ABSTRACT
Biomechanics is the study of the movement of living organisms per the mechanical laws of motion. This involves understanding how forces act on the organism from the environment (external forces) and how forces act within the organism’s body (internal forces) to bring about movement of the organism. When applied to humans, biomechanics allows us to quantify the motions of the body during a range of movements and activities. Biomechanics can help us to quantify and define specific patterns of movement and help us identify alterations to ‘normal’ movement as a result of clinical conditions or interventions. The application of forces on and within the body have multiple effects: body parts are accelerated, soft tissues within the body undergo deformation and damage to tissues can also result when forces exceed the body’s capacity for dissipation and/or when these tissues fail to adapt over time in response to chronic application of such forces.
