The sensitivity of shoulder muscle and joint force predictions to changes in joint kinematics: A Monte-Carlo analysis

Abstract

Kinematics of the shoulder girdle obtained from non-invasive measurement systems such as video motion analysis, accelerometers and magnetic tracking sensors has been shown to be adversely affected by instrumentation measurement errors and skin motion artefact. The degree to which musculoskeletal model calculations of shoulder muscle and joint loading are influenced by variations in joint kinematics is currently not well understood. A three-dimensional musculoskeletal model of the upper limb was used to evaluate the sensitivity of shoulder muscle and joint force. Monte-Carlo analyses were performed by randomly perturbing scapular and humeral joint coordinates during abduction and flexion. Mus..