CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO BIOMECHANICS
Zainie Binti Aboo Bakkar
Hall, S. J. (2011) Basic Biomechanics, 6th
Edition. McGraw Hill
Kinematic Concepts for
Analyzing Human Motion
Forms of Motion
Human movement – General motion
Linear motion
Angular motion
Useful when performing analysis
Linear motion
Involve uniform motion
Aka translatory motion or translation
Eg: sleeping passenger on a smooth airplane
flight
• Rectilinear motion: along a straight
line
• Curvilinear motion: along a curved
line
Angular motion
Rotation around a central imaginary line (axis
of rotation)
Oriented perpendicular to the plane the
rotation occur
Eg: gymnast performs a circle on a bar
Angular motion: rotation around an axis
Angular Motion
Motion at most human
body joints is angular
motion, with the center of
rotation within the joint.
The shoulder is the
center of rotation for the
windmill pitch in softball.
General motion
• a combination of linear and angular
motion (includes most human motion)
• Eg: a football kicked through the air
General Motion
Most human motion is general motion, a
combination of linear and angular motion.
What is a mechanical system?
• a body or portion of a body that is
deliberately chosen by the analyst
Examples:
•throwing arm, kicking leg, the trunk
during performance of a lift, the entire
body during performance of a maximal
vertical jump
What is a mechanical system?
So, for example, in analyzing cycling the mechanical system might be
the legs (powering the cycle), the trunk (with trunk angle influencing air
resistance), or the entire cycle and cyclist.
Standard Reference Terminology
Anatomical Position
• erect standing position
with all body parts facing
forward
•Is not a natural standing
position
• considered the starting
point for all body segment
movements
Directional terms:
• superior: closer to the head
• inferior: farther away from the head
• anterior: toward the front of the body
• posterior: toward the back of the body
Directional terms:
• medial: toward the midline of the body
• lateral: away form the midline of the body
• proximal: closer to the trunk
• distal: away from the trunk
Directional terms:
• superficial: toward the surface of the
body
• deep: inside the body away from the
surface
Directional terms:
superficial: toward the surface of the body
superior: closer to the head
lateral: away from the
midline of the body proximal: closer to the trunk
deep: inside the body away from the surface
posterior: toward
the back of the body medial: toward the midline of the body
anterior: toward the front of the body
distal: away from the trunk
inferior: farther away from the head
Reference planes
• sagittal plane - in which forward and
backward movements occur
• frontal plane - in which lateral
movements occur
• transverse plane - in which rotational
movements occur
Reference Planes
• Sagittal plane - in
which forward and
backward
movements occur
• Frontal plane - in
which lateral
movements occur
• Transverse
plane - in which
rotational
movements occur
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Movements in sagittal plane
Flexion Extension Hyperextension
Dorsiflexion Plantar flexion
Movements in frontal plane
Radial Ulnar
deviation deviation
Abduction Adduction
Lateral flexion
Elevation Depression Eversion Inversion
Movements in transverse plane
Horizontal
adduction
Pronation Supination
Medial Lateral Horizontal
rotation rotation abduction
Reference axes:
• mediolateral axis - around which
rotations in the sagittal plane occur
• anteroposterior axis - around which
rotations in the sagittal plane occur
• longitudinal axis - around which
rotational movements occur
Reference Axes
Longitudinal axis - directed vertically and around
which rotational movements occur
Mediolateral axis – directed along the frontal plane
and around which rotations in the sagittal plane occur
Anteroposterior axis – directed along the sagittal
plane and around which rotations in the frontal plane
occur
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Spatial Reference Systems
• useful for standardizing descriptions
of human motion
• most commonly used is the Cartesian
coordinate system
• human body joint centers are labeled
with numerical x and y coordinates
Spatial Reference Systems
Y
(x,y) = (3,7)
X
(0,0)
Cartesian coordinates of the hip
Spatial Reference Systems
y
x=- x=+
y=+ y=+
x
(0,0)
x=- x=+
y=- y=-
Coordinates can be both positive and
negative.
Y
Exercise questions: A.
B.
Anatomical position
Angular
Match the C. Anterior
X D. Axis
definition in X with
1. Involving translation and rotation E. Cardinal planes
the terminologies F. Curvilinear
simultaneously
in Y G. Deep
2. Involving rotation around a central
H. Distal
line or point I. Frontal axis
3. Along a straight line J. Frontal plane
4. Erect standing position with all body K. General motion
parts, including the palms of the L. Inferior
hands, facing forward M. Lateral
5. Toward the back of the body N. Linear
O. Longitudinal axis
6. Toward the midline of the body
P. Medial
7. Further from the trunk Q. Posterior
8. Toward the surface of the body R. Proximal
9. Plane in which lateral movements S. Rectilinear
of the body and body segments T. Sagittal axis
occur U. Sagittal plane
10. Imaginary line passing from top to V. Superficial
W. Superior
bottom through the body and
X. System
around which transvers plane Y. Translation
rotations occur Z. Transverse plane