Acute: Of short duration and relatively severe.

Atlas: The uppermost and most freely moveable 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.

Disc: A cartilage (cushion/pad) that separates spinal vertebra, absorbs shock to the spine, and protects the nerve system.

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

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

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.

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

Palpation: Examining the spine with you fingers; the art of feeling with the hand.

Range of Motion: The range, measured in degrees of a circle, through which a joint can be moved.

Sacrum: The triangular bone at the base of the spine.

Spinous Process: A posterior protruding part of the spinal bone that can be seen or felt when examining the spine.

Thoracic: Pertaining to the part of the spinal column from the base of the neck to about six inches above the waistline.

Transverse Process: Lateral protrusions (wings) of one from the vertebrae to which powerful muscles and ligaments attach.

Vertebra: Any of the individual bones of the spinal column.

Whiplash: An injury to the spine caused by and abrupt jerking motion, either backward, forward, or sideways.