Biomechanics & Physics
Sports medicine doctors evaluate how this physical force, applied to a joints or bone during impact, can cause a fracture.
What is force (or mechanical stress)?
A sports medicine specialist treats a sprain, which is a stretch or tear in this scientific tissue type that connects bone to bone.
What is a ligament?
When an athlete's muscles burn during intense exercise, it is caused by the buildup of this specific biological byproduct.
What is lactic acid?
This branch of physics and biology studies the internal and external forces acting on a human body during movement.
What is biomechanics (or kinesiology)?
This is the primary cellular structure that contracts and relaxes to generate all human locomotion and athletic movement.
What is muscle tissue (or muscle fibers)?
Sports medicine emphasizes drinking fluids to replace these vital chemical ions (like sodium and potassium) lost through sweat.
What are electrolytes?
Running shoes are engineered to absorb this physical concept, which occurs when a foot strikes the ground with equal and opposite force.
What is kinetic energy (or ground reaction force)?
When evaluating a concussion, a sports physician is assessing traumatic damage to this specific organ system.
What is the nervous system?
Muscles use this simple biological sugar molecule as their primary chemical fuel source during a race.
What is glucose?
This physical property describes a muscle's ability to return to its original shape after being stretched by an athlete.
What is elasticity?
To repair a torn meniscus, a sports surgeon operates on this smooth, protective tissue found in the knee joint.
What is cartilage?
This is the medical term for the dangerous drop in core body temperature that can happen to long-distance winter athletes.
What is hypothermia?