Biomechanics Glossary

The rate of change of velocity with respect to time, measured in meters per second squared (m/s²).

The property of a material having different mechanical properties in different directions, as seen in bone and ligament.

The science that applies the principles of mechanics to the study of biological systems and organisms.

The point on a surface where the total resultant force appears to act, commonly measured by force plates during gait.

The gradual deformation of a viscoelastic material under constant sustained loading over time.

The number of independent movements or parameters required to describe the position of a system or joint.

A technique for recording and evaluating the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles.

A computational technique that subdivides complex structures into smaller elements to predict mechanical behavior.

A measuring instrument that captures ground reaction forces generated by a body standing on or moving across it.

A graphical representation isolating a body and showing all external forces and moments acting upon it.

A complete cycle of events during locomotion, from initial contact of one foot to the next initial contact of the same foot.

The force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it, equal and opposite to the force the body exerts on the ground.

The energy lost (as heat) during a loading-unloading cycle of a viscoelastic material, seen as the area between loading and unloading curves.

A method of computing net joint forces and moments from kinematic, force, and anthropometric data.

A muscle contraction in which the muscle generates force without changing length.

The branch of mechanics describing the motion of bodies without considering the forces that cause the motion.

The branch of mechanics concerned with the forces and torques that cause or result from motion.

The process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals.

A measure of a body's resistance to angular acceleration, dependent on mass and its distribution about the axis of rotation.

The basic contractile unit of a muscle fiber, composed of overlapping actin and myosin filaments.

A force that acts parallel or tangential to a surface, tending to cause one layer to slide over another.

The decrease in stress over time when a viscoelastic material is held at a constant deformation.

The rotational equivalent of force; the product of force and its perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation.

The property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation.

The principle that bone remodels and adapts its structure in response to the mechanical loads habitually placed upon it.