Chiropractic dictionary

If we said it and you nodded politely, look it up here

41 terms, defined the way we'd explain them to you at the table — no textbook language.

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Activator Method: A gentle, instrument-based adjusting technique. Dr. Aspinwall is a trainer and practice consultant for the method. Learn more →
Acute pain: Pain that started recently — usually within six weeks. It often responds best to early care.
Adjustment: A precise, controlled force applied to a joint that isn't moving well, aiming to restore motion and calm the nerve signals around it.
Annular tear: A small tear in the tough outer ring of a spinal disc. It can be an early step toward a bulge or herniation. Learn more →
Antalgic lean: Standing or walking tipped to one side because that position takes pressure off an irritated nerve or disc.

Bulging disc: A disc that has pushed outward without rupturing. Common, and often manageable without surgery. Learn more →

Cervical spine: The seven vertebrae of the neck. Where many tension headaches and arm-nerve symptoms begin. Learn more →
Chronic pain: Pain lasting longer than three months. The tissue may have healed while the nervous system stayed sensitive.

Decompression: Traction-based therapy that gently separates spinal segments to ease pressure on a disc or nerve root. Learn more →
Degenerative disc disease: Age- and load-related thinning of the discs. A description of what an image shows, not a life sentence. Learn more →
Dermatome: The strip of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve. Mapping numbness to a dermatome shows which level is involved.

Extension: Bending a joint backward. Some disc problems feel better in extension, which guides how we load you.

Facet joint: The small paired joints at the back of each spinal segment. A common source of localized, movement-related back or neck pain.
Fascia: The connective-tissue web wrapping muscles. When it loses glide, movement feels stiff and restricted.
Flexion: Bending a joint forward. Repeated flexion under load is a frequent driver of disc irritation.
Foramen: The bony opening a spinal nerve exits through. Narrowing here is called foraminal stenosis.

Herniated disc: Inner disc material pushing through the outer ring, which can irritate a nearby nerve. Learn more →

Instrument-assisted adjusting: A handheld tool that delivers a small, repeatable impulse — useful for patients who prefer no twisting or popping.

Kinetic chain: The idea that a foot problem can create a knee, hip or back problem. Why we examine above and below the painful spot. Learn more →

Lumbar spine: The five vertebrae of the low back. The most common area of complaint we see. Learn more →

Myofascial release: Hands-on soft-tissue work that restores glide between muscle layers and eases trigger-point pain.

Nerve root: Where a nerve exits the spine. Pressure or inflammation here produces radiating pain, numbness or weakness. Learn more →
Neuropathy: Nerve dysfunction causing burning, tingling or numbness — from compression, metabolic causes, or both. Learn more →

Piriformis syndrome: Sciatica-type pain caused by the piriformis muscle irritating the nerve in the buttock rather than a disc. Learn more →
Plantar fascia: The thick band under the arch of the foot. Overload produces classic first-step-in-the-morning heel pain. Learn more →

Radiculopathy: The clinical name for nerve-root irritation — pain, numbness or weakness following a nerve's path down an arm or leg. Learn more →
Referred pain: Pain felt somewhere other than its source, like a hip problem showing up as knee pain.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint: Where the pelvis meets the spine. Often involved in one-sided low back pain and pregnancy pain. Learn more →
Sciatica: A symptom, not a diagnosis: pain traveling along the sciatic nerve from the low back into the leg. Learn more →
Scoliosis: A sideways curve of the spine. Care focuses on mobility, strength and comfort. Learn more →
Shockwave therapy: Acoustic pressure waves delivered to injured tendon or fascia to help restart a stalled healing response. Learn more →
Spinal stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal or nerve openings, often producing leg symptoms that ease when you sit or lean forward.
Subluxation: A spinal segment moving poorly and irritating the surrounding nerves and muscles. The target of an adjustment. Learn more →

Tendinopathy: Tendon changes from repeated overload. It usually needs gradual loading, not just rest. Learn more →
Thoracic spine: The twelve mid-back vertebrae attached to the ribs. Stiffness here loads the neck and shoulders.
TMJ: The jaw joint. Problems here cause facial pain, clicking and headaches that mimic tension headaches. Learn more →
Traction: A sustained pull to unload a joint or disc, by hand, table or decompression unit. Learn more →
Trigger point: A sensitive knot in a muscle that sends predictable pain elsewhere when pressed.

Vertigo: A spinning sensation. Neck-related and inner-ear causes behave differently, so the exam matters. Learn more →

Webster technique: A specific pelvic-balancing analysis and adjustment used in pregnancy care. Learn more →
Whiplash: Rapid back-and-forth neck motion, usually from a crash, injuring soft tissue and joints. Learn more →

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