BIOMECHANICS

USAMA ASLAM 23036

NIMRA IFTIKHAR 23007
LARAIB AIMAN 23029
ALVINA ASLAM 23009
HINA HAMEED 23013
IFRAH MUKHTAR 23049
MIAN FAHAD 23028
KHUSHBAKHT SOHAIL 23032
Biomechanics with its divisions

 Biomechanics is the study of human movements with the

help of mechanical laws
 Kinematics and kinetics are two subdivisions
 Kinematics involve The study of movement without
considering source of movement while kinetics is the study
of movement considering source of movement i.e force
 If force is applied on body and movement does not occur
the study refers to statics and if movement occur it refers
to dynamics
Behavioral properties of musculotendinous unit

Four behavioral properties of muscle tissue:

 Extensibility: Ability to stretch or to increase in
length
 Elasticity: Ability to return to normal length after a
stretch
 Irritability: Ability to respond to stimulus
 Ability to develop tension :Contractile component of
muscle function
 These properties common to all muscle including cardiac, smooth,
skeletal muscle of human beings as well as of other mammals,
reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects.

 Extensibility and elasticity:

Extensibility is the ability to be stretched or increase in length and
elasticity is ability to return to normal length after a stretch.Muscle
Elasticity provides for smooth transmission of tension from muscle
to bone.
Elastic behavior of muscle consist of two major components:
1.Parallel elastic component(PEC)
2.Series elastic component (SEC)

 Parallel elastic component: passive elasticity derived from muscle

membranes
 Series elastic component: passive elasticity derived from tendons when
a tensed muscle is stretched
Elasticity of human skeletal muscle is believed to be primarily
due to SEC. These components exert influence on production
of muscle force, power, work. During quick, rapid movements,
increase muscle power by storing work of muscle contraction
and releasing it rapidly. Elastic component can release energy
more slowly to stretch muscle contractile component during
activity such as landing from jump ,dissipating energy and
serving to protect muscle from damage. Both SEC and PEC
have viscous property that enables muscle to stretch and
recoil in time dependent fashion.
When static stretch of muscle group such as hamstrings is maintained
over time muscle lengthens ,increasing joint range of motion.
After a muscle group has been stretched , doesn't recoil to resting length
immediately but shortens gradually over time .This viscoelastic response
is independent of gender. Irritability and the ability to develop tension:
Irritability is ability to respond to stimulus .Stimuli affecting muscles are
either electrochemical such as action potential from attaching nerve or
mechanical such as external blow to a portion of a muscle. When
activated by stimulus, muscles respond by developing tension.
Historically, development of tension by muscle referred as contraction or
contractile component of muscle function. Contractility is ability to
shorten in length.
 Ability to develop tension is behavioral characteristic
unique to muscle tissue. Historically, development of
tension by muscle referred as contraction or contractile
component of muscle function. Contractility is ability to
shorten in length.
Motor Unit
Fiber Architecture

Another variable influencing muscle function is the arrangement of

fibers within a muscle. These structural considerations
affect the strength of muscular contraction and the range of motion
through
which a muscle group can move a body segment.
The two umbrella categories of muscle fiber arrangement are termed as
 Parallel
 Pennate
Fiber Architecture

Parallel Fiber Arrangement Pennate Fiber Arrangement

 pattern of fibers within a muscle in  pattern of fibers within a muscle with
which the fibers are roughly parallel short fibers attaching to one or more
to the longitudinal axis of the muscle tendons
 Example:  Example:
The sartorius, rectus abdominis, and The tibialis posterior, rectus femoris,
biceps brachii have parallel fiber and deltoid muscles have pennate fiber
orientations. arrangements
Fiber Architecture
Fiber Architecture

 When tension is developed in a parallel-fibered muscle, any

shortening of the muscle is primarily the result of the shortening
of its fibers.
 When the fibers of a pennate muscle shorten, they rotate about
their tendon attachment or attachments, progressively
increasing the angle of pennation.

•Pennate fiber arrangement promotes muscle force production,

and parallel fiber arrangement facilitates muscle shortening.
Fiber Architecture

 Fiber shortening increases the angel of pennation which decreases the

amount of effective force transmitted to the tendon or tendons to move
the attached bones. The arrangement allows the packing of more fibers
than can be packed into a longitudinal muscle occupying equal space.
Because pennate muscles contain more fibers per unit of muscle
volume, they can generate more force than parallel-fibered muscles of
the same size.
 The parallel fiber arrangement, on the other hand, enables greater
shortening of the entire muscle than is possible with a pennate
arrangement. Parallel-fibered muscles can move body segments
through larger ranges of motion than can comparably sized pennate-
fibered muscles.
Change in Muscle Length with Tension Development

 A muscle fiber generates tension through actin and

myosin cross-bridge cycling. While under tension, the
muscle may lengthen, shorten, or remain the same.
Although the term contraction implies shortening,
when referring to the muscular system, it means the
generation of tension within a muscle fiber. Several
types of muscle contractions occur and are defined
by the changes in the length of the muscle during
contraction
Types of contraction

 Concentric Contraction

 Isometric contraction

 Eccentric contraction
Concentric contraction

 A concentric contraction is a type of muscle contraction

in which the muscles shorten while generating force,
overcoming resistance.
 For example:
When lifting a heavy weight, a concentric contraction of
the biceps would cause the arm to bend at the elbow,
lifting the weight towards the shoulder. Cross-bridge
cycling occurs, shortening the sarcomere, muscle fiber,
and muscle.
Concentric contraction
Isometric contraction

 Isometric contractions generate force without

changing the length of the muscle.
 Common in the muscles of the hand and forearm
responsible for grip.
 For example:
the muscle contraction required to grip but not move a
heavy object prior to lifting would be isometric. Isometric
contractions are frequently used to maintain posture.
Isometric contraction
Eccentric contraction

 An eccentric contraction results in the elongation of a muscle while

the muscle is still generating force; in effect, resistance is greater
than force generated.
 Eccentric contractions can be both voluntary and involuntary.
 For example: a voluntary eccentric contraction would be the
controlled lowering of the heavy weight raised during the above
concentric contraction. An involuntary eccentric contraction may
occur when a weight is too great for a muscle to bear and so it is
slowly lowered while under tension. Cross-bridge cycling occurs
even though the sarcomere, muscle fiber, and muscle are
lengthening, controlling the extension of the muscle.
Eccentric contraction
Characteristics
Roles Assumed by Muscles

One muscle rarely acts in isolation, however we sometimes speak in

terms of the function or role that a given muscle is carrying Out when
it acts in concert with other muscles crossing the same joint.
There are four major roles which are performed by the muscles.

 The first role performed by the muscles is that they acts as an

agonist. When a muscle contracts and causes movement of a body
segment at a joint, it is acting as an agonist, or mover. The primary
and assistant agonists plays the role of agonist.
e.g .Elbow flexion phase of forearm.
Roles Assumed by Muscles

 The second role performed by the muscles is

opposite to that of the agonists. The muscles acts as
antagonists or opposers, by developing eccentric
tension at the same time the agonists are causing
movement e.g. Elbow flexion and extension. During
flexion, brachialis and the biceps brachii are primary
agonist and the triceps acts as antagonists. And for
elbow extension, their roles becomes opposite.
Roles Assumed by Muscles

 The third role assumed by muscles involves

stabilizing a portion of the body against a particular
force. The force may be internal or external.
e.g. The rhomboids act as stabilizers by developing
tension to stabilize the scapula against the pull of the
tow rope during waterskiing.
Roles Assumed by Muscles

 A forth role assumed by muscles is that of

neutralizers. Neutralizers prevent unwanted
accessory actions that normally occur when agonists
develop concentric tension.
e.g when the biceps brachii develops concentric
tension, it produces both flexion at the elbow and
supination of the forearm. If only flexion is desired, the
pronator teres act as a neutralizer to counteract the
supination of the forearm
Two joint And Multijoint Muscles

 Those muscles which passes over two

joints are called two joint muscles.
 Twojoint muscles provides a wide
variety of movements with their own
advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages and disadvantages

 Twojoint muscle can produce force with

significant transverse component
 The amount of force or tension
generated by a multi-joint muscle
diminishes as the muscle moves the
joints simultaneously.
Advantages and disadvantages

 Active insufficiency
The active insufficiency of a muscle that
crosses two or more joints occurs when the
muscle produces simultaneous movement at all
the joints it crosses and reaches such a
shortened position that it no longer has the
ability to develop effective tension
Advantages and disadvantages

 Passive insufficiency
Passive insufficiency occurs when a
multi-joint muscle is lengthened to its
fullest extent at both joints, but also
preventing the full range of motion of
each joint it crosses.