Diagnosis

(medical definition)

1. Name of disease or syndrome a person has or believed to have
2. Use of various methods to establish the cause or nature of the illness

Diagnosis

(chiropractic definition)

Specific decision regarding the nature of the patient's compliants

Nominative Decision = Based on subjective or "soft" information

Substantive Decision = Based on objective or "hard" information (like X-rays)

Arrangement of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and coccyx

AKA - backbone, spine, spinal column

A structure, formed by the fusion of four or five small vertebrae, located at the lower end of spinal column and below the sacrum

AKA - tailbone

An increase in the thoracic curve of the spine.

AKA - humpback

An increase in the lumbar curve of the spine.

AKA - swayback

Position close to the midline (or vertical axis) of the body

Ex: breastbone is in medial portion of chest

Position that is away from the midline of the body

Ex: ears are lateral to the nose

Identifies a location close to the torso of the body

Ex: upper arm fracture (close to shoulder) would be a proximal fracture of the humerus

Identifies a position away from the torso (opposite of proximal)

Ex: Upper arm fracture close to the elbow would be a distal fracture of the humerus

The forward slippage of one vertebra on another that usually occurs at the 4th or 5th lumbar vertebra

(term used = "Scottie Dog")

More subtle history of aggravation from a repetitive activity...Result from working a muscle beyond its normal capacity

Ex: Lifting too much weight & muscle becomes overexerted (ligaments/tendons not torn)

Occurs in lumbar area where the 5th lumbar vertebra is fused into the sacrum...Creates unusual stress on disk above & frequently causes herniation

AKA = Bertolotti's syndrome

1. An exam to observe nerve function in response to an external stimulus
2. Examiner strikes Achilles tendon with rubber hammer to test reflexes related to L4-L5 disks and the S1-S2 disks
3. Diminshed ankle jerk may indicate sciatic nerve entrapment

1. An exam to observe nerve function in response to an external stimulus
2. Examiner runs a pointed object along the bottom of the patient's foot and observes how great toe extends when the foot is stroked
3. Great toe that flexes backward may indicate a lesion

1. An exam to detect disk herniation
2. Patient lies on back with legs fully extended and examiner raises straight leg until patient complains of pain or tightness in the back or back of leg
3. Pain in normal range of motion can indicate lumbar nerve root compression
4. AKA = Straight-raised Leg (SRL) Test

1. An exam to detect disk herniation
2. Patient lies on back with legs fully extended, and the examiner flexes patient's neck upward toward patient's chest
3. Pain in patient's leg or the lumbar area indicates irritation of sciatic nerve

1. An exam to detect disk herniation
2. Patient stands and bends forward to touch the toes
3. Knees that are bent on the affected side while spine is flexed forward indicate sciatic spinal nerve root compression

1. An exam to detect arthritis in the hip
2. With patient lying on back, knee is flexed with the oustide ankle resting on the knee of opposite leg and knee depressed
3. Pain indicates arthritis in the hip
4. AKA = Patrick's Test

1. Diagnostic imaging procedure in which a radio-opaque dye is injected into the spinal column so that X-rays can outline the spinal cord and nerves
2. Detects herniated disks, tumors, and inflammations in the spinal structure, and congenital deformities

Bone Scan

(Radionuclide Imaging)