Mechanics of the Musculoskeletal System

Catalog description

Structure and biomechanics of bone, cartilage, and skeletal muscle; dynamics and control of musculoskeletal system models. BIOE 552 BIOE (I E) 552Mechanics of the Musculoskeletal System (3)The course focuses on the upper limbs and its musculoskeletal components, including mechanical properties and models; work-related musculoskeletal injuries, techniques, models, and instruments to measure and quantify the risks for developing such injuries. Specific topics covered in the first third of the course include an introduction to basic biomechanical principles, the anatomical structure of the musculoskeletal system including soft tissue, neuromuscular physiology, and motor control including muscle receptors. The second third covers various muscle models starting from basic mass/spring/dashpot viscoelastic models as in Hill's 3-element model and continuing on to Hatze's multi-element model, frequency analysis, control theory approaches. More complex models include static and dynamic aspects of tendon-pulley models and multiple muscle-tendon systems. The final third covers basic epidemiology as applied to musculoskeletal disorders and risk factors including instrumentation to measure them and various analysis tools (e.g., the PSU CTD Risk Index) to assess the not only the overall risk for injury but the reliability and validity of such assessments. Time permitting applications to hand tools and office environment with computer work stations are examined. Two exams and a modeling project are given. The course is typically offered Spring Semester.