Every palpater unconsciously forms habits of thought
and action. These habits may be good or bad We deliberately form a habit of holding the first three fingers closely
together or the habit of using a downward glide, but we
should avoid the habit of finding certain subluxations be-
cause they are usual and expected rather than because they
are actually there. For instance, one may easily form a
habit of listing every other vertebra in the spine, his whole
record thus depending upon his first choice.
Because of this perfectly natural tendency to establish
a routine of thought and action and to follow it precisely,
it is best not to attempt palpation without the aid of an ex-
perienced teacher until after correct habits have been
formed. Once formed, a palpation habit, right or wrong,
is very hard to break deep tissue massage in Philadelphia. Many a teacher has expended him-
self uselessly in the effort to undo some technical fault ac-
quired by the student in a blundering undirected trial.
Facts Concerning the Spine
The spinal column is composed of twenty-six segments
called vertebrae, twenty-four movable and two fixed. The
movable vertebrae are divided for convenience in study into
three sections. There are seven Cervical vertebrae, twelve
Dorsal, and five Lumbar in the normal individual. The
number of Dorsals or Lumbars may vary by one in a rare
case. These variations occur in about one spinal column in
each five hundred and are usually in the Lumbar region,
which may contain four or six vertebrae. A prominent first
sacral spinous process may be mistaken for an extra Lumbar.
Spinal Decompression in Philadelphia Find out about it by clicking (March 26.)
Five vertebrae have special names. The first Cervical
is called Atlas ; the second Cervical, Axis ; the seventh Cervical is commonly known as Vertebra Prominens on ac-
count of its long and large spinous process, although this
long process belongs to the sixth Cervical or first Dorsal
instead in 35% of all cases; the large, irregularly fusiform
vertebra just below the Lumbars and between the ilia is
called the Sacrum ; and the smaller one below it, the Coccyx.
The latter is occasionally missing.
Brought to you by Philadelphia Chiropractic expert Dr. Alex Jamieson
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