Course information

SG2804     Biomechanics of human movement, 7.0 hp                       2013

 

Welcome to the undergraduate course in Biomechanics of human movement at KTH!  This document describes the course aims and the basis for grading.  The examination will consist of a series of homework projects and a final group project (written reports and oral presentations).

 

What is Biomechanics of human movement?  

Biomechanics is a large, and ever-growing field that broadly can be defined as applying the use of mechanics to study living systems. Many different definitions have been proposed, covering topics as wide as fluid flow, tissue engineering, joint modeling, in vivo measurements, etc.  For this course, we can apply Hay’s definition (1973):

 

Biomechanics is the science that examines forces acting upon and within a biological structure and effects produced by such forces

 

wherein forces include internal forces or external forces, which must be measured or modeled accurately, and may be attributed  to movements of segments or tissue deformation.  The study of biomechanics of human movement may include the mechanics which produce movement, the analysis of movement and forces, prediction of movement, etc.

 

This course

This course will focus on movement of the human body and accompanying forces, fundamentals of motion production, analysis, and modeling.  The course focuses first on the anatomy and physiology of the human muscle-force system, then on biomechanical applications involved in human movement.  From this foundation, the course will focus on methods to analyze biomechanical problems, including kinematics and kinetics of movement and the muscle force system.  Relevant topics requiring such analyses will be discussed.  Emphasis is placed not only on computation, but also on interpretation and critical evaluation of results.

 

Objectives

This course is aimed towards upper level undergraduates and masters students.

 

After the course, the student should be able to:

-           Apply principles of classical mechanics to the study of human motion

-           Describe motion with precise, well-defined mechanical and anatomical terminology

-           Describe the internal and external forces acting on the body during typical human activities

-           Understand how muscle actions control movements

-          Model muscle activation and movement

-           Understand the methods and limitations of different experimental and analytical techniques used

 

Instruction

There are 2 lectures per week, computer labs, and study visits to the Motoriklab, Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital.  The computer labs will be held by the teach assistant Ruoli Wang.

 

Prerequisites

Students are expected to have complete courses in basic mechanics and dynamics.  No previous coursework in anatomy or physiology is required.

 

Literature

The course book will be:

- Biomechanics Basis of Human Movement, by Joseph Hamill and Kathleen M. Knutzen.  

This book is available for purchase online or at the bookstore.

 

No one book covers all topics unfortunately, so I’m including a list of other recommended literature, which can either be borrowed from me for short periods or borrowed from libraries.  Nigg & Herzog covers many topics, but with a major exception of motion and functional anatomy, and is not easily read. Hamill & Knutzen has only basic biomechanics, but an excellent overview of functional anatomy. Some other complementary reading assignments will be suggested.

- Robertson, Caldwell, Hamill, Kamen & Whittlesey: Research Methods in Biomechanics

- Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal system, 3rdEd. edited by B. M. Nigg & W. Herzog

- Kirtley: Clinical Gait Analysis – Theory and Practice

- Nigg, MacIntosh & Mester: Biomechanics and Biology of Movement

- Nordin & Frankel: Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal System, 3rd Ed

 

Software

The open source program OpenSIM from SIMTK will be used in several assignments. 

 

Course Evaluations

At the end of the course, a written evaluation will be distributed.

 

Course Staff

The course is given by the department of mechanics at KTH Engineering Sciences, with guest lectures from Karolinska University Hospital & Institutet

 

Organizer/Main instructor: Lanie Gutierrez-Farewik    lanie@kth.se    790 7719

 

Assistant:                                                  Erik Dijkstra                                              dijkstra@mech.kth.se

                               

Contact

The course page is on KTH Social

 

Schedule

We have lecture times on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Most weeks, we will have an additional meeting, consisting of a lab visit to the Motoriklab at Karolinska University Hospital or to a computer lab in the M-building for OpenSIM tutorials.