On validation of multibody musculoskeletal models

We review the opportunities to validate multibody musculoskeletal models in view of the current transition of musculoskeletal modelling from a research topic to a practical simulation tool in product design, healthcare and other important applications. This transition creates a new need for justification that the models are adequate representations of the systems they simulate. The need for a consistent terminology and established standards is identified and knowledge from fields with a more progressed state-of-the-art in verification and validation is introduced. A number of practical steps for improvement of the validation of multibody musculoskeletal models are pointed out and directions for future research in the field are proposed. It is hoped that a more structured approach to model validation can help to improve the credibility of musculoskeletal models.