Making Contact
Contact point on hand is second metacarpal at the end of the condyle, or second metacarpo-phalangeal joint. This is placed in front of the offending transverse, the head having been rotated away from that side and other tissues drawn carefully aside from the bone. The back of the hand is downward toward the clavicle, fingers semi-flexed on palm, thumb resting on jaw.
Supporting Head
The following position is the correct one for supporting the head in all Cervical adjustments delivered in the above position of patient and adjuster.
Cup the supporting hand slightly and fit the patient’s ear into the cupped palm. Let fingers extend toward the base and back of the neck, the finger position varying according to the amount of rotation of the head so that the fingers are in all cases directly under the head weight. The wrist then flexes on the hand, and wrist and forearm are brought up across the patient’s forehead so that a force delivered from the opposite side cannot cause the head to roll or move upon the supporting hand. After placing both hands draw the head so that the chin is tilted upward until it is felt that contact is snug and tight. This supporting position is invaluable and much neglected by adjusters, who might save themselves much annoyance and many failures by its constant use. In the study of succeeding Cervical moves refer to this description frequently. We shall call it the Hook Support, because the arm and hand resemble a hook which grasps the under side of the head and curves over the upper.
Movement
This is delivered entirely with contact hand and in a direction as much posterior as can be achieved without slipping past the end of the process. If the head is sufficiently rotated away from the contact side the angle of force is better than with a straight lateral adjustment, which it somewhat resembles, but not so good for anteriors as either of the two preceding moves. It is chiefly useful when the other two fail.