Dr. Michael P. Gillespie
 Kinesiology is the study of human movement.
 Biomechanics is an academic sub discipline of
kinesiology.
 Biomechanics is the study of the movement of living
things using the science of mechanics.
 Mechanics is a branch of physics that is concerned
with the description of motion and how forces create
motion.
 Forces acting upon living things can create motion, be
a healthy stimulus for growth and development, or
overload tissues, causing injury.
 Kinesiology comes from two Greek verbs that when
translated literally means “the study of movement.”
 People need help in improving human movement and
this requires knowledge of “why” and “how” the
human body moves.
 Biomechanics
 Exercise Physiology
 Motor Development
 Motor Learning
 Pedagogy
 Psycho-Social
 In order to find the best interventions for individuals
with dysfunctions in kinesiology it is best to take an
interdisciplinary approach.
 You should incorporate knowledge from all of the sub
disciplines of kinesiology.
 People marvel at the ability and beauty in human
movement.
 There are many applications of biomechanics to sports
and exercise.
 Applications of biomechanics:
 Improvement of performance.
 Reduction or treatment of injury.
 Human performance can be enhanced by working with the
following anatomical factors:
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Anatomical factors.
Neuromuscular skills.
Physiological capacities.
Psychological / cognitive abilities.
 Most kinesiology professionals prescribe technique
changes and give instructions that allow a person to
improve performance.
 Biomechanics is more effective in improving performance
where technique is the dominant factor rather than
physical structure or physiological capacities.
 Biomechanics allow a kinesiology professional to
provide a qualitative analysis of human movement.
 Biomechanics research in sports lags behind
innovations in the sport and experimentation by
coaches.
 Human performance can also be enhanced by
improvements in the design of equipment. New
materials and new engineering designs are employed.
 Biomechanical studies are also utilized to design
exercise and conditioning programs.
 Biomechanics are applied in the area of movement
safety and injury prevention.
 The study if injury data leads to an increased
understanding of the potential causes of injury.
 Engineers and occupational therapists use
biomechanics to design work tasks and assistive
equipment to prevent overuse injuries related to
specific jobs.
 Biomechanics helps physical therapists prescribe
rehabilitative exercises, assistive devices, or orthotics.
 Qualitative analysis is utilized to determine if an injury
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has sufficiently healed.
This is used to determine if continued use of orthotics
is necessary.
It is used to determine if a player can return to the
game.
It is used to determine the readiness of an athlete for
competition.
It is utilized to assess the effectiveness of therapy.
 Biomechanical measurements and computer software
are utilized to make accurate animations of human
motion.
 This is utilized for technique improvement, cinema
special effects, and computer games.
 Quantitative analysis involves the measurement of
biomechanical variables and usually requires a computer to
do the voluminous numerical calculations performed.
 Qualitative analysis is defined as the “systematic
observation and introspective judgment of the quality of
human movement for the purpose of providing the most
appropriate intervention to improve performance”
(Knudson & Morrison, 2002, p. 4).
 Quantitative analysis provides greater accuracy,
consistency, and precision.
 Qualitative analysis requires fewer technical skills,
calibration, and computational and processing time.