To show the organization of the course that includes this module, follow this link:  Course organization

Learning outcomes

The student will be able to:

Understand and analyze the mechanical aspect of human movement, being able to use concepts related to kinematic and kinetic of human movement:
- Describe the physiological and accessory movement
- Understand the Biomechanical factors underlying the ability of a muscle to produce strenght
- Analyse a human movement system, describing and calculating the internal and external torque both in a static and dynamic condition
- Describe the inertial properties and the frictional forces that could occur during movement, both in a joint or in a global context.
- Understand how the viscoelastic properties of the tissues interact during movements. Moreover, describe the following phenomena:
- Creep behavior
- Stress relaxation
- Hysteresis
- Understand and describe the biomechanics of the human joints, with a special focus on muscle actions, mechanical load around tissues, and clinical contestualization
- The joint analyzed are:
- Ankle/Foot joints complex
- Knee
- Hip and Pelvis
- Shoulder complex
- Elbow and forearm
- Wrist and hand
- Spine

Program

The program has 2 sections.
In the first section there's an analysis of the key biomechanical principles influencing human movement. The topics are:
- Movement kinematic
- Muscle properties
- Muscle torque and moment arm
- Gravity
- Ground reaction force
- Inertial properties
- Frictional forces
- Viscoelastic properties

In the second section there's a deep analysis of the following joints:
- Ankle/Foot joints complex
- Knee
- Hip and Pelvis
- Shoulder complex
- Elbow and forearm
- Wrist and hand
- Cervical and thoracic spine
- Lower Back and Sacro-Iliac Joint.

Examination Methods

Modality: Written exam with both multiple choice and open questions, Followed by an oral test.