Pressures Generated During Spinal Manipulation and Their Association With Hand Anatomy

Hand configurations (postures) used for manipulation trials demonstrating the pressure sensor pad: arched configuration (left) and flat configuration (right).

Plain film radiographs demonstrating superimposition of osseous anatomy and radiopaque sensor elements imbedded in the pressure sensor pad. The arched configuration is shown on the left and the flat configuration is shown on the right.

Peak and total pressures with SE bars for manipulations performed with different hand configurations. The size of the circle (with associated value) represents the mean number of active sensors falling within 25% of the peak pressure. Differences between hand configurations were statistically significant for peak pressure, total pressure, and the number of active sensors within 25% of peak pressure.

Two-dimensional and 3-dimensional isobar representations of pressures recorded from a single subject during arched hand configuration (A) and flat hand configuration (B). The smaller peaks in the image relate to areas where the fingers made contact with the pressure sensor array.