title: Subluxation and semantics: a corpus linguistics study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to analyze the curriculum of one chiropractic college in order to discover if there were any implicit consensus definitions of the term subluxation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the software WordSmith Tools, the corpus of an undergraduate chiropractic curriculum was analyzed by reviewing collocated terms and through discourse analysis of text blocks containing words based on the root 'sublux.'
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was possible to identify 3 distinct concepts which were each referred to as 'subluxation:' i) an acute or instantaneous injurious event; ii) a clinical syndrome which manifested post-injury; iii) a physical lesion, i.e. an anatomical or physiological derangement which in most instances acted as a pain generator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In fact, coherent implicit definitions of subluxation exist and may enjoy broad but subconscious acceptance. However, confusion likely arises from failure to distinguish which concept an author or speaker is referring to when they employ the term subluxation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Graduate Education and Research, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Budgell
keywords: chiropractic; corpus linguistics; discourse analysis; semantics; subluxation