ABSTRACT
This chapter is designed to familiarize the reader with the basic concepts and functional anatomy associated with the study of biomechanics. The application of mechanical principles to the study of the human musculoskeletal system is not new. The origins of these applications date back many hundreds or perhaps thousands of years to the time of the ancient Egyptians and Da Vinci. Today, the šeld of biomechanics is often a subspecialty of general programs in biomedical engineering. Ofšcially, the šeld has been present for approximately 40 years if one considers the genesis of ofšcial societies, departments, and conferences as the initial starting point of a discipline.
