Prof. Nicola Sancisi

My main expertise area is in musculoskeletal modelling and articular biomechanics. The human joints and, more generally, the whole human body can be represented as spatial mechanisms guided by the articular structures (ligaments, contacts) and actuated by the muscles. In this context, the analytical tools of computational kinematics and dynamics can be applied to study the behavior of the human body, with different final aims: understanding the function of anatomical structures, analyzing the impact of musculoskeletal pathologies and subsequent rehabilitation strategies on patients, designing medical devices or procedures to help the patients’ rehabilitation.

The problems faced in this context are typical of other sectors of Mechanics, but it is interesting how different ingredients combine in these applications. Indeed, musculoskeletal systems are generally over-constrained, over-actuated, compliant, and sensitive to parameter variation. Material characteristics, system parameters, and motion are difficult to measure and quite variable among subjects.

In this field, with my group, we have proposed articular models to predict the patient-specific motion of several human joints, starting from standard medical measures. All models have been validated with experimental procedures and rigs specifically designed. The results of the models have been used to shed light on the behavior of articular constraints during motion. They have also been implemented on musculoskeletal models of patients, allowing the determination of ligament, contact, and muscle forces. This made it possible to design and optimize medical devices (like prostheses and exoskeletons) to guide the patients’ motion while respecting their anatomical constraints.