Forensic kinesiology: foundations of an interdiscipline for accident/crime investigation

Kinesiology is the study of human movement, and comprises several disciplines, each devoted to a specific aspect of human activity, each with its own set of principles and methods to assess and analyze movement. Forensic kinesiology is the application of kinesiological techniques to accident/crime investigation; specialists in this field can use various tools and procedures to measure, analyze, model, and determine the movement sequences involved in events under investigation. This article will highlight major subdisciplines of kinesiology most relevant to forensics, present the key assessment and analytical tools used by kinesiologists, and demonstrate how both the principles and the practices of kinesiology can be applied to accident/crime investigation.

Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2010 Jun;31(2):200-3. Pelham TW, Holt LE, Holt J. School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.