Technique Highlight: Cervical Counter Rotation Technique | Modern Manual Therapy Blog - Manual Therapy, Videos, Neurodynamics, Podcasts, Research Reviews

Technique Highlight: Cervical Counter Rotation Technique


This is a simple technique to get to end range rotation and since you are tractioning quite a bit, there is a powerful neurophysiologic effect/reset as well.

I know this was one of the links that I posted on Monday, but it did not get a lot of hits, I thought I would review it here. This is a technique I learned while studying at the University of St. Augustine

Indications:
  • acutely locked facet
  • painful block in sidebending or rotation
  • unilateral loading loss
Contraindications
  • instability
  • high fear avoidance
  • basically the same as any mobilization/manipulation
Technique:
  • Pt: 
    • supine, or hooklying, whatever has them more relaxed
    • pt has tongue at the roof of their mouth and TMJ in closed packed position
  • PT 
    • sitting above patient's head
    • one hand on occiput, the other on inferior mandible bilaterally
    • pt relaxes and a strong axial cervical traction is applied to the patient
    • the traction is held all the way to end range rotation away from the pain first, then back to neutral
    • relax the traction at neutral
    • assess the patient verbally during the first part and at neutral
    • then traction and slowly rotate the patient to end range to the painful side
    • this may be painful, but only during the motion or at end range, and should not remain worse after
    • this should only take 1-2 repetitions to rapidly restore ROM


Sorry for the rehash of something I just recently posted, but thought this would go along very well with Monday's popular post, plus my wife and I are really lacking in the sleep department for the past few days, and my creativity is waning!

Keeping it Eclectic....

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