The Buxton Technological Course
in Painless Chiropractic
A. G. A. Buxton, D.C.
1926
CHAPTER VIII
PREPARING TO ADJUST THE DORSALS, LUMBARS, SACRUM AND
ILIUM
EVERY care should be taken by the adjuster to have his body
directly over the patient in the manner shown in illustration No.
7, the sternum centered directly over the patient’s spine.
In steppin toward the patient to give an adjustment, place
the hand immediately upon the back of the patient and at the same time
push the loose tissue of the body toward the superior and hold it there until
the other hand is in position opposite. See illustration No.
6. One hand is used as a pressure hand and the other free to make
the adjustment.
Always put the pressure needed on the high side, as though
attempting to pry, then make the thrust by the opposite hand on the low side,
as shown by illustration No. 7.
Never give the thrust on the high side since the
prominence of the transverse process at the subluxated vertebra would
receive the greater force of the thrust with little support of the adjacent
processes, while if the thrust is given on the low side you have the immediate
support of the adjacent transverse processes together with the subluxated
transverse coming into alignment, which makes injury impossible, but most
probable in giving the thrust on the high side.
Therefore, always remember to give the thrust on
the low side using the pressure hand on the hige side.
You will observe that your pressure or prying hand
at first covers only the one subluxated transverse process, while the opposite
or thrust hand rests upon two transverse processes adjacent to the
subluxated point.
When pressure is put upon the high side this pushes
the subluxated transverse down to a level with the adjacent transverse
processes and pries or lifts the opposite rotated transverse process
up toward a level with its adjacent ones, hence presenting, or nearly so,
three transverse processes to receive the blow of the thrust against
the probability of only one on the opposite side.
The irregularity of the processes in scoliosis, lordosis
and kyphotic conditions creates a low and high side, vice versa along the median
line. In such cases, reverse the thrust and prying or pressure hand accordingly.
See illustration No. 4.