Biomechanics

Part 1
Introduction & Overview
 Basic Terminology
Qualitative Quantitative
• Non-numerical
• Based on direct
observation
• Equipment not necessary
• Focus on time and space
• Examples:
– Heel contact during
running gait
– Weight shift during golf
swing
– Presence of shoulder
abduction during freestyle
swimming pull
• Numerical
• Based on data collected
• Equipment usually
necessary
• Focus on forces and
measurements
• Examples:
– Amount of stress on
shoulder during pitching
– Compression force on
femur during landing
– Required friction during
cutting maneuver
 Basic Terminology

• Kinesiology versus Biomechanics

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Functional Anatomy
• Mechanics
– Statics, Dynamics, Kinematics, Kinetics
 Biomechanics vs. Kinesiology
• Kinesiology
– Scientific study of human movement
– Spans anatomical, physiological, psychological,
biomechanical areas

• Biomechanics
– Application of mechanics to biological systems
– More specific than kinesiology
• Yet also very broad in its study and application
 Kinesiology:
The Study of Movement
 So…What is Biomechanics?

Bio – Living or once living organisms

Mechanics – Science that investigates the

effects of forces and resulting motion
 Biomechanics Defined
• The interdiscipline which describes, analyzes, and assesses
human movement. (Winter, 1990)

• The science which examines the internal and external

forces acting on a human body and the effects produced by
these forces. (Hay, 1993)

• The application of the principles of mechanics to the study

of biological phenomena. (Enoka, 1994)

• Branch of bioengineering and biomedical engineering

which considers the application of classical mechanics to
the analysis of biological and physiological systems. (Nordin
& Frankel, 2001)
 So What’s The Gist?
• Biomechanics is an area of study which covers
considerable breadth. Very interdisciplinary.

• Research focuses on many systems including

animals, plants, and human-machine interfaces.

• The scope of research runs from the very macro

scale (whole body sport performance) to the
extreme micro scale (mathematical modeling of
human genome function)
 So…A Definition of Biomechanics

• The interdisciplinary science which applies

the laws of mathematics and classical
mechanics to the motion or function of
living (or once living) systems. (Boros, 2005)
Anatomy vs. Functional Anatomy
• Anatomy
– Structure of the body
– Focus on structure (size, mass, make-up)
– Example: Study of biceps brachii

• Functional Anatomy
– Body components necessary to achieve a goal
– Focus on function (range of motion, strength)
– Example: Analysis of biceps brachii during a
biceps curl
 Kinematics vs. Kinetics
• Both are types of biomechanical analyses
• Kinematics
– Description of motion of a rigid body without regard
for the forces causing the motion, using quantities such
as position, velocity, and acceleration
– Examines space and time factors
– Examples?

• Kinetics
– Description of motion that includes the forces which
cause the motion.
– Examines forces that cause the motion
– Examples?
 Statics vs. Dynamics
• Statics
– Examines systems which are not moving or
moving at a constant speed
– Equilibrium: no acceleration, no motion
– Examples?

• Dynamics
– Examines systems that are being accelerated
– Examples?
 What do Biomechanists Study?
• Area of considerable breadth
• Animals, plants, and human-machine interfaces.
• Scope of Research
– Macro (whole body sport performance)
• Aerials, Sprint, High Jump, Pole Vault, Locomotion
– Extreme Micro (cellular, gas exchange)
• Hemodynamics, Human genome function, Lung function,
RNA and DNA structure, Cell and tissue growth following
injury
Select Historical Contributors
• Aristotle (384-322 BC)
– Father of Kinesiology
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
– Modeled muscles
– Considered the body as separate segments
• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
– “Nature is written in mathematical symbols”
– Applied mechanics to animal movement
• Alfonso Giovanni Borelli (1608-1679)
– Synthesized the ideas of da Vinci and Galileo
– Applied the laws of mechanics and
mathematics to muscular performance
 Select Historical Contributors
Etienne Marey Eadweard Muybridge
(1830-1904) (1830-1904)
So, why study Biomechanics?
 Application
Exercise and Sports Sciences

1. Performance enhancement
2. Injury prevention and rehabilitation

– Athletic competition
– Exercise / training / recreational sports
– Activities of daily living
 Application
Performance Enhancement
• Pitching analysis (MLB)
• Individualized sport technique
• Application of soccer style technique
in football place kicking
• Balance assessment for fall prediction
in elderly
• Ergonomic work place design
 Application
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
• Biomechanics of the knee joint following
surgery
• Sport shoes and their role in motion
control and shock absorption
• Landing mechanics indicative of a female
predisposition to injury
• Examination of the role of soft tissue
motion on joint loading and injury
• Heading and head injury in youth soccer
 Instrumentation
• Timing Devices (e.g. timing gates, radar guns, stop watches,
kinematics & kinetics instruments)
• Optical & Non-Optical Devices (Motion Analysis, e.g.
photography, videography, infra-red motion analysis systems)
• Goniometry & Accelerometry (e.g. Elgons, accelerometers)
• Dynamography (e.g. force plates , force transducers,
dynamometers, pressure insoles)
• Electromyography (EMG, e.g. indwelling, surface)
• Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis Software (e.g.
DADS, Working Model, Simulink, Matlab, LabView)
Analysis of Walking
 Part 2
Planes, Axes, and Muscle Actions
 Skeleton
• Axial Skeleton
– Head
– Neck
– Trunk

• Appendicular Skeleton
– Upper extremities
– Lower extremities
 Reference Positions
• Anatomical Position
– Standard reference
point
– Palms face front
• Fundamental Position
– Similar to anatomical
position
– Arms more relaxed
– Palms face inward
 Relative Position
• Medial – toward midline of the body
• Lateral – away from midline of the body
• Proximal – toward point of attachment
• Distal – away from point of attachment
• Superior – toward the top of the head
• Inferior – toward the bottom of the feet
 Relative Position
• Anterior – front, ventral
• Posterior – back, dorsal
• Ipsilateral – on the same side
• Contralateral – on opposite sides

• Relative Angle
- Included angle between two segments
Relative Position
 Planes & Axes
• Plane
– Flat, two-dimensional surface

• Cardinal Planes
– Planes positioned at right angles and
intersecting the center of mass
– Divide body into perfect halves

• Axis of Rotation
– Point about which movement occurs
– Perpendicular to plane of motion
Cardinal Planes
• Sagittal Plane
– Left & Right halves
– Medio-lateral axis
(Transverse)

• Frontal (Coronal)
– Front & Back halves
– Antero-posterior axis

• Transverse (Horizontal)
– Upper & Lower halves
– Longitudinal axis

• Many other planes exist

 Muscle Actions (Contractions)
• Isometric (same measure)
– Tension produced without
visible change in joint
angle
• Holding arms out to
sides
• Concentric
– Muscle visibly shortens
while producing tension
• Up phase of a sit-up
• Eccentric
– Muscle visibly lengthens
while producing tension
• Lowering phase of
squat
 Functional Anatomy
• Focuses on the function of a bone, muscle,
joint, or system based on anatomy
(structure)

• Helpful when figuring out where a muscle

should lie relative to a joint, based on the
joint motion it causes when it contracts
– and vice versa
 Flexion & Extension
• Flexion
– Decreasing joint angle

• Extension
– Increasing joint angle

• Hyperflexion
– Flexion beyond normal
range

• Hyperextension
– Extension beyond
normal range
 Abduction & Adduction
• Abduction
– Moving away from midline
• Adduction
– Moving toward midline
• Hyperabduction
– Abduction past 180° point
• Hyperadduction
– Adduction past 0° point
 Other Movement Descriptors
• Rotation
– Medial (internal) or lateral
(external)
– Right/left for head & trunk
• Lateral Flexion
– Head or trunk only
– Example: head tilts sideways
• Circumduction
– Movement in a conic fashion
– Making a “circle” or “O” in the
air
 Movement of the Scapulae
• Elevation – raising the scapula (shrug)
• Depression – lowering the scapula
• Protraction – move scapulae apart
• Retraction – move scapulae together
• Upward Rotation – bottom of scapula
moves away from trunk, top moves toward
• Downward Rotation – return to normal
 Specialized Movement Descriptors
• Horizontal Adduction
– Combination of flexion & adduction
• Horizontal Abduction
– Combination of extension & abduction
• Supination
– Turn palms frontward
• Pronation
– Turn palms backward
• Radial Flexion
– Hand moves in thumb direction
• Ulnar Flexion
– Hand moves in little finger direction
 Movement Descriptors of the Foot
• Plantarflexion
– Increase angle between foot and shank
– Up on toes
• Dorsiflexion
– Decrease angle between foot and shank
– Pull toes up
• Inversion
– Lift medial edge of foot
– Foot sole inward
• Eversion
– Lift lateral edge of foot
– Foot sole out
 Pronation & Supination of the Foot
• Pronation & Supination NOT THE SAME Inversion & Eversion

• Pronation of the foot

– Dorsiflexion at the ankle
– Eversion in the tarsals
– Abduction of the forefoot

• Supination of the foot

– Plantarflexion at the ankle
– Inversion in the tarsals
– Adduction of the forefoot