Relatively severe and of short duration.

A specific thrust or pressure delivered at the right time, location and angle to add motion to a “stuck” spinal joint.

Toward the front of the body.

Inflammation of a joint that is often accompanied by symptoms and changes in structure.

The top and most freely moving bone of the spinal column. Also referred to as C1.

The second cervical vertebra. Also referred to as C2.

A bony outgrowth. A calcium deposit that can be part of the body’s response to abnormal motion or position of bones in the spine or elsewhere.

The vertebrae of the neck, usually seven bones.

Lower or upper limb, such as a leg or arm.

A malfunctioning spinal bone or soft tissue that puts direct pressure on a nerve, distorting its function. A relatively rare phenomenon that is commonly referred to as a pinched nerve. (See Facilitative Lesion.)

A cartilage (cushion/pad) that separates spinal vertebrae, absorbs shocks to the spine, protects the nervous system and assists in creating the four normal curves of the spine. Discs can bulge, herniate or rupture, but because oft the way discs connect to the vertebrae above and below, they can not “slip.”

A condition in which fluid fills a damaged joint area causing swelling; similar to the swelling of a sprained ankle or black eye.

The joint surface of a spinal bone, facing the adjacent bone above or below.

A twisting, stretching, chafing or irritation of nerve tissue from malfunctioning spinal structures.

Being held in a fixed position. "Stuck." A joint with restricted movement.

An opening, a hole, or passageway in a bone for blood vessels or nerves.

A state of optimal physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. When your body works the way it was designed to work.

A protrusion of an organ or part of an organ through the wall that normally contains it.

Too much movement.

Restricted or too little movement.

One of the two large bones that form the pelvis; the hipbone.

A reaction of soft tissue due to injury that may include malfunction, discomfort, rise in temperature, swelling, and increased blood supply.

The lateral opening through which the spinal nerve roots exit on each side of the spinal column formed by each spinal joint.

A backward displacement in the lateral curve of the spine, normally found in the thoracic and sacral areas of the spine.

The side view of the body

A band or sheet of fibrous connective tissue that binds joints together.

The forward curve of the spine, normally found int the cervical and lumbar areas of the spine.

The vertebrae of the lower back, usually five bones.

The gelatinous mass in the center of a spinal disc.

Pertaining to the lower, posterior portion of the head or skull that rests on the atlas bone of the spinal column.

Examining the spine with your fingers; the art of feeling with the hand.

Towards the back of the body.

The range, measured in degrees of a circle, through which a joint can be moved. May be annotated by ROM.

An involuntary action resulting from a stimulus.

The two joints where the hip bones connect to the sacrum.

The triangular bone at the base of the spine.

A pain that radiates from the lower back into the buttocks and down the back of one or both legs; caused by the irritation of the sciatic nerves, the largest bundle of nerves of the body.

Looking from the back, a sideways curvature of the spine.

An incorrect name given a situation in which a disc becomes wedge-shaped and bulges. In extreme cases, pressure can cause a disc to tear or rupture. (See Herniation.)

A constant contraction or tightening of a muscle.

The protruding part of the back of each spinal bone that can be seen or felt when examining the spine.

A misalignment or malfunction of a joint or part of the spine that is less than a total dislocation, which affects the nervous system and its ability to correctly control or monitor the organs and tissues of the body.

Fibrous tissue that connects muscles with bones.

Pertaining to the twelve vertebrae of the middle and upper back, from the base of the neck to about six inches above the waistline, to which the ribs attach.

A contracted state of the neck muscles that produces a twisting of the neck and unnatural position of the head.

The act of drawing or exerting a pulling force, as along the long axis of a structure.

The lateral protrusions (wings) on the side of each vertebra to which powerful muscles and ligaments attach.

An involuntarily tight band of fascia or muscle that is painful when pressed and can refer pain to other parts of the body.

Any of the individual bones of the spinal column.

Types of pathology resulting from a Vertebral Subluxation including: kinesiopathology, neuropathophysiology, myopathology, histopathology and pathophysiology.

An injury to the spine caused by an abrupt jerking motion, either backwards, forwards, from the side, or a combination of the three.