Modeling Neuromuscular Hand Disorders

Neuromuscular disorders have different causes and symptoms, but they all lead to impaired muscle functionality. In this research, we studied a number of common disorders that affect the force distributions in the hand muscles, with an emphasis on the index finger. To validate our results, we used available EMG data to ensure the reliability in predicting muscle activation patterns. We have used static grasping modes and used previous static optimization models to build a foundation of how the disorders can affect muscle forces. This preliminary study can pave the way for future research, such as applying the models to dynamic grasps and using this insight for controlling hand exoskeletons and assistive devices.