Course overview
In this course, students will apply mechanical principles to the analysis of human movement. This course will introduce biomechanical principles and how they relate to the analysis of human movement to understand human performance, mechanisms and prevention of injury or chronic conditions, and interactions between the body, equipment, and the environment. Students will develop skills to measure, describe, analyse and evaluate the mechanical principles underlying human movement in the context of health, exercise, sport and activities of daily living. The course will cover biomechanical terminology; planes and axes of motion; linear and angular kinematics and kinetics; Newton's laws of motion; momentum and impulse-momentum relationships; moment arms and levers; centre of gravity, balance and stability; mechanical work, power and energy; basic tissue mechanics and fluid dynamics.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe biomechanical principles and how they relate to the analysis of human movement.
- Analyse biomechanical problems associated with human movement to inform strategies to enhance performance, and understand, prevent or manage injury.
- Apply the principles of biomechanical analysis of human movement in the context of health, exercise, sport and activities of daily living, for a variety of populations
- Interpret and communicate biomechanical data to clients, exercise and sport science professionals and stakeholders.