This course covers a wide range of topics that broadly cover the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and solve key problems in biomechanics. The first part of the course deals with understanding methods to measure and estimate forces and moments in the musculoskeletal system. Examples are given in the context of musculoskeletal injury and disease, including knee ligament injuries, neurological disorders, and osteoarthritis. Two guest lectures are given in the first part of the course, from experts in the field of musculoskeletal biomechanics and neurological movement disorders. The second part of the course deals with orthopaedic biomechanics, covering a fundamental understanding of skeletal tissues and implant design. Two guest lectures are given by an orthopaedic surgeon and an engineer/CEO from a local orthopaedic start-up company.
Lecture content is supplemented by weekly labs, where students gain technical knowledge on the most up-to-date methods for computational modelling of the musculoskeletal system. This includes learning to use 'OpenSim', which is an industry-standard, open-source software package for modelling rigid body dynamics, and 'ABAQUS', as an industry-standard FE package for solving orthopaedic engineering problems.