Biomechanics Terminology
This is the study of the human body at rest and in motion using principles and concepts derived from physics, mechanics, and engineering
Biomechanics.
A technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity of a muscle or muscle group.
Electromyography.
This plane divides the body into left and right halves.
The sagittal plane.
External forces acting on an object impose what on the object.
Mechanical load.
What type of biomechanics focuses on the mechanics of injury and the principles of prevention, evaluation, and treatment of musculoskeletal problems?
Clinical biomechanics.
This area of biomechanics focuses on improving the ability of an injured or disabled individual to perform activities of daily living, including work and leisure activities, as well as physical activity and exercise.
Clinical biomechanics.
Similar to many other areas of study in exercise science, the developmental history of biomechanics began with what two ancient civilizations?
The Greeks and Romans.
This plane divides the body into front and back halves.
The coronal, or frontal, plane.
What term is used to describe the force distribution inside a body when an external force acts on the body?
What is it called when the expected force production of a muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, or bone cannot be achieved or maintained?
Mechanical fatigue.
This is the study of motion, including the patterns and speed of movement of the body segments, without consideration of the forces acting on it.
Kinematics.
This principle forms the basis for determining the density of the human body and, ultimately, body composition.
Water displacement.
This type of motion occurs when all points of the body are moving in the same direction at the same speed.
Linear.
What term is used to represent the distribution of force that is applied externally to a body?
Pressure.
What is the study of the interaction between humans, the objects they use, and the environments in which they function called?
Ergonomics.
This involves the study of the forces acting on the body, especially those that do not originate within the body itself.
Kinetics.
Scholars in this area of continue to study the biomechanics of bone, articular cartilage, soft tissues, upper extremities, and spine.
Orthopedic biomechanics.
This type of motion occurs when translation and angular movements are combined.
General motion.
The tendency of a body to maintain its current state of motion, whether motionless or moving with a constant velocity, is called what?
Inertia.
This progressive disease that wears away cartilage is two to three times more prevalent in females than in males and causes the loss of joint function and significant disability.
Osteoarthritis.
This is the branch of mechanics dealing with systems when they are speeding up or slowing down
Dynamic biomechanics.
Who demonstrated how geometry could be used to describe complex human and animal movements such as jumping, running, flying, and swimming, and is often referred to as “the father of biomechanics”?
Giovanni Alphonso Borelli
What type of translation occurs when all points on a body move the same distance, but the paths followed by the points on the object are curved?
Curvinlinear.
Pure compression and tension directed along the longitudinal axis of the body are called what?
Axial forces.
What field of study combines applied human anatomy with mechanical physics to describe how and why the human body moves the way it does?
Sport biomechanics.
This is the branch of mechanics that deals with systems in a state of constant motion, including systems at rest (no motion) or moving with a constant speed and direction.
Static biomechanics.
Galen, a physician to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, wrote this text, which was used as the world’s standard medical text for over 1,400 years.
"On the Functions of the Parts."
What type of translation occurs when all points on a body move in a straight line, the same distance, and with no change in direction?
Rectilinear translation.
There are two potential outcomes when a force acts on an object. What are they?
Acceleration and deformation.
What type of training involves an initial rapid muscle lengthening movement, followed by a short resting phase, and then an explosive muscle contraction movement?
Plyometric training.