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Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine

From the physics of a prosthetic carbon-fibre spring to the inverted-pendulum model of human balance — understand the biomechanics of recovery and peak performance.

6 simulations Biomechanics · Gait Physiology · Balance

Simulations

Open any simulation — runs instantly in your browser

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Popular★★☆ Moderate
Balance & Postural Control
Inverted pendulum model of human stance — the same equations used in clinical balance assessment (Romberg) and prosthetic ankle-foot design algorithms.
PendulumBalanceODE
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★★☆ Moderate
Connective Tissue & Ligament Mechanics
Position-Based Dynamics spring network models soft tissue — vary stiffness and damping to simulate healthy, injured and post-surgical ligament mechanics.
PBDSpringsTissue
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★☆☆ Beginner
Impulse & Impact Biomechanics
Rigid-body collision mechanics directly applicable to sports injury analysis — falling impact forces, helmet protection factors and ground reaction forces during landing.
ImpulseGRFRigid Body
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★★☆ Moderate
Respiratory Mechanics
1D wave propagation in a compliant airway tube — models airflow, pressure gradient and forced vital capacity (FVC). Visualise COPD airway narrowing vs. healthy lung mechanics.
FDTDAirwayFVC
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★☆☆ Beginner
Prosthetic Energy Return
Chain of rigid links with a flexible distal spring — simulates the energy-storage and return (ESR) mechanism of carbon-fibre prosthetic feet under walking loads.
SpringEnergyRigid Body
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★☆☆ Beginner
Cardiac Rehabilitation Zones
Heart-rate ODE model where recovery follows exponential dynamics. Set target HR and programme a 12-week progressive cardiac rehab schedule — visualise VO₂max adaptation curves.
ODEHR ZonesCardio

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About Rehabilitation & Movement Simulations

Gait analysis, joint mechanics, physical therapy, and motor control

Rehabilitation and movement simulations model the biomechanics and motor control underlying human locomotion and therapeutic exercise. Gait-analysis simulations animate joint angles, ground-reaction forces, and muscle-activation envelopes through a complete walking stride, comparing normal gait kinematics to pathological patterns (drop foot, antalgic gait, Trendelenburg sign). Inverse-dynamics solvers compute joint moments and powers from marker trajectories — the same output produced by clinical motion-capture systems.

Balance and postural-control simulations model the inverted-pendulum dynamics of standing and the sensory-integration weighting (visual, vestibular, proprioceptive) used in Romberg and sensory-organisation tests. Exercise-prescription models compute therapeutic dose–response relationships for range-of-motion, strength, and cardiovascular conditioning protocols. These simulations are used in physiotherapy education, prosthetics and orthotics engineering, and sports-medicine research.

Each simulation in this category is built with accuracy and interactivity in mind. The underlying mathematical models are the same ones used in academic research and professional engineering — just made accessible through a web browser. Changing parameters in real time and observing the results is one of the most effective ways to build intuition for complex scientific and engineering concepts.

Key Concepts

Topics and algorithms you'll explore in this category

Joint BiomechanicsMoment arms, contact forces, and range of motion
Gait Cycle AnalysisStance/swing phases, ground reaction forces, EMG
Prosthetic MechanicsStiffness vs damping in prosthetic components
Muscle Force-VelocityHill muscle model and eccentric/concentric contractions
Balance ControlInverted-pendulum model and postural sway
Cardio RehabHeart-rate recovery kinetics and VO₂max estimation

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this simulation category

What rehabilitation simulation topics are available?
Joint biomechanics (moment arms, contact forces), gait cycle analysis (ground reaction forces, EMG envelopes), prosthetic lower-limb mechanics, Hill muscle model, postural balance (inverted pendulum), and cardiovascular rehabilitation.
What can I learn from the gait cycle simulation?
You can explore stance and swing phase timing, ground reaction force profiles (loading response, midstance, push-off), and how gait deviations (antalgic, Trendelenburg) alter the force pattern.
How is the Hill muscle model used in these simulations?
The Hill three-element model (contractile element + series elastic + parallel elastic) governs how muscle force varies with contraction velocity and length, powering the arm and gait biomechanics simulations.