Diagnostics Cervical Spine ABCD

Guide the person to sit comfortably with an upright posture, feet on the floor, and hands relaxed on the lap. Begin gentle palpation for the processus transversus of C1 on one side. While fixating with the index and middle fingers, palpate the processus mastoideus and angulus mandibulae with the other hand.

As the therapist approaches, the person's head should remain in the middle position. Place the head on the contralateral side to the chest at the processus xyphoïdeus. The person's head should mimic a ball, with the rotational axis in the middle from the front to the back side, lifting on one side and compressing on the other. This movement shifts the convex facies articularis of C0 on one side to the median line, inducing compression in the concave facies articularis of C1 on that side. Simultaneously, the other convex facies articularis of C0 moves away from the median line, causing local decompression at C1. Ligamentum Alare on one side becomes stretched, while tension decreases on the other side.

Human movement is multidimensional, and this test primarily reveals the initial movement when performing a three-dimensional movement. The compression side of C0-C1 establishes a rotational axis in the compressed facies articularis of C0-C1. On the decompression side, the facies articularis of C0 can move freely to the front and back, creating rotation and subsequently extension or flexion.