GLOSSARY

Acute: Of short duration and relatively severe.

Articular: Of or relating to the joints.

Atlas: The uppermost and the most freely movable bone of the spine.

Biomechanics: The study of mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of living organisms.

Cervical: Relating to the neck.

Chiropractic: A primary health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal manipulation or adjustment.

Chiropractic Adjustment: Gentle, controlled and directed pressure that restores the spine's ability to function and relieve nerve interference.

Chiropractic Diagnosis: An evaluation of the spine to determine the presence of nerve interference.

Cranial: Refers to the skull.

Disc: A thick layer of cartilage between spinal bones.

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

Fixation: Being held in a fixed position. An area of the spine or specific joint with restricted movement.

Health: A state of optimal physical, mental and social well being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Lumbar: The spinal bones of the lower back, usually five bones.

Palpation: Examining the spine with your fingers.

Range of Motion: The range, measured in degrees of a circle, through which a joint can be moved.

Sacrum: The triangular bone at the base of the spine made of 5 fused vertebra-like bones.

Spinal cord: Extends down from the brain stem and runs through a canal in the center of the spine.

Spinous Process: A posterior protrusion from the spinal bone that can be seen or felt when examining the spine, and is the attachment for several spinal muscles.

Subluxation: Interference of the body’s communications between the nervous system and the brain, which occurs when vertebrae become misaligned and press on vital nerves.

Thoracic: Pertaining to the part of the spinal column from the base of the neck to about six inches above the waistline.

Transverse Process: Lateral protrusions (wings) of bone from the vertebrae to which powerful muscles and ligaments attach.

Vertebra: Any of the individual bones of the spinal column.

Vertebrae: More than one bone of the spinal column.

Vitruvian Man: In many circles, Vitruvian Man symbolizes the ideal embodiment of health. Originally drawn in 1490 by famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, modernized renderings of Vitruvian Man are often integrated into logos and brochures in chiropractic offices and other healing professions.

Whiplash: An injury to the spine caused by an abrupt jerking motion, backward, forward, or sideways, most commonly occurring in the cervical spine.
 

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