Glossary - Commonly Used Terms in Chiropractic Care

Acute
Of short duration and relatively severe.

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

Biomechanics
The application of mechanical laws to living structures.

Cervical
The vertebrae of the neck, usually seven bones.

Chronic
Persisting for a long period of time.

Coccyx
A part of the spine situated below the sacrum, made of one or two small bones.

Disc
A cartilage (cushion/pad) that separates spinal vertebrae, absorbs shocks to the spine, and protects the nerve system. The discs are located in the anterior (front part) of the spine.

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

Facet Joints
Facet joints are located in the posterior portion of the vertebrae and allow the spine to move.

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

Foramen
Posterior to (behind) each disc, and between every pair of vertebral bones, is a foramen or hole.
One spinal nerve root exits through each of these holes. The nerves control every cell and function within the body.

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


Intervertebral Foramina
The lateral opening through which spinal nerve roots exit the spinal column. Also see foramen.

Lumbar
The vertebrae of the lower back, usually five bones.

Sacrum
A triangular large bone that is situated below the lumbar.

Spinal Canal
An opening in each vertebra in which the spinal cord passes through.
The opening is a natural archway between the disc and posterior portion of the vertebral bones.
All of the vertebral bones together form one long canal which houses and protects the spinal cord.


Spinal Cord
A bundle of nerves that run up through the center of the vertebral bones.
Situated behind the disc, between the facet joints and in front of the spinous process.
Nerves from the spinal cord exit through the foramen.

Thoracic
The vertebrae of the middle back, situated between the cervical and the lumbar, usually twelve bones.

Vertebrae
The vertebrae are the bones of the spine. Each of the vertebral bones are separated from its neighbor by a disc.
Each of the vertebral bones has an anterior (front) part and a posterior (back) part.
The disc is situated in the anterior, the foramen is behind the disc, the facet joints are in the posterior part.
Behind the facet joints are spinous processes, these bumps are the visible protrusions you see running down the middle of the back.

Vertebral Subluxation Complex
The Vertebral Subluxation Complex consists of five parts that describe the malfunction of bone, nervous system, muscles, soft tissues, and the chemical makeup throughout the body due to abnormal motion and position of individual spinal bones.