ABSTRACT
In this chapter we learned that the study of sports injury is a complex problem requiring a multidisciplinary approach to locate and implement effective solutions. The epidemiological approach offers us key information regarding the who, what, where and when of injury. The incidence, prevalence and risk factors are important aspects of the epidemiological study of injury. As biomechanists, we use the principles and theories of the disciplines of physics and mechanical engineering to describe the forces and force-related (mechanical) factors that lead to injury. However, it is important to acknowledge the contribution of other disciplines and to understand how our biomechanical research and understandings may be informed by them. For example, we can use Meeuwisse's epidemiological model to emphasise the influence of load and load tolerance such that intrinsic risk factors are seen as those factors that affect the load tolerance of the tissues within the athlete, while extrinsic factors may be seen as those that influence the load characteristics, which leads to a better understanding of the mechanism of injury. The remainder of the chapter looked at the most important mechanical properties of sports materials and biological tissues. Viscoelasticity, and its significance for biological materials, was explained. The composition and biomechanical properties of bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon, and their behaviour under various forms of loading, were considered. Muscle elasticity, contractility, the generation of maximal force in a muscle, muscle activation, muscle stiffness and the importance of the stretch–shortening cycle were all described.
