Glossary Of Chiropractic Terms
Adjustment:
The specific application of forces used to facilitate the body's correction
of nerve interference.
Chiropractic:
A primary health care profession in which professional responsibility and
authority are focused on the anatomy of the spine and immediate articulation,
and the condition of nerve interference. It is also a practice, which
encompasses educating, advising about and addressing nerve interference.
Diagnosis:
A comprehensive process of evaluation of the spinal column and its immediate
articulation to determine the presence of nerve interference and other
conditions that may contraindicate chiropractic procedures.
Practice Objective:
The professional practice objective of chiropractic is to correct nerve
interference in a safe, effective manner. The correction is not considered
to be a specific cure for any particular symptom or disease. It is applicable
to any patient who exhibits nerve interference regardless of the presence
or absence of symptoms or disease.
Manipulation:
The forceful passive movement of a joint beyond its active limit of motion.
It does not imply the use of precision, specificity or the correction
of nerve interference. Therefore, it is not synonymous with chiropractic
adjustment.
Paraspinal EMG Scanning:
A painless, non-invasive procedure to measure and record the electrical
signals given off by the muscles that attach to the spinal column. Electrodes
are placed on the skin and their readings are shown in the form of a
graph. Since one of the symptoms of nerve interference is abnormal muscle
activity, the EMG is becoming a popular method for charting muscle spasms
and spinal imbalance.
Thermography:
This procedure measures the temperature on the skin surface to locate inflammation
of muscles and soft tissues. A special camera takes pictures, which reflect
the different temperatures by displaying a range of colors on film. Thermography
has been used to pinpoint spinal nerve and muscle stress.
Vertebral Subluxation:
Also referred to as nerve interference, is a misalignment of one or more
of the 24 vertebrae in the spinal column, which causes alteration of
nerve function and interference to the transmission of mental impulses,
resulting in a lessening of the body's innate ability to express its
maximum health potential.
