Understanding Force Vectors and Plane Specific Adjusting
- Sally Robinson
- Nov 9
- 1 min read
If you’ve ever watched someone adjust and thought, “That just didn’t look right…” — It probably wasn’t.
Not because it didn’t cavitate.
Not because it wasn’t fast.
But because the force wasn’t delivered in the correct plane.
Vector Matters More Than Volume
When adjusting, your line of drive — the vector through which force travels — is everything.
It determines:
• Whether the adjustment engages the restricted joint
• Whether the force is dispersed or absorbed
• Whether the thrust is received as therapeutic or jarring
You can have all the speed in the world, but you miss the mark if your vector is wrong.
Planes of Motion: Know Them, Feel Them
A joint doesn’t just move in flexion and extension. It glides, rotates, translates, and couples.
To adjust accurately, you must:
• Understand the anatomical plane of articulation
• Palpate for restriction within that plane
• Deliver your force through that specific path
Force perpendicular to restriction = chaos
Force parallel to the plane of movement = correction
Get Specific, or Get Lucky
Plane-specific adjusting means:
• You take time to test
• You take care in contact
• You thrust only when the line of drive is confirmed
Anything else? That’s just hoping it goes.
Aidan - Enchiridion Chiropractic Training
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