Finite Element Simulation and Analysis of the behavior under load of a human shoulder

Abstract

Majority of musculoskeletal injuries located in the shoulder are often due to repetitive or sustained movements which occur in work routines in different areas. In the case of workers in the construction sector, repetitive routine and movements under load produce displacements and unnatural postures of the shoulder joint. For this reason, the objective of this study is to model in 3D the biological elements that form the shoulder joint for subsequent Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Three cases of different loads have been considered in this first study. With the analysis developed, and thanks to the linear and isotropic joint approach has been possible to evaluate the stresses in the elements: muscles, tendons and ligaments. The methodology used allowed to obtain an improved mesh of the shoulder joint to analyze real situations with FEM analysis with applications in the field of sports medicine, work, etc. Furthermore, the simplification adopted for the modeling of the joint muscles, as 1D elements in FEM, has made it possible to establish different positions of the human joint without having mesh again each one of the positions that can be studied. The results are consistent with the states of applied loads.