Biomechanics . Biomechanics is a scientific discipline that aims to study those that exist in living beings, mainly the human body. This area of knowledge is supported by various biomedical sciences, using knowledge of mechanics , engineering , anatomy , physiology and other disciplines, to study how the human body behaves and solve problems that arise from the various conditions to which it can be subdued.
Summary
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- 1 Interdisciplinarity
- 2 Object of knowledge
- 3 Field of study
- 4 Tasks of biomechanics
- 5 Applications of Biomechanics.
- 6 Contributions of Biomechanics
- 7 Areas of Biomechanics
- 8 Sources
Interdisciplinarity
This discipline is closely linked to bionics and uses some of its principles has had a great development in relation to applications of engineering to medicine, biochemistry and the environment , both through mathematical models for the knowledge of systems. biological as regards the realization of parts or organs of the human body and also in the use of new diagnostic methods. Great variety of applications incorporated into medical practice; From the classic wooden leg, to sophisticated orthopedics with myoelectric control and heart valves to modern pacemakers, there is a whole tradition and implantation of prostheses .
Nowadays it is possible to apply successfully, in the processes that intervene in the regulation of mathematical model systems that allow simulating very complex phenomena in powerful computers, with the control of a large number of parameters or with the repetition of their behavior. Research in biomechanics helps to predict the behavior of the human body, as well as to reinforce and optimize it artificially; They allow to replace body parts and promote the development of clinical or surgical equipment. Medical biomechanics studies human movement through multiple analyzes (musculoskeletal, tissue, and biomaterial, cardiac, vascular and respiratory) and thanks to this it is possible to propose the design of specialized footwear for children, diabetic patients, athletes and people with different abilities, among many others.
Knowledge object
The object of knowledge of biomechanics are: the motor actions of man as a system of active movements and the positions of his body closely related to each other.
Field of study
The field of study of biomechanics consists of the mechanical and biological causes of movements arising and the particularities of their execution.
Biomechanical tasks
- GENERAL TASK OF THE STUDY OF MOVEMENTS.
It consists of evaluating the effectiveness of the application of forces, to achieve a stated objective.
- PARTIAL TASKS OF BIOMECHANICS
They consist of the study of man’s movements in motor activity; in the study of the physical objects that he has set in motion; in the study of the results of the solution of a motor task; and of the conditions in which that motor task has been carried out.
Biomechanical Applications.
Biomechanical applications range from designing car seat belts to designing and using extracorporeal circulation machines (used during cardiac surgery to replace heart and lung functions). A major development was the steel lung, the first artificial respiration device that saved the lives of some polio sufferers . Biomechanics is involved in the development of implants and artificial organs. Myoelectric prostheses have been developed for the limbs of amputees. They are powered by small electric motors stimulated by electronic systems that collect muscle signals (not all patients are able to use them properly).
One of the most important advances in medicine in recent decades is joint prostheses , which allow the replacement of destroyed joints by different rheumatic diseases, radically improving the quality of life of patients; Those of the hip and knee, and somewhat less those of the shoulder, have obtained great clinical success. The development of artificial implants to treat fractures has revolutionized the world of trauma: its enormous variety includes screws, needles, screwed plates, intramedullary nails and external fixation systems; all require a detailed biomechanical study prior to testing and clinical application. Artificial hearts are also being developed; since 1982 many patients have been successfully treated with such devices.
Contributions of Biomechanics
The contributions to humanity that have been achieved through biomechanics can be given through:
- Axis correction.
- Avoid achilles tendon pain .
- Avoid periostitis .
- Avoid plantar bursitis .
- Avoid joint pain.
- Prevents shock injuries.
- Reduces fatigue .
- Increase your sports performance in the short and long term.
Biomechanics Areas
Despite the different classifications, this encompasses three main areas: medical biomechanics, in charge of designing systems for the improvement of certain human motor systems, occupational biomechanics and sports biomechanics, which as a teaching discipline, studies the movements of men in the process of physical exercises. It also analyzes the athlete’s motor actions as reciprocally related active movement systems. In this analysis, the mechanical and biological causes of the movements and the particularities of the motor actions that depend on them under the different conditions are investigated (field of study).
