Biomechanics

Biomechanics studies how mechanical forces affect living organisms and how biological structures produce movement. It applies mechanics to processes ranging from cellular deformation to whole-body locomotion.

Newton's laws of motion: Three laws relating an object's motion to the forces acting on it. They provide the basic relationships used to analyze forces and movement in organisms.
Bone: A mineralized connective tissue that supports and protects the body and enables movement. Its stiffness and strength determine how the skeleton bears mechanical loads.
Orthopedics: The medical specialty concerned with the musculoskeletal system and its disorders. Mechanical analysis helps explain injury, joint function, and surgical repair.
Kinesiology: The study of human movement, including its physiological, behavioral, and mechanical aspects. It covers a broader range of movement questions than mechanical analysis alone.
Statics: The branch of mechanics that analyzes forces on bodies in equilibrium. It explains how bones and tissues support loads without accelerating.
Skeletal muscle: Striated muscle tissue that contracts under voluntary control to move the skeleton. Its contractions generate forces that move body segments.
Prosthesis: An artificial device that replaces a missing body part or supports its function. Its design must reproduce useful forces and movement while fitting biological tissues.
Biophysics: The application of physical principles and methods to biological systems. Biomechanics is its mechanically focused branch, centered on forces and motion.
Dynamics: The branch of mechanics concerned with motion and the forces that produce it. It connects forces generated by muscles with changing body motion.
Tendon: Dense connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone and transmits contractile force. Its elasticity and stiffness affect how muscle force reaches the skeleton.

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