Translatoric Spinal Manipulation for Physical Therapists

Translatoric Spinal Manipulation (TSM) consists of a series of high- and low-velocity manipulative spinal techniques, which emphasize the use of small amplitude, straight-line (translatoric) traction and gliding impulses delivered parallel or perpendicular to an individual vertebral joint or movement segment.
TSM emphasizes the use of either direct manual stabilization or the use of spinal pre-positioning to restrict the amount of motion occurring at adjacent spinal segments during the translatoric impulse.

Delivering translatoric impulses (in the form of disc traction, disc glides, facet traction and facet gliding) to an individual joint or spinal motion segment while using stabilization provides the manual therapist with a manipulative tool that has a predictable effect in terms of pain reduction and motion restoration with minimal potential risk of patient injury.