Levers

• A lever system is a rigid bar that moves on a fixed point called

the fulcrum when a force is applied to it.
• Movement is made possible in the human body by lever
systems that are formed by our muscles and joints working
together.
• An understanding of the levers in the body helps us to
understand how movement is possible.
• Muscles are attached to bones via tendons and the bones of the
skeleton act as levers which muscles pull on to create movement.
• A lever system is made up of three parts; an effort, a load, and a
fulcrum.
• In the human body, the effort is provided by the muscle (the
muscles point of application/insertion), the load is the weight of
the body and any additional resistance and the fulcrum is the
joint itself.
• There are three types found in the body, each is determined by the
relative positions of the fulcrum (F), effort (E) and load (L).
• For a first-class lever, F is the middle component.  
• For a second class lever, L is the middle component. 
• For a third-class lever, E is the middle component.
• Functions of a lever system
• Lever systems have two main functions;
• firstly to increase the resistance that a given force can move and
• secondly to increase the speed at which a body moves.
• Some levers are effective at overcoming resistance, whilst others are
able to generate speed.
• In a lever system, the force that is producing the resultant torque(the
force acting in the direction of rotation) is called the effort force (EF).
The other force creating an opposing torque, it is known as the
resistance force (RF).
• The moment arm for the effort force is referred to as the effort arm
(EA), whereas the moment arm for the resistance force is referred to as
the resistance arm (RA).
• Effort Arm vs. Load Arm
• The efficiency of a lever relies on the ratio of the effort arm to the
load arm.
• The effort arm (EA) is the distance between the fulcrum and the
effort; in the body, this is the distance between the joint and the
muscle’s insertion site.
• The load arm (LA) is the distance between the fulcrum and the load;
in the body, this is the distance between the joint and the loaded
body part.
• The greater the ratio of the effort arm to the load arm, the more
efficient the lever system is (i.e. the easier it is to move the load).
• Therefore, if the distance between a muscle’s insertion site and the
joint is greater than the distance between the load and the joint, your
muscle is at an advantage.
• A first-class lever is a lever system in which the axis lies
somewhere between the point of application of the effort
force and the point of application of the resistance force (Fig.
1–64).
• First class lever systems provide a way for the body to change
the direction, speed, and strength of movement at a joint.
• All first class levers reverse the direction of movement like a
seesaw, so that applying force in one direction results in the
load moving the opposite direction.
• The neck muscles provide the effort, the neck is the fulcrum,
and the weight of the head is the load.
• A second-class lever is a lever system in which the resistance
force has a point of application between the axis and the
point of application of the effort force, which always results
in the effort arm being larger than the resistance arm (Fig. 1–
65).
• This type of lever is found in the ankle area. When standing on
tiptoe, the ball of the foot acts as the fulcrum, the weight of
the body acts as the load and the effort comes from the
contraction of the gastrocnemius muscle.
• This second class lever is used when taking off for a jump or
pushing against the blocks in a sprint start.
• the ball of the foot and toes are the fulcrum, the weight of the
body is the load and the effort is applied by the gastrocnemius
muscle.
• A third-class lever is a lever system in which the effort force has
a point of application between the axis and the point of
application of the resistance force, which always results in the
resistance arm being larger than the effort arm (Fig. 1–66)
• flexion and extension at the knee joint.
• During flexion at the knee, the point of insertion of the
hamstrings on the tibia is the effort, the knee joint is the
fulcrum and the weight of the leg is the load.
• Third class lever systems are used to increase the speed of a
body and allow a wide range of movement.
Mechanical advantage

• Mechanical advantage (M Ad) is a measure of the mechanical

efficiency of the lever system

• It is a ratio describing the effectiveness/efficiency of a lever system

calculated by the moment arm for the force divided by the moment
arm for the resistance

• M Ad = EA/RA
• When the effort arm is larger than the resistance arm,
the mechanical advantage will be greater than one.

• When the mechanical advantage is greater than one,

the magnitude of the effort force is smaller than the
magnitude of the resistance force.
• The mechanical advantage of a first class lever depends upon the
placement of the fulcrum.
• If the fulcrum is closer to the load than to the input force, the lever has
a MA > 1.
• If the fulcrum is exactly in the middle of the load and the input force,
the MA = 1.
• If the fulcrum is closer to the input force than to the load, the lever's
MA < 1.
• Example: force of the triceps at the olecranon.
• In second-class lever system, the effort force is mechanically efficient
• EA>RA
• The magnitude of the effort force can be less than the magnitude of
the resistance.
• In third-class levers, the mechanical advantage will always be less than
one because the effort arm is always smaller than the resistance arm
• EA<RA
• Because the effort force lies closer to the fulcrum than the resistance
force
• A third-class lever is “mechanically inefficient” or is working at a
“disadvantage”
• because the magnitude of the effort force must always be greater than
the magnitude of the resistance force
• The magnitude of the muscle force must be much larger than the
magnitude of gravity for the muscle to “win,” and so the lever is,
indeed, mechanically inefficient.