Biomechanics
Definition
Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of movement. In other words, it is the study of the function of the musculo-skeletal system in different movement conditions. Sports biomechanics studies the interaction between the performer (the athlete), sports equipment (e.g. running shoes) and the environment (e.g. running track).
Technique
We try to identify the optimal technique to improve sports performance, analyze loading whilst performing a particular sport or exercise to reduce injury risk and prevent injury, assess muscular recruitment and coordination, study the impact of equipment on movement quality, examine loading characteristics of exercises to improve training and rehabilitation programs. To perform these tasks, we use various methods to objectively measure variables such as joint accelerations (using 3D automated kinematics), explosive strength (using force sensors), muscular loading (using electromyography), ground reaction forces (using force plates), and so on.
For example, the design of a running shoe or the composition of an athletic track are the result of intensive research on the effects of certain materials on the behavior of the athlete with the aim to improve performance without harming the human body.
SportFabrik
This state-of-the-art infrastructure is the result of a joint initiative by the Ministry of Sport, the City of Differdange, the Comité Olympique et Sportif Luxembourgeois (COSL) and the Luxembourg Olympic Medical Centre (CMOL), and places Luxembourg at the forefront of movement analysis, injury prevention and return to sport for top athletes in Europe.
Managed by the Luxembourg Institute for High Performance in Sports (LIHPS), in collaboration with its scientific partner the Luxembourg Institute of Research in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Science (LIROMS), the biomechanical movement laboratory of the SportFabrik aims to promote high-level sport, sports medicine and sports science.
More information about the SportFabrik can be found in this film.
Jan Cabri
Chief Scientific Expert, Prof. Dr., PhD
