Chiropractic Technique Glossary

 
Glossary of terms:

Hard tissue manipulation– manipulation of bone and/or cartilage, including joints

High velocity thrust– manual manipulation that involves movement of the selected joint to its end range of voluntary motion, followed by a quick manual thrust

Interferential therapy– a form of electronic stimulation

Ischemic compression (Travell-Simons trigger point therapy)– a technique in which progressively strong pressure is applied to a pressure point, trigger point, or tight muscle

Joint mobilization– slower or gentler manual techniques in which the joint remains within its passive range of movement.

Low amplitude thrust– amplitude refers to the depth of, or distance traveled by, the practitioner's thrust. Most adjustment/manipulation is of low amplitude, minimizing total force applied to the patient.

Manipulation–manual techniques that move a joint beyond the end point of its passive range of motion.

Soft tissue manipulation– manual manipulation of muscle, tendon, and ligament.

Spinal manipulation– manipulation of the vertebrae

Subluxation– where alignment, movement integrity, and/or physiologic function are altered although contact between the joint surfaces remains intact.

Thrust– the therapeutic maneuver delivered by the practitioner during high-velocity adjustment and manipulation.