Introduction to biomechanics

Biomechanics is the study of forces that act on a body and the effects they produce. In biomechanics, we study movement because we want to understand the underlying mechanisms of movement and to improve our understanding of the acquisition and regulation of skill. However, the uniqueness of biomechanics as an area of study evolves not from the unique body of knowledge but from the uniqueness of the questions we ask relative to understanding human movement. Biomechanics can trace its origins to Aristotle who wrote the first biomechanics textbook; however, it was not until during the 20th century that biomechanical research witnessed a scientific explosion fueled by the availability of appropriate technology. As such it influenced applications in industrial, medical, and other practical areas, with biomechanics evolving as a necessary science-based method in the study of human and animal movement.