| Acute | of short duration and relatively severe |
| Adjustment | a highly specialized, directed, and controlled pressure or thrust to restore better position and motion of a "stuck" joint |
| Atlas | the uppermost freely moveable bone of your spinal column |
| Biomechanics | the application of mechanical laws to living structures |
| Cavitation | the release of a gas bubble from a joint that has been adjusted which is responsible for the "popping" noise (this is not a "crack") |
| Cervical | the vertebrae of the neck, consisting of 7 bones |
| Chronic | persisting for a long period of time |
| Disc | a cartilage that separates vertebrae, acts as a cushion between vertebrae(shock absorber) , and protects the nervous system |
| 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 and not merely the absence of symptoms or disease |
| Innate Intelligence | The body has an innate ability to heal itself that is present in all of us. When we cut a finger or scrape a knee our body takes over and does the healing for us. We don't have to think about healing, it just happens. |
Intervertebral
Foramina | the lateral openings through which spinal nerve roots exit the spinal column |
| Lumbar | the vertebrae of the lower back, consisting of 5 bones |
| Palpation | examination of the spine with ones fingers; the art of feeling with the hand |
| Range of Motion | the range, measured in degrees, through which a joint or an area of the body can be moved |
| Sacrum | the triangular bone at the base of the spine |
| Sacroiliac joint | one of two joints at the base of your back that are often fixated and can cause low back pain |
| Subluxation | There are five components to the subluxation consisting of abnormal motion or position of the spinal bones (Kinesiopathology), abnormal nervous system function (Neuropathophysiology), abnormal muscle function (Myopathology), abnormal soft tissue function (Histopathology), and abnormal function of the spine and body (Pathophysiology); This is what chiropractors are typically looking for. |
| Thoracic | pertaining to the part of the spinal column from the base of the neck to about six inches above the waistline |
| Vertebrae | the individual bones of the spinal column |
| Whiplash | an injury to the spine caused by an abrupt jerking motion, either backwards, forwards or sideways |
