EMG-informed Neuromuscular Model Assesses the Effects of Varied Bodyweight Support on Muscles During Overground Walking

Bodyweight supported walking is a common gait rehabilitation method that can be used as an experimental approach to better understand walking biomechanics. Neuromuscular modeling can provide an analytical means to gain insight into how muscles coordinate to produce walking and other movements. To better understand how muscle length and velocity affect muscle force during overground walking with bodyweight support, we used an electromyography (EMG)-informed neuromuscular model to investigate changes in muscle parameters (muscle force, activation and fiber length) at varying bodyweight support levels: 0%, 24%, 45% and 69% bodyweight. Coupled constant force springs provided a vertical support force while we collected biomechanical data (EMG, motion capture and ground reaction forces) from healthy, neurologically intact participants walking at 1.20 ± 0.06 m/s. The lateral and medial gastrocnemius demonstrated a significant decrease in muscle force (lateral: p = 0.002 and medial: p < 0.001) and activation (lateral: p = 0.007 and medial: p < 0.001) through push-off at higher levels of support. The soleus, in contrast, had no significant change in muscle activation through push-off (p = 0.652) regardless of bodyweight support level even though soleus muscle force decreased with increasing support (p < 0.001). During push-off, the soleus had shorter muscle fiber lengths and faster shortening velocities as bodyweight support levels increased. These results provide insight into how muscle force can be decoupled from effective bodyweight during bodyweight supported walking due to changes in muscle fiber dynamics. The findings contribute evidence that clinicians and biomechanists should not expect a reduction in muscle activation and force when using bodyweight support to assist gait during rehabilitation.