BM – 404 Biomechanics

 Angular motion occurs when all parts of a body move through the same angle but
do not undergo the same linear displacement.
 The subset of kinematics that deals with angular motion is angular kinematics,
which describes angular motion without regard to the causes of the motion.
 Angular motion occurs about an axis of rotation, that is, a line perpendicular to the
plane in which the rotation occurs.
 An understanding of angular motion is critical to comprehend how one moves.
Nearly, all human movement involves rotation of body segments. The segments
rotate about the joint centers that form their axes of rotation.
 For example, the forearm segment rotates about the elbow joint during flexion and
extension of the elbow.
 In biomechanics, two types of angles are generally calculated.
 Absolute angle, which is the angle of inclination of a body segment relative to some
fixed reference in the environment.
 Example: the angle of a segment
 This type of angle describes the orientation of a segment in space. The angle is then
measured counterclockwise from the right horizontal.
 The absolute angle of a segment relative to the right horizontal is also called the
segment angle.
 Relative angle is the angle between longitudinal axes of two segments and is also
referred to as the joint angle or the intersegmental angle.
 Example: the angle between two segments
 In discussing the angle of a joint such as the knee and ankle, it is imperative that a
meaningful representation of the action of the joint be made.
 A special use of absolute angles to compute joint angles is very useful for clinicians
and others interested in joint function.
 These lower extremity angle definitions are for use in a two-dimensional (2D)
sagittal plane analysis only.
 In Winter’s system, digitized points describing the trunk, thigh, leg, and foot are
used to calculate the absolute angles of each (Fig. 9-12).
 In such a biomechanical analysis, it is assumed that a right-side sagittal view is
being analyzed. That is, the right side of the
Hip Angle Knee Angle Ankle Angle
𝜃ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝜃𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑒 𝜃𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑒
= 𝜃𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ − 𝜃𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑘 = 𝜃𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ − 𝜃𝑙𝑒𝑔 = 𝜃𝑙𝑒𝑔 − 𝜃𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡 + 90

Hip angle = +ve, Knee angle = always Ankle angle = +ve

flexion; positive (always Dorsiflexion
flexed), If
decreasing =
extending
Hip angle = -ve, Knee Angle = -ve Ankle angle = -ve
extension. (Hyperextending) Plantarflexion

Hip angle = 0, Knee Angle = 0

the thigh and the Neutral Position
trunk are aligned
vertically in a
neutral position.
Degrees of
flexion: “how
far away the
joint is from
anatomical
position”
Degrees of
flexion: “how
far away the
joint is from
anatomical
position”
 Absolute angles are calculated using the
trigonometric relationship of the tangent.
 The tangent is defined based on the sides of a right
triangle. It is the ratio of the side opposite the angle
in question and the side adjacent to the angle.
 To calculate the absolute leg angle, the distal end
coordinate values are subtracted from the proximal
end coordinate values and the ratio of y to x defines
the tangent of the angle
 Find the absolute leg and thigh angles!
The absolute angle of the leg, therefore,
is 72.8° from the right horizontal. This
orientation indicates that the leg is
positioned so that the knee is farther
from the vertical (y) axis of the
coordinate system than the ankle. That
is, the knee joint is to the right of the
ankle joint
 𝑦𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙 −𝑦𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙
 tan 𝜃𝑙𝑒𝑔 =
𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙 −𝑥𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙
𝑦𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑒 −𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑒
=
𝑥𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑒 −𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑒 The absolute angle of the leg, therefore,
0.51−0.09 is 72.8° from the right horizontal. This
= orientation indicates that the leg is
1.22−1.09
0.42 positioned so that the knee is farther
= from the vertical (y) axis of the
0.13
coordinate system than the ankle. That
 = 3.23
is, the knee joint is to the right of the
 𝜃𝑙𝑒𝑔 = tan−1 3.23 ankle joint

 = 72.8°
 𝑦ℎ𝑖𝑝 − 𝑦𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑒
 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ = This angle is clockwise
𝑥ℎ𝑖𝑝 − 𝑥𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑒
from the left horizontal
=
0.80 − 0.51 because we have moved
1.14 − 1.22 into the second quadrant
0.29 with the negative x-value.
=
−0.08 To convert the angle so
 = −3.625 that it is relative to the
right horizontal and
 𝜃𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ = tan−1 (−3.625) counterclockwise, it must
 𝜃𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ = −74.58° be added to 180°,
resulting in an absolute
angle of 105.4°relative to
the right horizontal.