What Is Biomechanics? Perspectives from Latinx in Biomechanix

When people ask me what I do, my answer often creates more confusion than clarity: “I work in biomechanics.”

The immediate response is usually: “Oh, so you work on prosthetics?”

Prosthetics are indeed part of biomechanics. But the field is not limited to devices or confined to medicine or engineering. It exists at the intersection of physics, biology, health sciences, sport, technology, and human behavior. It is both analytical and applied. And it is far broader than a single application.

Rather than offering a dictionary definition, I asked members of Latinx in Biomechanix a simple question: 

What does biomechanics mean to you, and why is it relevant?

The responses reveal a field that is technically rigorous, clinically impactful, interdisciplinary, and deeply connected to human movement.

Biomechanics as the Foundation of Human Movement

For several contributors, biomechanics begins with the mechanical principles underlying motion.

"Biomechanics is a field of study that is closely connected to human movement science, as it helps us better understand how movements are generated, the forces involved in motor actions, and how motion can not only be described and analyzed, but also predicted. Within this applied branch of biomechanics, a deeper understanding of the mechanical features of movement has allowed major advances in knowledge, technology, and innovation that benefit people. Biomechanics research is relevant across a wide range of contexts, from clinical applications to sports, from injury prevention to ergonomics, and from fundamental mechanical principles applied to the human body to interdisciplinary connections with many other fields of study. To better understand human movement, biomechanics is the foundation."

Felipe Carpes

Professor in Biomechanics, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana RS, Brasil

ISB President

This perspective emphasizes biomechanics as a scientific foundation, a framework for understanding how forces generate motion, how movements can be analyzed, and how they can even be predicted. It highlights its relevance across domains, including clinical applications, sports, injury prevention, ergonomics, and interdisciplinary research.

Similarly, biomechanics was described as a bridge between human movement and physical laws:

"Biomechanics serves as a bridge between human movement and physics principles, helping the world better understand movement related to internal and external forces. With this knowledge, the biomechanist helps people to optimize their gait pattern in terms of impairment. In sports, biomechanics knowledge will help in performance enhancement as well as reduce the risk of injury."

Preethi Ravi

TNPESU

Here, biomechanics becomes a translation layer between internal and external forces and observable movement patterns. It is not merely descriptive; it informs optimization, performance enhancement, and risk reduction.

Together, these definitions firmly anchor biomechanics in scientific rigor, rooted in mechanics, grounded in measurable phenomena, and applicable across contexts.

Biomechanics in Clinical and Rehabilitation Contexts

Other reflections focused on biomechanics as a tool for understanding impairment and guiding intervention.

"Biomechanics research is key to understand movement impairments and for developing effective interventions to support individuals with neurological conditions and other clinical populations."

Andrea Rivera

MS in Kinesiology

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

This definition situates biomechanics at the core of movement disorders research and clinical decision-making. It is not only about how movement occurs, but how it changes, and how it can be improved. A similar clinical emphasis appears in another contribution:

"Biomechanics is like a puzzle that is rarely obvious, driving the search for answers and encouraging innovative thinking. It is relevant to science and society because it helps us understand key aspects that inform patient care, rehabilitation, and clinical decision-making."

Gabriela Souza de Vasconcelos, PT, PhD

Biomechanics is described here as a complex puzzle that is rarely obvious, requiring analytical thinking and innovation. The field becomes central to patient care, rehabilitation, and evidence-based decisions. In these perspectives, biomechanics is not abstract physics applied to the body. It is a framework for improving lives through better understanding movement dysfunction and recovery.

Biomechanics as an Interdisciplinary Bridge

Beyond clinical and sports contexts, biomechanics was also defined as a connector, linking structure, function, tools, and environments.

"Biomechanics, to me, is the language that connects movement, structure, and function across living bodies, tools, and environments. It helps us understand not only how humans and athletes move, but also how the objects and systems around us shape performance, safety, and daily life. By translating movement into knowledge, biomechanics bridges science, health, technology, and society."

Ester Jiménez Ormeño

PhD in Sport Sciences

Lecturer and Researcher at Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain

Member of the STreNgthP_RG Research Group

This definition extends biomechanics beyond the human body. It includes interaction with equipment, surroundings, and systems. Movement becomes contextual, shaped by both biological and environmental constraints.

This broader lens reinforces biomechanics as inherently interdisciplinary — connecting science, health, engineering, and society.

Biomechanics as the Language of Movement

One contribution offered a more conceptual, yet still scientifically grounded, interpretation:

"Biomechanics is the language of movement that exists everywhere — in how we explore the world, survive, and connect with one another. Understanding movement means honoring our ability to wander, adapt, and live with dignity, regardless of condition or limitation. What moves me most is knowing that biomechanics can help ensure every person has the right to move through life with autonomy and humanity."

Maria Valentina Pinzón Riaño

Biomechanics Uniandes, Colombia

Here, biomechanics is framed as the “language of movement”, a way to understand how we explore, adapt, and maintain autonomy. While poetic, the underlying message remains scientifically relevant: movement is fundamental to human dignity, and understanding it has profound implications.

This perspective reminds us that biomechanics is not only about measurement and modeling. It is about what movement enables: survival, participation, performance, and independence.

A Field Defined by Practice

Across these reflections, biomechanics appears as:

• A scientific foundation grounded in physics and mechanics
• A clinical tool for understanding and improving movement impairments
• A bridge between biological systems and engineered environments
• A framework for optimizing performance and reducing injury
• A language for understanding how humans interact with the world

There is no single sentence that fully defines biomechanics. And perhaps that is the point.

We do not necessarily need a rigid definition from a book. Biomechanics is shaped by our research questions, models, measurements, and applications. It reflects the problems we choose to solve and the systems we choose to study.

Author:

Juan Baus, Ph.D.

Slippery Rock University