SG2804     Biomechanics of human movement, 7.0 hp                       2011¶

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Welcome to the first undergraduate course in Biomechanics of human movement at KTH!  This document describes the course aims and the basis for grading.  The examination will consist of a series of homework projects and a final group project (written reports and oral presentations).

What is Biomechanics of human movement?  

Biomechanics is a large, and ever-growing field that broadly can be defined as applying the use of mechanics to study living systems. Many different definitions have been proposed, covering topics as wide as fluid flow, tissue engineering, joint modeling, in vivo measurements, etc.  For this course, we can apply Hay’s definition (1973):

Biomechanics is the science that examines forces acting upon and within a biological structure and effects produced by such forces

wherein forces include internal forces or external forces, which must be measured or modeled accurately, and may be attributed  to movements of segments or tissue deformation.  The study of biomechanics of human movement may include the mechanics which produce movement, the analysis of movement and forces, prediction of movement, etc.

This course

This course will focus on movement of the human body and accompanying forces, fundamentals of motion production, analysis, and modeling.  The course focuses first on the anatomy and physiology of the human muscle-force system, then on biomechanical applications involved in human movement.  From this foundation, the course will focus on methods to analyze biomechanical problems, including kinematics and kinetics of movement and the muscle force system.  Relevant topics requiring such analyses will be discussed.  Emphasis is placed not only on computation, but also on interpretation and critical evaluation of results.

Objectives

This course is aimed towards upper level undergraduates and masters students.

After the course, the student should be able to:

-           Apply principles of classical mechanics to the study of human motion

-           Describe motion with precise, well-defined mechanical and anatomical terminology

-           Describe the internal and external forces acting on the body during typical human activities

-           Understand how muscle actions control movements

-          Model muscle activation and movement

-           Understand the methods and limitations of different experimental and analytical techniques used

Instruction

There are 2 lectures per week, computer labs, and study visits to the Motoriklab, Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital.  The computer labs will be held by one of the teach assistants, Ruoli Wang or Olesya Klets.

Prerequisites

Students are expected to have complete courses in basic mechanics and dynamics.  No previous coursework in anatomy or physiology is required.

Literature

The course book will be:

- Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human MoveResearch Methods in Biomechanics, by D.G.E Robertson, G.E. Caldwell, J Hamill, G. Kament, 4th Ed, by David Winterand S.N. Whittlesey (ISBN: 9780736039666), available online at e.g. adlibris.se

This book is available for purchase online.

No one book covers all topics unfortunately, so I’m including a list of other recommended literature, which can either be borrowed from me for short periods or borrowed from libraries.  Nigg & Herzog covers many topics, but with a major exception of motion and functional anatomy, and is not easily read. Hamill & Knutzen has only basic biomechanics, but an excellent overview of functional anatomy. Some other complementary reading assignments will be suggested.

- Biomechanics Basis of Human Movement, by Joseph Hamill and Kathleen M. Knutzen. 

- Robertson, Caldwell, Hamill, Kamen & Whittlesey: Research Methods in Biomechanics

- Biomechanics of the Musculo-skeletal system, 3rd Ed. edited by B. M. Nigg & W. Herzog

- Kirtley: Clinical Gait Analysis – Theory and Practice

- Nigg, MacIntosh & Mester: Biomechanics and Biology of Movement

- Nordin & Frankel: Basic Biomechanics of the Musculoskeletal System, 3rd Ed

Software

The opensource program OpenSIM from SIMTK will be used in several assignments.¶  ¶ Course Evaluations¶ This is the first time the course is given, so constructive comments are welcome.  At the end of the course, a written evaluation will be distributed.¶  ¶ Course Staff¶ The course is given by the department of mechanics at KTH Engineering Sciences, with guest lectures from Karolinska University Hospital & Institutet¶  ¶ Organizer/Main instructor:      Lanie Gutierrez-Farewik         lanie@kth.se    790 7719¶  ¶ Assistants:                               Ruoli Wang                             ruoli@mech.kth.se¶ Olesya Klets                            olesya@mech.kth.se¶  ¶ Contact¶ A page on KTH Social is underway.¶ ¶ Examinations There are 5 assignments as ‘homework’ and a final project.  There are 2 additional assignments which will not be graded but must be completed.¶  ¶ Homework projects/assignments.  Assignments will be given nearly every week (total 5). Some assignments are larger, some are smaller.  Each assignment has a due date one week later and all are mandatory.  This due date is expected to be held unless we have made a previous agreement.  I hope to only make exceptions for travel, illness, etc, and for the majority of participants to have completed all course requirements directly after the final meeting.¶  ¶ Homework assignments are expected to be submitted in report form, with emphasis placed on synthesis and interpretation of results, not simply on the computation.  Programming code is to be attached as an appendix. Students may work on assignments in groups of 2-3 if desired.¶  ¶ Final project.  The project will be completed in a group of 2-3 students. I will create the groups, but am open to suggestions. There will be approximately 4 project topics, which will be distributed randomly. To receive full credit for the project, both a report and an oral presentation are required.  1) A report will be produced, and should follow a scientific writing structure (Introduction, methods, results, discussion and conclusion). A section describing the activities of each group member should be included at the end.  The report must be signed by all group members, along with an originality statement. 2) Each group will give an oral presentation of the project to the class.¶  ¶ Grading: For each assignment, between 0-3 points will be given, depending on the ambition achieved and the report quality. The project will be graded in the same way, but will be worth 2 times each of the homework assignments. This makes a total of 21 points (homework assignments: 3 points/assignment*5 assignments, project: 3 points*2), of which 7 are required to pass the course.  Grading:¶  ¶ 7-8                   9-11                 12-14               15-17               18-21¶ E                      D                     C                     B                     A¶  ¶ Schedule¶ We have lecture times on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons.  Most weeks, we will have an additional visit, consisting of a lab visit to the Motoriklab at Karolinska University Hospital or to the SAM computer lab for OpenSIM tutorials. source program OpenSIM from SIMTK will be used in several assignments. ¶

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Course Evaluations¶

At the end of the course, a written evaluation will be distributed.¶

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Course Staff¶

The course is given by the department of mechanics at KTH Engineering Sciences, with guest lectures from Karolinska University Hospital & Institutet¶

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Organizer/Main instructor: Lanie Gutierrez-Farewik    lanie@kth.se    790 7719¶

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Assistant:                                                  Ruoli Wang                                              ruoli@mech.kth.se¶

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Contact¶

The course page is on KTH Social¶

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Schedule¶

We have lecture times on Wednesdays and Fridays.  Most weeks, we will have an additional meeting, consisting of a lab visit to the Motoriklab at Karolinska University Hospital or to a computer lab in the M-building for OpenSIM tutorials.¶