As you read this, consider what is Biomechanics. Have you heard of it? According to the dictionary, biomechanics is “The study of the mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of living organisms.”
If you are drawing a complete blank at this stage, do not be concerned – most people have never heard of this concept, and honestly, that explanation does little to clarify the concept in question. Think of it this way instead, the human body, while anything but a machine, actually behaves in many similar fashions to the machines we create and distance ourselves from when looking at our own behaviour and performance.
Exploring Biomechanics: Unveiling the Mechanics of Human Movement
As a matter of fact, many of the basic principles of mechanics can also be applied to the human body and our movements. Biomechanics is a large field covering many things like the mechanical function of muscles, connective tissue, cartilage, skin, nerves, bones and joints.
There is also extensive research in biomechanics, typically focused on human movement and performance, including both internal and external forces that the body uses to produce movement. By applying the laws of physics and engineering to the human body, we can analyze the relationships between our body’s movements and the resulting outcomes we experience.
As we take our understanding of biomechanics further, we are able to develop a stronger understanding of why the body behaves and reacts the way it does.
Unlocking Biomechanics: Preventing and Healing Injuries
Why do certain movements and actions result in specific injuries? How do understand and reverse the effects of these injuries?
We can answer these types of questions as we continue to develop stronger insights. More importantly, you, as an individual, can better understand and protect your body by developing your understanding of biomechanics.
You don’t need to become a leading authority in the field, but as you start to understand the mechanics of your own body and the signs that you are receiving you can better protect yourself from injury as you learn to interpret the movements your body is not accepting of.
Exploring the Mind-Body Connection in Biomechanics
There are many benefits to developing this understanding and expertise – our bodies are inexorably linked to our minds, and more often than not, physical pain and injury can manifest and develop a mental edge in tandem with our physical injury.
As you develop a stronger bond between your mental and physical self, you can better understand and attend to your physical ailments and allow a further mental release as your body unburdens itself physically.
In some respects, biomechanics is also used as a study for acting. In this respect the discipline focuses more intently on the mental awareness and control of your body, hence the application to the acting craft; however, the fundamental principles remain the same.
- The important thing to understand is that our body is linked in so many ways, but our movements and muscles are still subject to the laws of physics.
- With further understanding, we have the potential not just to understand why we move the way we do and how we should move to protect ourselves from injury best, but we can begin to train our mind to influence our movements to achieve this.
Most of our movement is subconscious as we develop habits through life; these are not always the best habits that protect our bodies.
The more aware we are of our body and movements, the better we can protect ourselves and strengthen ourselves through our everyday actions. This is the potential that biomechanics brings to us all.
