Biomechanics: Education
Movement is important!
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I like to move it, move it
The musculoskeletal system responds to load. The tissues of the body will get stronger if the load they experience though movement is increased. They get weaker if the load is reduced. Too much load will result in the tissues becoming over-stressed. This can result in damage and injury. Too little load and the tissues get weaker and can fail and injure. There is a mechanical sweet-spot which results in a 'biopositive' effect. Effective training programmes, no matter if they are for post-surgical recovery or elite athletic performance, are informed by the biomechanical theories related to load, and the adaption and monitoring of the load.
What is Biomechancis?
It is the study of how the body produces movement in light of external forces.
Why is it important? If we can understand how the biology produces the forces required to move, we can enhance performance and reduce the incidence of injury. Performance is the ability to perform a task and might be the ability to walk, to sprint, or even to get of a chair.
Reducing injury relates to both acute injury (e.g. ankle sprain) and chronic conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, such as stress fractures/osteoporosis, joint instability/osteoarthritis, muscle atrophy/sacropaenia (age, related muscle decline), tendon rupture/tendonopathy etc.
Every analysis of human movement is based on what we know about the musculoskeletal system that is performing the movement, mechanics, mainly Newtonian mechanics, and factors that are external to the system. Using our knowledge of these, we can determine the factors that enable effective and safe performance
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Biology -The patient/athlete’s ability to move is dependent on their anatomy. The muscle’s and tendon’s capacity to produce force, and rate of force development causes the skeleton to rotate at a joint, which is held stable by ligaments.
Musculoskeletal system is designed for agility but is such a flexible system that it is also a very effective system for being still. It is plastic – it responds to stimuli and movements become more effective with training though the tissues can also become injured if the movement is incorrect for that tissue.
Mechanics – movement in light of gravity (we walk differently on the moon) – usually our analyses are based on impulse-momentum theory.
Muscles produce impulse – the powerhouse/engine of the body – the strength of the contraction and its nature determines how our skeleton moves – we usually consider explosive/powerful contractions (high velocity) and strength endurance (ability to hold a contraction or to keep contracting on and off over a period of time). The muscle attaches to the bone through a tendon.
Skeleton and the bones change momentum – bones are segments that rotate about joints to move the whole system (or just to stay still). Long-limbed people will move quite differently to short-limbed people. The joints are held together by ligaments (a joint dislocation happens if the ligaments fail).
Environment/equipment – how the body interacts, we will walk differently in high heels compared to flats, if we are walking beside someone or if we are walking alone.
Biomechancis and Older People
As we age, movement becomes more difficult. The aging process causes musculoskeletal decline. Age related muscle loss is called sarcopenia, bone loss is called osteoporosis and joint decline is called osteoarthritis. The loss across the musculoskeletal system can be delayed through exercise.
Functional exercise is most important, addressing balance, flexibility, strength and movement competence. This is particularly important for those who have fallen/fear falling or fear activity.
There are a range of validated programmes to intervene in age-related decline.