Abstract
In order to understand the origins of human movement, it is essential to understand anatomy. Anatomy is the study of the structure of the human body. Anatomy provides essential labels for musculoskeletal structures and joint motions relevant to human movement. Knowledge of anatomy also provides a common “language” of the human body and motions for kinesiology and medical professionals. Anatomy is an important prerequisite for kinesiology professionals trying to improve movement, prevent or treat injury. Anatomy is primarily a descriptive science and is not, by itself, enough to explain the function of the musculoskeletal system in movement. Knowledge of anatomy must be combined with biomechanics to accurately determine the musculoskeletal causes or the “how” human movement is created. This chapter reviews key anatomical concepts, shows how functional anatomy traditionally classifies muscle actions, shows how biomechanics is needed to determine muscle function in movement, and discusses the first two of the nine principles of biomechanics: Range of Motion and Force-Motion.
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Knudson, D. (2003). Anatomical Description and Its Limitations. In: Fundamentals of Biomechanics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5298-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5298-4_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5300-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-5298-4
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