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Biomechanics and Physical Therapy: A Perspective

Dr. Smidt is Professor and Director, Physical Therapy Education, College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (USA).

This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.

What is biomechanics? My response to this question is intended to provide an awareness of the scope of biomechanics and show the reader that biomechanics is an integral part of physical therapy.

BIOMECHANICS DEFINED

At face value, the term biomechanics is made up of two roots, bio and mechanics. Bio means life, living organisms or tissue.¹ Mechanics is physical science that deals with the state of rest or motion of bodies under the action of forces.² Therefore, aspects of mechanics having to do with inanimate objects comprising bridges, spacecraft, and automobiles are eliminated from consideration when we merge the terms bio and mechanics. The study of bio or biology includes both plants and animals. Plants are excluded for this presentation because physical therapy has to do primarily with the human portion of the animal world....

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