Study Saturday: How to Succeed in Kinesiology and Biomechanics

Kinesiology and Biomechanics is the course where physics meets the human body. It applies mechanical principles to understand how muscles, bones, and joints work together to produce movement. For pre-PT students, this is one of the most directly relevant prerequisites because biomechanics is what physical therapists do: analyze movement, identify dysfunction, and design interventions to restore function. Some DPT programs list it as a required or recommended prerequisite, and others accept it as a substitute for Physics II.

Why This Course Matters for PT

Gait analysis. Gait analysis is the systematic study of human locomotion, and it is one of the most fundamental PT skills. Understanding normal gait biomechanics is essential for recognizing abnormal patterns and designing interventions. Even minor gait impairments affect quality of life, and PTs are the primary professionals who assess and treat them.

Joint mechanics. Understanding how forces act on joints during movement helps PTs diagnose joint issues and devise effective treatment plans. Kinematics (how joints move, range of motion) and kinetics (forces involved in motion, including gravity, friction, and muscle forces) are the core analytical frameworks PTs use daily.

Manual therapy. Every manual therapy technique has a biomechanical rationale. Joint mobilization, manipulation, soft tissue work, and therapeutic exercise all rely on understanding force vectors, lever arms, and tissue mechanics. PTs who understand biomechanics can explain why their techniques work and modify them intelligently for individual patients.

Exercise prescription. Designing therapeutic exercises requires understanding muscle actions, joint positions, resistance profiles, and how changing body position alters the mechanical demands on specific tissues. This is applied biomechanics.

Injury prevention and return to sport. Biomechanical analysis of running form, landing mechanics, and sport-specific movements allows PTs to identify injury risk factors and design prevention programs. Return-to-sport decisions are increasingly guided by biomechanical criteria.

What You Will Cover

A standard kinesiology/biomechanics course includes:

• Foundations: anatomical terminology, planes of motion, axes of rotation, types of motion (linear, angular, curvilinear)
• Skeletal system mechanics: bone structure, joint classification, joint range of motion, close-packed vs. open-packed positions
• Muscular system mechanics: muscle origins, insertions, and actions, types of muscle contractions (concentric, eccentric, isometric), force-velocity and length-tension relationships
• Force analysis: force vectors, torque, lever systems (first, second, third class), mechanical advantage, free body diagrams
• Kinematics: position, velocity, acceleration, angular kinematics, projectile motion
• Kinetics: Newton's laws applied to human movement, ground reaction forces, impulse-momentum, work-energy
• Gait analysis: gait cycle phases (stance, swing), temporal-spatial parameters, joint kinematics during walking and running
• Regional biomechanics: spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, hip, knee, ankle/foot
• Applied biomechanics: posture analysis, lifting mechanics, sport-specific movement analysis, ergonomics

Study Strategies That Work

Draw free body diagrams for every force problem. Free body diagrams are the single most important tool in biomechanics. For any movement scenario, draw the body segment, identify all forces acting on it (gravity, muscle force, ground reaction force, joint reaction force), and indicate their direction. This visual approach makes complex problems manageable.

Learn muscle actions through movement, not just memorization. Instead of memorizing that the biceps brachii flexes the elbow, perform the movement, palpate the muscle, and feel it contract. Then think about what happens eccentrically (the biceps controls elbow extension during lowering). Movement-based learning creates deeper understanding than flashcards alone.

Master lever systems with physical examples. First-class lever: the head nodding on the atlas (fulcrum between effort and resistance). Second-class lever: a calf raise (resistance between fulcrum and effort). Third-class lever: the biceps curling a weight (effort between fulcrum and resistance). Most joints in the body are third-class levers, which sacrifices force for speed and range of motion.

Use 3D anatomy apps to visualize muscle actions. Apps like Visible Body and Complete Anatomy let you rotate joints, see muscle attachments, and simulate movements. This is far more effective than static textbook images for understanding how muscles cross joints and produce movement.

Connect physics to the body. When you study torque, calculate the torque at the elbow during a bicep curl at different joint angles. When you study Newton's third law, think about ground reaction forces during walking. Always apply the physics to a specific body example.

Study regional biomechanics with clinical cases. When covering the knee, think about ACL injury mechanisms (anterior tibial translation, valgus collapse). When covering the shoulder, think about rotator cuff impingement (subacromial space narrowing with overhead movements). Clinical cases make regional biomechanics memorable and relevant.

Practice gait observation. Watch people walk. In the cafeteria, on campus, at the gym. Try to identify gait cycle phases, observe arm swing symmetry, and notice deviations. This informal practice builds the observational skills you will formalize in DPT school.

Free Resources

Free textbooks:

• Biomechanics of Human Movement from BC Campus is a free, open textbook covering fundamental biomechanics concepts
• Stanford Biomechanics of Movement is a community-driven resource with homework problems, lecture slides, and videos from university professors
• OER Commons: Kinesiology Collection provides open educational resources for kinesiology and biomechanics courses

Video resources:

• Khan Academy: Forces and Newton's Laws covers the physics foundations that biomechanics builds on
• CrashCourse Anatomy and Physiology on YouTube covers the musculoskeletal system in relevant episodes

Clinical biomechanics:

• PM&R KnowledgeNow: Biomechanics of Normal Gait provides a detailed clinical reference for gait biomechanics
• Gait Happens offers accessible gait analysis education and biomechanics content

Recommended Textbooks

• Basic Biomechanics by Susan Hall (McGraw-Hill) is the most widely used introductory biomechanics text for kinesiology students, praised for clear writing and clinical applications
• Clinical Mechanics and Kinesiology from Human Kinetics bridges biomechanics theory to clinical PT practice
• Fundamentals of Biomechanics by Duane Knudson covers core principles with applications to sport, clinical, and daily living movements
• Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System by Donald Neumann is the gold standard for DPT-level kinesiology (an excellent investment if you want to get ahead)

Apps Worth Using

• Visible Body for 3D anatomy with muscle action animations and joint movement visualization
• Complete Anatomy for detailed 3D models with clinical and biomechanical overlays
• Anki for spaced repetition on muscle origins, insertions, actions, and innervations
• Kenhub for structured anatomy quizzes with spaced repetition

How This Connects to DPT School

Kinesiology and biomechanics is not just a prerequisite. It is a preview of your DPT curriculum. In your first year, you will take advanced versions of this course that go deeper into joint mechanics, muscle function, and movement analysis. During clinical rotations, you will perform gait analysis, assess joint mechanics, and design exercise programs based on biomechanical principles every single day. The student who arrives at DPT school already thinking in terms of force vectors, lever arms, and movement planes has a significant advantage over classmates seeing these concepts for the first time. This is the course that most directly teaches you to think like a physical therapist.

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This is part of our Study Saturday series, where we break down how to succeed in each PT school prerequisite course. For an overview of all prerequisites, see understanding PT school prerequisites.