Wednesday, February 27, 2008

what the torque?!

Brunnstrom's Clinical Kinesiology Chapter 2 is in alien language. Thankfully, I don't need to understand every mathematical concept (trigonometry, algebra).
At equilibrium when no motion or acceleration of the body is occurring, the torque of the resistance force equals the torque of the holding force: force times the force arm equals resistance times the resistance arm. F x a = W x b for each type of lever.

Brunnstrom, page 37

Torque = force times perpendicular distance
static equilibrium for torque = 0
static equilibrium for force = 0


My question: what the hell?!
Okay, I'm not THAT clueless. But I am having some difficulty knowing when to plug in certain numbers. My professor laid it out in an obvious fashion, but I didn't get it.

The forearm was the example. The elbow joint is the axis. The forearm is at 90 degrees flexion and paralell to the floor. The hand is holding a 10 pound weight. The perpendicular distance of the resistance arm is 12 inches (axis to weight), the perpendicular distance of the force arm (axis to muscle pull) is 2 inches. We do not know the force of the muscle is exerting (X), but we are looking for how much it has to exert to hold up the 10 lbs.

10 lbs x 12 in = 120 lbs in
2X = 120
X=60

I'm getting it, but I'm not.

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