METHOD FOR MANUAL DIAGNOSTICS OF VERTEBRAL COLUMN STATE AT THE LEVEL OF ATLANTOOCCIPITAL ARTICULATION Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: medicine, manual diagnostics. SUBSTANCE: patient either stands or sits with the back towards a doctor. The doctor puts a thumb of one hand onto atlas's posterior arch - the first osseous reference point. A thumb of another hand he puts onto mastoid process of occipital bone - the second osseous reference point. Then a patient is asked to turn the head slowly towards the first osseous reference point. Rotation of patient's head should be performed at keeping vertical axis of vertebral column, that is a patient should not bend or incline the neck. Normally, the level of mastoid process of occipital bone at the side of rotation comes slightly downwards approaching horizontal line passing through atlas's posterior arch. Fingers of doctor's both hands being at osseous reference points approach each other. In case of functional blockade in atlantooccipital articulation (AOA), the movements there are either limited or absent and carrying out the above- mentioned sampling does not lead to approach of osseous reference points that simplifies diagnostics at higher efficiency in detecting blockades. EFFECT: higher efficiency of manual diagnostics. 8 dwg, 1 ex