Biomedical engineering has a long-evolving history that has come into the spotlight over the last few decades. Our team of biomedical engineers prides itself on the ability to meet the growing demand for scientifically based forensic investigations. Recently Ian Zeller, Ph.D., a Senior Consultant based in Rimkus’ Orlando office, contributed to Business Insurance magazine an article exploring the role of biomechanics in the evaluation of workplace injury claims.
Dr. Zeller’s article highlights three different facets to biomedical engineering: bioelectrical, biomaterial, and biomechanical. While all three areas of the field have specific applications, biomechanics is particularly valuable for use in the evaluation of bodily injury claims. Despite the value, the lack of knowledge regarding the analysis of personal injuries makes these assessments an overlooked part of the claims process.
“The role of biomechanics in claims evaluations is one that is sometimes not well understood, and for that reason this type of analysis is often underutilized in claims evaluations,” said Dr. Zeller. “The overall goal of a biomechanical analysis is to evaluate the evidence from an incident, determine the associated forces and movements from that particular event, evaluate the motions, orientations and mechanisms associated with the claimed injuries, and finally compare those claimed injuries with the mechanisms that dictate how they occur.”
According to Dr. Zeller, “The end result is an evaluation as to whether or not an injury is consistent with a particular event based on the evidence available. The field of biomechanics shares similar terminology with medicine, and it is important to differentiate the two evaluation techniques. Specifically, biomechanics is not about making diagnoses; rather it is about determining the root cause that led to the diagnoses given by physicians in the context of a mechanical event. Such a methodology is intuitively based on an acute physical injury being related to forces and moments from a mechanical event rather than occurring spontaneously.”
The full article is available online with a subscription to Business Insurance magazine. To learn more about Dr. Zeller’s expertise in biomechanics, connect with him via our website.