They neglected to even mention HVLA techniques as being rock-bottom important anywhere in their historic document. Others will argue that it is the HVLA techniques which ensure our uniqueness and effectiveness. Ultimately the PTs will fail, because our secret is not the thrust, but rather the paradigms we apply as we analyze and treat people. To objectively consider eliminating HVLA, we must first understand both why it sometimes works so well, and why it sometimes does not work. Because HVLA is a tool for eliminating subluxation, it is appropriate to begin with the possible nature of that lesion, or rather more correctly, lesions, as there are both acute and chronic forms.
Chronic subluxation is a highly complex, positive-feedback system.
Muscular and neurologic elements combine to create a circular self-perpetuating pathophysiology. In its simplest form, there are four steps to this vicious cycle. Muscular hypertonicity and its concomitant, impaired eccentric motion, create a dyskinesia of the vertebral motor unit. Inflammation, within the semi-confined space of the IVF, alters the resting membrane potential of the dorsal root ganglia toward threshold, resulting in facilitation of sensory input. Exaggerated sensory data from the muscle spindles reflexively perpetuates the muscular hypertonicity and impaired eccentric motion, thus completing the circle.