Biomechanics- Introduction

Biomechanics is the study of mechanics of the human body-how various movements occur (Kinematics) and how our body responds to various external forces and how these forces are distributed in the various parts of our body (Dynamics).

Why is it necessary to study Biomechanics? Well, it isn't. But if you are someone who is interested in mechanical engineering-not someone who just has a degree in mechanical engineering, but rather ME excites you-then you would be looking to apply that knowledge in various areas of your life-the various structures you encounter, the various machines you see in the real world outside of books, the mechanisms underlying them, the mechanics behind them. Mechanical engineers who are interested in design create machines to solve specific problems in the most efficient way possible. It is those who are passionate about the field who would care about this blog.

As mechanical engineers we spend a great deal of our lives creating and improving designs of machines as well as maintaining the industrial machines-of course, that depends upon the profile. So why don't we use a bit of that knowledge and apply it to the most intelligently designed machine ever created. That's right I am talking about the human body. If a lathe machine operator has some idea about how the machine works and has a vague idea about the limits of design, the operator would become more adept at working with that machine and would be able to make use of that more efficiently. However, if an amateur operator has been given a machine of which he has but, rudimentary understanding, he would just use it by trial and error and might even operate it beyond the limits for which it has been designed. This might lead to unnecessary breakdown of the machine. However such mishap can be avoided by training the operator about the machine so that he can work with it in a better way.

Likewise, we have our bodies, which are capable of doing a lot of things. Complex motions like walking, running, swimming, dancing, etc. are easily performed by our bodies. Knowledge of this one machine- the human body will do us more good than the knowledge of all the machines in the world. Because we have to live with this machine. And knowing how to use it will ease our lives by providing us with the necessary skills to us it properly. A wrong movement of the foot could lead to cramp. An improper movement of a joint can damage it. Hence, knowing about our own bodies not only helps us prevent injuries, we can also heal our injuries more easily.

A machine no matter how marvellously designed has to be properly used and maintained from time to time, overhaulings and repairs done from time to time. It has a specific life cycle beyond which it dies. Likewise our bodies are not going to be the fittest forever. But as long as we have it, it is our job to perform regular maintenance operations on it so that we can use it till its natural life span expires. Visualize a machine which has not been maintained in a long time. It will breakdown sooner than its expected life cycle. You wasted quite a few years of healthy operation of the machine by simply not taking care of it. For machines, breakdown means financial loss. For the human body, breakdown is much more devastating. You wouldn't want to lose your legs to arthritis early in your life when you know you could have used them for atleast two more decades. Hence, maintenance of the human body is really very important. Health is wealth.

Knowing what we were designed for is important for us, because it is about us. Why do we have legs? Arms? Stomach? Eyes? Nose? Ears? Why do we have so many joints in our bodies ? We are not designed to sit all day in front of the television. We wouldn't need so many degrees of freedom for that. Understanding the strength of the various bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments of our bodies would allow us to use our bodies in the limits it is designed for.

Our bodies are intelligent machines. We repair severe injuries in short spans of time. We rebuild our torn muscles to even stronger muscles so that they do not break apart when subjected to the same load conditions as previously encountered. Our brains develop specific defense mechanisms against certain behaviours that caused us trouble in the past. Our brains response to certain stimuli. Sometimes our brains send us false signals. It is because our brains have not much changed since ancient times, except for the development of the prefrontal cortex (The logical portion of the brain). And since, our brain softwares are not updated, we have to use our wisdom to realise what a false alarm is and what is indeed an intelligent response to a dangerous stimuli that could save our lives. Hence, part of understanding the human body involves understanding the brain as well, since it is the control center of our body.

 Design is a fascinating field. Understanding how nature designs is detrimental to truly understanding the nature of design. Be it machinery designed by human beings, or human beings designed by someone, it is exciting to learn how one starts from a concept and turns it into a functional product.

Understanding the nature of the human body is what will be my attempt in this course. This would include the design strategies adopted for various components, how to use our bodies better, how to make our muscles stronger, understanding the kinematics and dynamics of the system, how various systems interact and make a well engineered organism.

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