Glossary of Commonly Used Terms in Chiropractic
Acute - Relatively severe and of short duration.
Adjustment - The use of pressure or force in specific
location, direction and time to the spine or other articulations of
the body to help normalize function.
Anterior - Towards the front of the body.
Arthritis - Inflammation of a joint which is often
accompanied by symptoms and changes in structure.
Atlas - The top and most freely moving bone of the
spinal column.
Axis - The second cervical vertebrae.
Bone Spur - A bony outgrowth. A calcium deposition
which can be part of the body's response to abnormal motion or position
of bones in the spine or elsewhere.
Cervical - The vertebrae of the neck, usually seven
bones.
Chronic - Persisting for a long period of time. A problem
showing little change or with a slow progression.
Coccyx - A series of small bones below the sacrum that
are also known as the tailbone.
Compensation Reaction - A new problem that results
from the body's attempt to respond to a problem elsewhere.
Compressive Lesion - 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.
Disc - 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. A disc
can bulge, herniate or rupture but because of the way they connect to
the vertebrae above and below, a disc can't 'slip'.
Edema - A condition in which fluid fills a damaged
joint area causing swelling; similar to the swelling of a sprained ankle
or black eye.
Extremity - Lower or upper limbs, such as a leg or
an arm.
Facet - The joint surface of a spinal bone, facing
the adjacent bone above or below.
Facilitative Lesion - A twisting, stretching, chafing,
or irritation of nerve tissue from malfunctioning spinal structures.
Fixation - Being held in a fixed position. 'Stuck'.
A joint with restricted movement.
Foramen - An opening, a hole or passageway in a bone
for blood vessels or nerves.
Health - A state of optimal physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. When
your body works in the way that it was designed to work.
Herniation - A protrusion of an organ or part of an
organ through the wall that normally contains it.
Hypermobility - Too much movement.
Hypomobility - Restricted movement.
Iliam - One of the two large bones that form the pelvis;
the hipbone.
Inflammation - A reaction of soft tissue due to injury
that may include malfunction, discomfort, rise in temperature, swelling
and increased blood supply.
Intervertebral Foramina - The lateral opening through
which spinal nerve roots exit each side of the spinal column formed
by each spinal joint.
Kyphosis - A backward displacement in the lateral curve
of the spine.
Lateral - The side view of the body.
Ligament - A band or sheet of fibrous connective tissue
that binds joints together.
Lordosis - The forward curve of the spine. Normally
found in the cervical and lumbar areas of the spine.
Lumbar - the vertebrae of the lower back, usually five
bones.
Nucleus Pulposus - The gelatinous mass in the center
of the spinal disc.
Occipital - Pertaining to the lower, posterior portion
of the head or skull which rests on the spinal column.
Palpation - Examining the spine with your fingers;
the art of feeling with the hands.
Pinched Nerve - (see compressive Lesion)
Posterior - Toward the back of the body.
Range of Motion - The range, measured in degrees of
a circle, through which a joint can be moved.
Reflex - An involuntary action resulting from a stimulus.
Sacroiliac - The two joints where the pelvis (hip)
connects to the sacrum.
Sacrum - The triangular bone at the base of the spine.
Sciatica - 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 nerves of the body.
Scoliosis - Looking from the back,a sideways curvature
of the spine.
Slipped Disc - An incorrect name given in a situation
in which a disc becomes wedged shaped and bulges,. In extreme cases,
pressure can cause a disc to tear or rupture.
Spasm - A constant contraction or tightening of a muscle.
Spinous Process - The protruding part of the back of
each spinal bone that can be seen or felt when examining the spine.
Subluxation - A misalignment or malfunction of the
spine that is less than a total dislocation, which affects the nervous
system and it's ability to correctly control or monitor the organs and
tissues of the body.
Tendon - Fibrous tissue that connects muscles with
bones.
Thoracic- Pertaining to the 12 vertebrae of the middle
back from the base of the neck to about six inches above the waistline
to which the ribs attach.
Torticollis - A contracted state of the neck muscles
that produces a twisting of the neck and unnatural position of the head.
Traction - The act of drawing or exerting a pulling
force, as along the axis of a structure.
Transverse Process - Lateral protrusions (wings) on
the side of each vertebrae to which powerful muscles and ligaments attach.
Trigger Point - An involuntary tight band of muscle
that in painful when pressed and can refer pain to other parts of the
body.
Vertebra - Any of the individual bones of the spinal
column.
Vertebral Subluxation Complex - Types of pathology
resulting from a Vertebral Subluxation including kinesiopathology,
histopathology,
neuropathophysiology, myopathology and pathphysiology.
Whiplash - An injury to the spine caused by an abrupt
jerking motion, either backward, forward or from the side.