Slipping results from not having the contact point properly anchored or perspiration from the patient's skin has not been removed. Pounding is generally produced by making an adjustment when the contact is lifted from the patient's skin just before applying the adjustive force or delivering a recoil adjustment when the elbows are not completely relaxed. Drive Once articular motion restrictions have been found, the joint is usually adjusted with the force directed into the restriction. This is best achieved in most situations by adjusting with the contact on the opposite side of the fixation because more motion with less force can be accomplished by using a long-lever arm. In any joint exhibiting fixation, it is often necessary to adjust in more than one direction if more than one plane of motion is restricted.
Proper stance allows the line of drive to be delivered in the most efficient direction.
As in any generality, there are a few exceptions to this rule, but space does not allow their explanation here. The basic principle here is that movement of the segment being adjusted is determined by the direction of drive and the plane of articulation. To have a better understanding of this, let us take, as an example, a typical midthoracic vertebra where the apophyseal joints have a plane of articulation almost at a 45 degree angle. A P-A force directed against both transverse processes will move the segment anteriorly and superiorly. If the contact is taken on the left side of the spinous process and a force is delivered toward 2 o'clock, the vertebra will rotate in a counterclockwise direction, and vice versa if the contact is applied against the contralateral side of the spinous process.