[Effect of pelvic member abduction on the kinematics of the thoracic and lumbar spine].

The motion of thoracic and lumbar spine segments has been analysed by mean of the skin landmarks method on 14 volunteers (7 males, 7 females). Results demonstrate that: There is no significant difference between male and female. There is either facilitation, or limitation of the motion of the characteristic landmarks of the spinal segments during trunk motion in perpendicular planes.

Role of hip abduction in the kinetics of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

The motion of the thoracic and lumbar spine segments was analysed by mean of the skin landmarks method in 14 volunteers (7 males, 7 females). The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference between men and women and there was either facilitation or limitation of the motion of the characteristic landmarks of spinal segments during trunk motion in perpendicular planes. The mobility of spinal segments was associated with pelvic girdle motion in order to obtain the planned amplitude, and varied with hip joint abduction.

[Abduction of pelvic members and pelvic girdle kinematics].

The analysis of the displacement of the pelvic girdle, during movements of the trunk in the anatomical orthogonal plans, was carried out by the technique of the cutaneous markers on two series of 7 male subjects and 7 female. The photographs made it possible to objectify angular displacements of reliable singular points and to observe that the abduction of hips determines, according to movements carried out, either a facilitation, or a limitation of displacements observed similar in the two series. The precise mechanism of these variations will have to be analyzed by later studies.

Preliminary study of the human lumbar spine using speckle technique. Limits of compression, shear and torsion. Speckle photography--electronic speckle pattern interferometry.

Optical techniques using single wavelength lasers allow precise study of the superficial displacements of deeper anatomical structures through direct mechanical pull. Two techniques have been used in this study: 1. Double exposure speckle photography.

Preliminary opto-electronic study on vertebral movement.

Opto-electronic systems utilising measurement of displacement of skin markers allows study of movement in the living subject. The authors have used this method in a kinematic study of the thoracic and lumbar spine measuring the displacement of skin markers placed over the spinous processes. It was possible to approach the physiological state of these complex movements once the apparatus had been calibrated to the correct level, and the error margins minimised.