Biomechanical Homeostasis

In physics, equilibrium is defined as the condition of a system when neither its state of motion nor its internal energy state tends to change with time; i.e., the system is in a steady state. In biology, equilibrium is defined in terms of homeostasis. Claude Bernard, in the mid-1800s, developed the idea that the living system is in a state of internal chemical equilibrium (Bernard 1957). In 1929, Walter Bradford Cannon coined the word “homeostasis” to describe such a state (Cannon 1973). The Greek word homoios means like or resembling, whereas stasis means position. Hence, homeostasis in an organism means the maintenance of a steady state by coordinated physiological processes. Although the mechanical state of a living body is variable, the variation of stresses and strains is considered relatively small. Hence, there exists mechanical homeostasis in living tissues (i.e., variations of stresses and strains are relatively small).