All these and many more questions in biology and physiology can be answered by applying fundamental principles from mechanics and thermodynamics. This is what is done in biomechanics.
At the Division of Solid Mechanics, researchers are interested in biomechanical issues related to medicine and physiology. One important focus is on the cardiovascular system since many common diseases such as aneurysms, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke are all intimately linked to biomechanics.
For example, changes in the arterial wall structure and composition with age lead to a stiffer vessel which increases the load on the heart when it pumps blood into the aorta.
A deeper understanding of phenomena and processes behind the initiation and development of diseases is essential to find better diagnose methods and treatments.
The initial and boundary conditions are often obtained from measurements, and the research is, therefore, done in close cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine at Linköping University. In addition, we engage in extensive collaboration with both national and international partners.
Using muscluloskeletal biomechanics you might be able to add the "know-why" so that you can lead, instead of being left in the swells.
We study the theoretical framework of musculoskeletal modeling, especially the choice between different muscle models, muscle decomposition and muscle recruitment criteria.
Moreover, we carry out applied studies in sports biomechanics, mainly cross-country skiing movement techniques and classification of paralympic athletes.
Calculating the risk of heart disease
At the Division of Solid Mechanics, researchers are interested in biomechanical issues related to medicine and physiology. One important focus is on the cardiovascular system since many common diseases such as aneurysms, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke are all intimately linked to biomechanics.
For example, changes in the arterial wall structure and composition with age lead to a stiffer vessel which increases the load on the heart when it pumps blood into the aorta.
A deeper understanding of phenomena and processes behind the initiation and development of diseases is essential to find better diagnose methods and treatments.
Using laws of mass, momentum and energy
A cornerstone in all our research is the mathematical modeling. By formulating the balance laws for mass, momentum and energy, the systems can be described by a set of coupled partial differential equations, which together with appropriate initial and boundary conditions constitute the model.Because of the complexity, these models must be solved using numerical techniques, e.g. the finite element method.
The initial and boundary conditions are often obtained from measurements, and the research is, therefore, done in close cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine at Linköping University. In addition, we engage in extensive collaboration with both national and international partners.
Optimizing cross country skiing
Why copy the best athletes? When you finally learn their technique, they may have already developed new techniques.Using muscluloskeletal biomechanics you might be able to add the "know-why" so that you can lead, instead of being left in the swells.
We study the theoretical framework of musculoskeletal modeling, especially the choice between different muscle models, muscle decomposition and muscle recruitment criteria.
Moreover, we carry out applied studies in sports biomechanics, mainly cross-country skiing movement techniques and classification of paralympic athletes.
