Adjustments and Joint Locks: Same Idea, Different Application

Many arts include joint locks and throwing within their respective arts. They may change names but can essentially be reflections of each other. If you have studied joint locks, you understand the incredible detail that can go into making the locks work. Everything comes down to rotation of the joint, as well as body positioning and angling. If your angle is not correct, or have a slight under or over rotation, you may not yield the desired effect.

As a chiropractor, my job is to find chiropractic subluxations within the entire body. Although the definition of subluxation may vary between practitioners, most chiropractors can agree that a lack of movement is present that is affecting another system. The most common example I use with my patients is that of a light bulb. When you walk into a room and turn on the light, there are three major aspects at play. The switch on the wall, the wiring, and the light source itself. If you flipped the light switch and nothing happened, the problem must be within at least one of these three aspects of mechanism. It is our job as chiropractors to find the short in the transmission of information and restore its function. This is done by a chiropractic adjustment. If you have spent any time on YouTube, you have probably seen an adjustment performed. Most people recognize an adjustment by the pop sound. This sound is made by gas exchange within the joint and is called a cavitation. Contrary to popular belief this sound is not the adjustment. It is simply a secondary event that commonly accompanies an adjustment. Remember, our job is to restore function, not to create gas exchange. You cause a cavitation to happen every time you pop your knuckles. Those of you who “pop” your own necks, you know who you are, are not actually adjusting anything. Although the cavitation does send a neural impulse and feels good temporarily, you will eventually feel the need to do it again.

 

When we are adjusting a joint, the technique and body position is key. Our hands must be in exactly the right place at precisely the correct angle. As chiropractors, we spend years learning these techniques due to the high complexity of the movements. Therefore, I cannot recommend the average person to pop your own neck or have someone else do it for you. Would you let someone who doesn’t know about cars fix yours? It takes years of training and knowledge to understand. Sounds a lot like a martial art doesn’t it?

 

At the end of the day, adjustments and joint locks are essentially the same thing from opposite perspectives. In one realm, the aim is to cause maximum pain and compliance, possibly doing permanent damage. On the other hand (pun intended), chiropractors attempt to restore function and motion. Both require extreme precision and years of dedicated practice. I am not suggesting that you the reader should attempt to adjust your fellow classmates. I would encourage you to think about the lock you are creating and appreciate the anatomy that allows the technique to work. Also consider the multiple joints that are being affected, not just the location of the pain. A common example would be a “goose neck” or “chicken wing” type lock.

 

To complete this lock, three different major joint spaces are involved. The first joint on the attacker, and least obvious, is the shoulder joint or glenohumeral joint. The humerus is slightly depressed and is in the position of adduction or towards the body. The next joint space is the trochlea-ulnar joint and the capitular-radial joint or the elbow joint. The arm is bent in maximum flexion, like a bicep curl. This is arguably the most important aspect of the technique as the muscles that go to the wrist come from the elbow. To understand this, you must understand anatomical position. In anatomical position, the body is standing, and the palms are rotated out towards the same direction you would be looking. All of the further details will be referenced in this position.

The muscles that make the wrist extend come from the outside and back, or lateral and posterior, part of the elbow.

The muscles that make the wrist flex come from the inside and front, or medial and anterior, part of the elbow.

Finally, the wrist bones, or carpal bones are being compressed in maximal flexion.

The compression of the wrist causes the extensors of the wrist to become maximally stretched while the elbow is compressed in flexion. Combine this with the compression of the wrist carpal bones and you have a serious amount of pain to the opponent.

Martial arts techniques and chiropractic have more things alike than are different. As with any subject, knowledge is power. I would encourage anyone reading this to learn anatomy. It will help you understand why the joint locks hurt and will bring your techniques to the next level. I would also encourage you to visit a chiropractor so that you can experience an adjustment.