Research on Lower Limb Injuries During Parachute Landing Based on a Whole-Body Finite Element Model

Parachute landing injuries are a significant concern in aviation and sports medicine, with about 80% occurring during the landing phase. Previous studies, using epidemiological surveys and biomechanical experiments, have provided insights but lack detailed biomechanical explanations of injury mechanisms and vulnerable areas. This paper leverages the Global Human Body Models Consortium M50-O(GHBMC) full-body finite element model, widely used in traffic safety, to explore lower limb injuries under real landing speeds (6 m/s), after validating its feasibility through experiments with volunteer landings. The findings suggest that the GHBMC model is well-suited for studying the high-overload conditions of human body impacts during parachute landing. At a landing speed of 6 m/s, the long bones of the lower limbs show a low risk of injury; however, there are risks of damage to the lateral tips of the menisci, the outer edge of the talus trochlea, and the subchondral bone surface of the calcaneus. Additionally, the medial collateral ligament of the knee, the posterior tibiotalar ligament of the ankle, and the medial talocalcaneal ligament are susceptible to damage due to overstretching.