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Quadrupedal Mechanics - Anatomy & Physiology (view source)
Revision as of 12:16, 28 February 2013
, 12:16, 28 February 2013→2 Elasticity: external forces and stored energy
'''What this machine is made of: passive and active tissues'''
'''What this machine is made of: passive and active tissues'''
The tissues of the musculoskeletal system are bone, cartilage, ligament, tendon, fascia and muscle (Fig. 2.1).
The tissues of the musculoskeletal system are bone, cartilage, ligament, tendon, fascia and muscle (Fig. 2.1).
The non-muscular parts support the body passively by resisting forces that are applied to the body from outside (extrinsic) or those that are created intrinsically within the body. The most significant extrinsic forces are the earth's gravitational force on the mass of the animal, and the reaction of the ground. An animal, once it is born, must spend most of its life battling with gravity and the problems of contact with ground surfaces.
Animals also derive support from the activity of their muscles, as evidenced from the inability of an anesthetised animal to stand. This active type of support will be discussed in Sections 4 and 5.