Definitions

Injury Biomechanics

A driver and passenger are severely injured in an automobile accident – who was the driver? A truck hits a woman and she dies – who was at fault? An elevator malfunctions, falls at a faster than normal speed and a woman claims severe injuries – were the injuries produced by the accident? A chiropractor applies a maneuver that the patient claims injured him – was it malpractice?

Biomechanics consists of the laws of physics, engineering principles and human anatomy and function to describe the forces involved in the motion, deformation or failure of a body segment. Injury biomechanics integrates this knowledge to investigate the relationships between external events and injury of human tissue.

Musculoskeletal injury that occurs from structural damage to the tissues of the body as a result of physical trauma is caused by forces or motions that deform body segments. By analyzing these forces and motions, the cause or mechanism of an injury can be identified. This is the science of injury biomechanics – applying the principles of physics and engineering to the anatomy of the human body to determine the cause of the injury.