Learning outcomes

Biomechanics is concerned with the mechanical / anatomical bases of human movement. An interdisciplinary approach is used in which materials from anatomy, physiology and physics (mechanics) are integrated. Quantitative and qualitative biomechanical analyses of human movement are studied from the perspective of kinematic and kinetic descriptions of multi-segment motion. These external phenomena are used to estimate internal muscle mechanics and joint loading. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to concepts of mechanics as they apply to human movement. The student should gain an understanding of the mechanical and anatomical principles that govern human motion and develop the ability to link the structure of the human body with its function from a mechanical perspective, with particular attention to pathological conditions and changes across one lifespan. At the completion of this course it is desired that each student be able to: 1) describe motion with precise, well-defined mechanical and bio-mechanical terminology; 2) understand and quantify linear and angular characteristics of motion; 3) understand and quantify the cause and effect of force, linear and angular kinetic of human movement; 4) comprehend the biomechanical principles of the musculoskeletal system in human movements with particular attention to elderly population and subjects with neuromuscular deficits; 5) interpret and analyze the kinematic, kinetic parameters and muscle activation of normal and pathological gait; 6) evaluate the biomechanical properties of common movement tasks either in healthy and pathological conditions.