Biomechanics is the study of the mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of an individual. More specifically, Biomechanics include how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce movements.
At IRSA, we use principles of Anatomy, Physics, and Engineering to create a biomechanical analysis that works as a bridge between our Accident Reconstruction and a medical diagnosis from a M.D. There is often confusion about the difference between a medical and biomechanical opinion.
It is not uncommon for medical experts to discuss opinions that should fall under the purview of a Forensic Engineer without properly understanding or addressing the forces in the subject accident or injury. The opinions of Medical Doctors and Forensic Engineers should be both separate from and complementary to one another.
Forensic Engineers at IRSA do not opine on if a person does or does not have a certain medical condition. Similarly, a Medical Doctor, who is not trained in engineering principles and has not analyzed the forces of the subject accident, cannot opine on if a subject injury was caused by a specific accident or incident.
After any specific accident, a Medical Doctor will diagnose what conditions or injuries the person has, and our Forensic Engineers will determine if the alleged conditions or injuries could reasonably be related to the subject accident.
To determine the relationship between an injury and an accident, Engineers at IRSA are knowledgeable in relevant areas of injury mechanism, live-participant crash test data, and are trained to use multiple injury criteria, including the NHTSA Head Injury Criterion (HIC), Brain Injury Criterion (BrIC), and Neck Injury Criterion (NIC), etc.
