What Is Moment Arm

The moment arm of a muscle force is defined by the perpendicular distance between the muscle’s line of action and the instantaneous centre of rotation of the joint in which it spans, and represents the capacity of that muscle to exert a joint torque (Pandy, 1999).

What is moment in biomechanics?

Torque (a.k.a. moment or moment of force) is the rotational effect of a linear force and is calculated as the product of the force and the moment arm, which is the perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the axis of rotation.

What does the moment arm do during exercise?

What is a Moment Arm? A moment arm determines the influence of a force to produce (or prevent) the rotation of an object around an axis. It is the shortest perpendicular distance between the line of exerted force (resistance) and the axis (the joint) attempting to resist that force.