Concepts in HMS 1st YEAR optional course

In this course, the students are acquainted with biophysical and behavioural concepts that underlie current debates in HMS. One part of this course deals with behavioural concepts of HMS. Human movement is a complex behavior. To interpret this complex behavior, the scientific literature uses concepts that are rather complex themselves. Examples of such concepts are information, stability, synergy, internal representation and motor programs. In this course, questions such as "What do these concepts mean exactly?" and "How do these concepts help us to understand the behavior we observe?" will be addressed. A second part of the course deals with biomechanical concepts in particular with (in-)stability of joints and joint movement. Instability is often used in the clinical setting to describe the state of the joint after injury or in degenerative disorders. The term is often poorly defined, which leads to confusion in the communication between disciplines, e.g. between physiotherapists and orthopedic surgeons. Mechanics and control theory provide a rigorous framework for describing joint function. The relevance of this conceptual framework for the clinical context and the implications for diagnosis and treatment will be discussed. A third part of the course deals with physiological concepts in particular with the use of exercise intensity, relative workload and critical power. Relative workload is often used to induce similar loading of persons in sports and clinical studies, either to measure endurance or to induce a certain training stimulus. Relative workloads as percentage of maximal force/power or energy utilization (oxygen uptake) are used in various circumstances. While the choice for a given variable is essential for the result, it will be discussed whether the proper variables are chosen for the specific goals.