Glossary of Terms

A handheld instrument used by chiropractors who assert that slightly misaligned vertebrae can be tapped back into place with a mallet.

Back pain that lasts a short while, usually a few days to several weeks. Episodes lasting longer than three months are not considered acute.

An unscientific method of testing muscle strength to detect the presence of disease, vitamin deficiency, and other problems.

An alleged entity that some chiropractors feel is the most common and the most serious vertebral misalignment. Chiropractors who practice specific "upper cervical techniques" focus on the ASC.

Topmost vertebra of the neck.

One of many methods of correcting cervical "subluxations" claimed to be responsible for problems anywhere in the body.