度建模。这个NSE研究项目广泛适用于几个领域。首先，这项工作可以深入了解人类的起源。与已灭绝的人类亲戚和非人类猿类相比，人类的脚和膝盖的形状是不同的。深入了解脚和膝盖的功能以及形状的变化如何改变功能，可以为进化生物学家提供新的目标，以研究塑造人类物种的选择性力量。这项工作也与应用科学相关，如骨科植入物设计。骨科植入物的目的是再现完整关节的功能。了解关节表面的哪些特征与健康功能最相关，可以为植入物的设计提供信息。最后，本研究与鞋业相关。了解足部固有关节的机械重要性，以及鞋类如何改变功能，将有助于新的设计，也许可以优化性能，最大限度地减少受伤风险。最后，这项工作对腿式机器人设计具有重要意义，研究人员致力于制造接近模仿人类运动的机器人。了解关节形状的变化如何导致功能的变化，可以为研究人员的设计提供新的标准。拟培养博士4人，硕士3人，本科生5人。

Musculoskeletal joints are critical elements for enabling complex movements between body segments. They are remarkable in their ability to facilitate motion while transmitting forces. However, it is not always clear how their intricate arrangement and shapes enable us to perform complex dynamic tasks. Previously, we found that the arch of the human foot enables ankle function. This work provided new ideas into how the human foot mechanically functions and provided potential explanations as to why the human foot is shaped so dramatically different compared to other non-human apes. We also found that the shape of the bones in the knee has a considerable influence on its function. However, how the foot accomplishes its role in ankle function and how this function affects knee mechanics remains unclear. This research program has three complementary objectives. The first objective aims to understand how coupled foot and ankle motion is accomplished. We will examine the intricate joints within the foot and their surrounding soft tissues. The second objective investigates how differences in the skeletal shape of the foot bones map to differences in foot and ankle function across people. In the third objective, we will investigate how the wide range of joint shapes across the population influence the foot and knee's mechanical function. To accomplish this, we will use state-of-the-art methods in imaging and musculoskeletal modelling, such as high-speed biplanar x-ray and six-degree-of-freedom modelling. This NSE research program is broadly applicable in several areas. First, this work can provide insight into human origins. The shapes of the foot and knee in humans are distinct compared to extinct relatives of humans and non-human apes. Insight into how the foot and knee function and how variation in shape alters function can provide evolutionary biologists with new targets for the selective forces that shaped the human species. This work is also relevant in applied sciences such as orthopedic implant design. Orthopedic implants aim to recapitulate the function of the intact joint. Learning what features of the articular surfaces are most relevant to healthy function can inform implant design. Finally, this work has relevance to the footwear industry. Understanding the mechanical importance of the intrinsic foot joints and how footwear alters function will aid in new designs that can perhaps optimize performance and minimize injury risk. Finally, this work has importance for legged robotics design, where researchers work to make robots that closely mimic human locomotion. Understanding how variation in joint shapes leads to variations in function can provide researchers with new criteria for their designs. This proposal will train four PhD, three MASc, and five undergraduate students.