Francesco Ciaccia

Ver t eb r al T echniqu e Cou rse

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Anatomy and physiology of the vertebral column pag. 3

2. Vertebrae pag. 4

3. Discs pag. 5

4. Vertebral ligaments pag. 8

5. Muscles pag. 9

6. The spinal cord pag. 10

7. Crooked toes pag. 11

8. Practical part - work on vertebral groups pag. 12

9. Readjustment techniques pag. 16

10. Treatment for Osteitis pubis pag. 17

11. Visceral techniques pag. 17

12. Links between vertebrae and teeth pag. 19

13. Side effects pag. 23

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Anatomy and physiology of the VERTEBRAL COLUMN

The fundamental function of the vertebral column is to support your organism like a pillar. In its

overall system this is the structure which helps us maintain our balance when in an erect position. The

possibility of orienting our head in space, of bending forward even to the point of reducing our height

in half, of stretching backwards, sideways or in circles, allowing our head thanks to the combination

of all the rotations of the various segments to scan almost the entire horizon, is linked to the

development of the spine. The second function of the vertebral column is to protect the spinal cord

that runs through its vertebral notch. From the point of view of the skeleton, the column is made up

of a combination of overlapping bone segments and the vertebrae, with a shape that is fundamentally

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analogous among themselves yet with special characteristics that are different according to the section

they belong to. Because of these differences in the vertebral column we distinguish between the

cervical, the dorsal, the lumbar and sacral-coccyx tracts. The most mobile and exposed to stresses are

the cervical and lumbar tracts. The spinal column contains the greatest functional contradiction of the

human body, of which it is the central pillar of support yet also the instrument equipped with the

maximum mobility.

The arrangement of the segments of the skeleton is the premise for its mobility; the solidness of the

ligaments and the distribution of the muscles are the guaranty of its strength and choice of movement.

This means that as powerful as the ligaments are, they grant by their shape and anatomical arrangement

great mobility to the vertebral column – movement that is produced and utilized, so to speak, by the

play of muscles which in a normal spine is a truly miraculous balance of subtle relationships of force.

There are 32-34 vertebrae, of which 7 cervical, 12 dorsal, 5 lumbar and 8 or 10 sacral-coccygeal.

Arranged one over the other, the vertebrae form the vertebral notch through which the spinal cord is located.

The vertebrae

The vertebrae are made up of a body in the front and an arch in the back that surround the vertebral

foramen containing the spinal cord. The rear arch is joined to the body by the lamina; laterally the

transverse processes are detached, having different dimensions according to the relative vertebral

segment. At the rear the arch concludes with pedicles and the spinal process which is median and

unique and located under the skin. The upper and lower articular processes begin at the meeting point

of the lamina and the pedicle, representing the connection between one vertebra and another. Between

two vertebrae the spinal root passes through the vertebral foramen.

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Discs

The inter-vertebral discs have a proportionally different height according to their segment. Discs are

fibro-cartilaginous formations with a ring-shaped appearance and filled in their centre by a pulpy

nucleus with a high water content, being therefore compressible, able to shift forward and backward

during stretching movements of the spinal column and sideways when leaning laterally. The discs are

deformed in these movements until becoming, from cylindrical segments, wedges with their base in

the opposite direction of the movement. They have an evident and fundamental function as “shock

absorbers” and distributors of the stresses that involve the vertebrae in all directions and which are

spread uniformly along their surface. The presence of the disc acquires particular significance and

priority especially in the most stressed segment and mobile segments, which are in the cervical and

lumbar tracts. The inter-vertebral disc is able to perform its function perfectly only if its tissue is

intact. Only a healthy disc can guarantee the necessary smooth operation when under physical

pressures. Its biochemical, physical and mechanical conditions especially facilitate the disc in its task

of softening the movements of the vertebral column.

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As a whole the column is straight on its front side, exactly dividing the body into two symmetric parts,

while it is on the sagittal plane that we find the characteristic curves that define the profile of the

human skeleton. The curves are a cervical lordosis, a dorsal kyphosis, a lumbar lordosis and a sacral-

coccygeal kyphosis. The presence of spinal curves increases the resistance of the vertebral column to

the stresses of axial compression. Bio-engineering research has demonstrated that when a column is

not curved its resistance is equal to 1:N-O R = 1; the resistance of a column is equal to the square of

the number of its curves plus one: R = N squared + 1. In the case therefore of a straight column,

without kyphoses or lordoses, the resistance is 1. In the case instead of a column with three

physiological curves its resistance is ten times greater than the preceding one. The physiological curves

are therefore beneficial to the vertebral column as they grant it a greater capacity to absorb pressures

and stresses. It is normal to have a certain degree of lordoses and kyphoses; it is not normal that they

should increase (hyper-lordosis and hyper-kyphosis) but neither would it be positive for that number

to be reduced. Modern work activities force us to assume positions that alter the physiological curves.

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The lumbar tract of the vertebral column is that one which supports the entire weight of the upper

part of the body – weight that is transmitted to the pelvis when we are sitting and to the legs when we

are standing, walking or running. As a consequence this is the region where pains appear most

frequently. For this reason the lumbar vertebrae are necessarily the most developed to be able to support

the heavier load to which the region is subjected.

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Vertebral ligaments

The stability of the column is ensured by very robust ligaments. The anterior longitudinal ligament

covers the vertebral bodies like a stocking from top to bottom. The posterior longitudinal ligament

also travels the vertebral column throughout its length. Between the vertebral arches, the spinous

processes and the transverse processes are other elastic ligaments. The ligaments therefore have the

function of maintaining the vertebral column “in shape”. These ligaments are not able by themselves

to limit the curvatures of the column when they become too wide or are maintained for too long. This

task is therefore performed by the intervention of the deep vertebral muscles. When the ligaments are

subjected to pulling for too long, they may become tired and lose their sensitivity. This state may lead

to constant and widespread pain (lumbago) or lumbar blocks deriving from the stretching of the

posterior vertebral ligaments and the consequent inflammation.

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Muscles

The keep us erect and contrast the force of gravity, we need robust muscles. The vertebral column is

equipped with small muscle tissues that extend from one vertebra to another. These are muscles located

near the vertebrae that are able to act in a precise fashion, keeping the vertebrae in place, one over

another. In addition to these small muscles there are long dorsal muscles overlapping that stretch along

the sides of the vertebral column and which may be compared to the sales of a ship, where the mast

is represented by the vertebral column. The dorsal muscles have a particularly robust structure in the

cervical and lumbar tracts.

These muscles are moved especially movements of force or great range. Then come the straight and

oblique abdominal muscles, which function as an effective corset to hold the abdominal mass. The

stronger the dorsal and abdominal muscles, the greater the advantage acquired by the vertebral column

from the point of view of its shape and stability. If the posterior wall of the abdomen is too relaxed,

the internal organs are pushed forward. In this way the lumbar column arches further until a

pathological lordosis may be reached.

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The spinal cord

The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system and is considered the continuation of the

encephalon. Just as the encephalon is protected within the skull, also the spinal cord has its protective

covering: the spinal canal. Nerve fibres, grouped in bundles, come out on the front and back of the

canal and form nerve roots. Like the encephalon and spinal cord these too are covered in a protective

wrapping, the dura mater. Given that the spinal cord is shorter than the vertebral column, the eight

nerve roots of the cervical tract emerge horizontally, the twelve of the dorsal tract diagonally and the

five of the lumbar tract almost vertically, and therefore much deeper with respect to their place of

origin in the spinal cord. The spinal cord ends in adult persons at the second lumbar vertebra.

Differently from the cervical and dorsal spinal canal, a large part of the lumbar canal contains only

nerve fibres. The nerve roots exit the spinal canal through the lateral openings described above, the

inter-vertebral foramen. Outside the canal the single nerve roots are weaved together to give rise to

the nerve periphery. An example is the sciatic nerve which includes the lumbar and sacral roots of the

4th lumbar vertebra up to the 3rd sacral vertebra.

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Here below we see the links between crooked toes and the vertebrae! In
addition you may also notice the connection between “crooked toe” and
reference to the shoulders, arms, knees and thighs.

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Practical Part

Work on vertebra groups

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Cervical
- Identification of cervical vertebrae

- Kneading the neck muscles

- Detaching the cervical tissue

- Stretching the neck muscles

- Traction and rocking the cervical muscles

- Lateral movements of the cervical muscles

- Unblocking movements of the cervical muscles

- Stretching movements of the cervical muscles

Dorsal
- Identification of the dorsal vertebrae

- Rocking of the dorsal vertebrae

- Para vertebral stretching

- Compression of the dorsal vertebrae

- Moving the dorsal vertebrae

Lumbar
- Identification of the lumbar vertebrae

- Rocking

- Compression

- Relaxing

- Movements

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Sacral
- Identification of the sacral bone

- Sacral movements

- Moving the iliac crest

- Moving the sacral bone with the leg bent

- Relaxing the sacral bone

Coccyx
- Identification of the coccyx

- Moving the coccyx

- Pressure on the coccyx

Specific work performed vertebra by vertebra

Cervical:

- Digging into the cervical vertebrae

- Relaxing the cervical vertebrae in a flat position

- Test of the cervical vertebrae

- Readjustment of the cervical vertebrae

Dorsal vertebrae:

- Digging into the dorsal vertebrae

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- Test of the dorsal vertebrae

- Contrasting movements of the dorsal vertebrae

- Digging in a circle

Lumbar:

- Digging into the lumbar vertebrae

- Digging while positioned on a side

- Stretching the muscles while positioned on a side

For work on the SACRAL vertebrae and COCCYX, I would refer you to the video already seen before

when we treated the various vertebral groups !

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Readjustment Techniques

- Verify the position of the ankles

- Traction of the legs

- Work on the hips

- Traction of the vertebral column (with rocking )

- Scapular – humeral movement

- Relaxing the column and Para vertebral muscles

- Movement of the iliac crest

- Final traction of the legs

- Final traction of the column (with rocking)

- Final inspection of the ankles

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Treatment for Osteitis Pubis

After having identified the point to treat for osteitis pubis (see video) apply pressure (from 5 to 10)

lasting about 5 seconds (which must therefore be very slow and deep).

Visceral technique

Diaphragm and lungs:

- Dig under the ribs (to release the tension in the diaphragm)

- Apply pressure while exhaling and release the hands suddenly while inhaling (when the customer

has arrived almost at the end of inhalation)

- Apply pressure towards the external part of the sternum while exhaling

Heart:

- Apply pressure on the sternum and release suddenly in the final phase of inhalation! (three times)

Spleen:

- Compression of the left rib and sudden release in the final phase of inhalation (three times)

Gall bladder:

- Identify the point to treat (see video), press down during the exhalation phase (three times)

Liver:

- Compression with final sudden release (remember to make a vibration during this movement – to be

done three times!)

Pancreas:

- “Coming” and “going” movements in waves

Kidneys:

- Identify carefully the kidney point (see video)

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- Circular pressure movements with opposing hands (three to five times)

Urinary bladder:

- In a sitting position “locate” the bladder between your fingers in the exhalation phase and pull

backwards and slightly upwards (see video)

Small intestine:

- Identify where the small intestine is found

- Locate with your fingers and pull both upwards (towards the head) and leftwards!

Remember that these are painful movements and they should always be done during exhalation and

very slowly !

Large intestine:

apply pressure to the beginning of each intestinal tract, then apply 3-5 times on the part at the beginning

of the intestine (near the appendix), 3-5 times on the tract between the ascending and transverse

intestine, 3-5 times between the transverse and descending intestine, 3-5 times on the sigmoid colon

and 3-5 times on the rectum !

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Links between the vertebrae and teeth

Forces that are developed in the mouth.

It might seem incredible to many, but the mechanical stresses we subject our chewing apparatus to

are quite impressive: during chewing for example, we might produce a load of many kilos, with loads

of 10-25 kg/square millimetre around the incisor, 15-35 kg/square millimetre around the canines and

up to values of 80-150 kg on the rear teeth (molars). During the maximum occlusive tension, a person

might reach voluntarily forces equal to 100-150 kg.

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To be able to intervene on the correction position of the teeth, work on:

- The 7 cervical vertebrae for the central incisors

- The 1st and 2nd dorsal vertebrae for the lateral incisors

- The 3rd and 4th dorsal vertebrae for the canines

- From the 5th dorsal to the 12th dorsal vertebrae for the pre-molars

- The 5 lumbar vertebrae for the first 2 molars

- Sacral bone and coccyx for the 3rd molar (called the wisdom tooth)

For all pain, sudden blackening or bleeding at the teeth (or a single tooth) that happen without apparent

reason (no problems a dentist would manage), work on the single organ or intestine as shown in the

poster!

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Side Effects

AVOID treatment in the case of severe osteoporosis (ask the customer what their degree of

osteoporosis is, a hint or a severe situation).

AVOID treatment in the presence of SCREWS or PLATES in the vertebrae.

AVOID the readjustment technique for those persons with a hip replacement.

Always move carefully with elderly persons.

AVOID treatment on children under the age of four.

Always move carefully (use a “soft” version) with children above 4 years of age!

In the case of disc hernias, avoid the PULLING-RELAXING manoeuvre on the lumbar tract!

Always remember the general rule! Respect the customer’s pain and try to remain under the threshold

of sharp pain !

Good luck with your work !

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