Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis

In the Preface of the Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis, John Wernham writes: “The present study in the Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis is based on some original research carried out by Dr. J.M. Littlejohn about the year 1900.  The text has been prepared form lecture notes delivered at the British School of Osteopathy in 1934.  (Dr. J.M. Littlejohn’s Lecture Notes are held in the John Wernham College of Classical Osteopathy Library and Archive.)  The diagrams illustrating the text were produced by John Wernham and T.E. Hall in 1955.

The human body is not a machine; it is a living, and highly sensitive organism.  None-the-less, it is subject to the laws of gravity and if the mechanical aspect of our physiological life does not receive its proper and due acknowledgement, and if adequate clinical procedures are not adopted, then the ultimate breakdown in the body unity will become inevitable”.

In the Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis the second chapter refers to Applied Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis.  “If a solid body is suspended, its balance is maintained at a definite point and the line of action of supporting power passes through the centre of gravity, if the body is at rest.  In the human body this point is to be found in the 3rd lumbar vertebra.  If the movement of the body is properly balanced its equilibrium is maintained in standing or walking around this point and is under the control of muscles and soft tissues in the dorsal, lumbar and sacral areas.  In the erect posture, the pelvis represents suspension through the legs which operate as the support in relation to standing or walking.  This is why the legs become tired in abnormal postural conditions of the body, and why, in its true gravital position the body is suspended from the pelvis, and supported upward from the pelvis”.

Also in this chapter, John Wernham writes about The Anterior Body Line; The Non-Parallel Lines; The Curved Lines; The Dorso-Lumbar Arch; The First Examination of a Patient; The Posterior and Anterior Curvatures.

To read more of “Mechanics of the Spine and Pelvis” you can purchase a copy from the JWCCO Bookshop for £15 here: http://www.johnwernhamclassicalosteopathy.com/mechanics-of-the-spine-and-pelvis/