Utah § 58-73-102 - Definitions.

Full text of Utah Utah Code § 58-73-102 — Definitions., with citation guidance and answers to common questions.

§ 58-73-102. Definitions.

Effective 7/1/2026
58-73-102.  Definitions.
(1)"Adjustment of the articulation of the spinal column" means performance by a chiropractic physician by the use of passive movements directed toward the goal of restoring joints to their proper physiological relationship of motion and related function, releasing adhesions, or stimulating joint receptors using one or more of the following techniques:
(a)impulse adjusting or the use of sudden, high velocity, short amplitude thrust of a nature that the patient cannot prevent the motion, commencing where the motion encounters the elastic barrier of resistance and ends at the limit of anatomical integrity;
(b)instrument adjusting, utilizing instruments specifically designed to deliver sudden, high velocity, short amplitude thrust;
(c)light force adjusting utilizing sustained joint traction or applied directional pressure, or both, which may be combined with passive motion to restore joint mobility; and
(d)long distance lever adjusting utilizing forces delivered at some distance from the dysfunctional site and aimed at transmission through connected structures to accomplish joint mobility.
(2)"Board" means the Chiropractic Physician Licensing Board created in Section 58-73-201.
(3)"Chiropractic assistant" means an individual who performs activities related to the practice of chiropractic under the supervision of a licensed chiropractic physician in accordance with division rule established in collaboration with the board.
(4)"Chiropractic physician" means an individual who has been licensed under this chapter to practice chiropractic.
(5)"Diagnosis of the articulation of the spinal column" means to examine the articulations of the spinal column of another human to determine the source, nature, kind, or extent of a disease, vertebral subluxation, or other physical condition, and to make a determination of the source, nature, kind, or extent of a disease or other physical condition.
(6)"Elastic barrier" means the point at which the patient cannot move a joint by the patient's own means and through which movement is obtained or caused by a practitioner's skillful treatment using the practitioner's hands in a manipulation of a joint by thrust of sudden, high velocity, short amplitude so the patient cannot prevent the motion.
(7)"Incisive surgery" means any procedure having the power or quality of cutting of a patient for the purpose of treating disease, injury, or deformity, and includes the use of laser.
(8)"Manipulate the articulation of the spinal column" means use by a practitioner of a skillful treatment using the practitioner's hands in a manipulation of a joint as follows:
(a)by thrust of sudden, high velocity, short amplitude so the patient cannot prevent the motion;
(b)the movement of the joint is by force beyond its active limit of motion;
(c)the manipulation commences where mobilization ends and specifically begins when the elastic barrier of resistance is encountered and ends at the limit of anatomical integrity; and
(d)the manipulation is directed to the goal of restoring joints to their proper physiological relationship of motion and related function, releasing adhesions, or stimulating joint receptors.
(9)"Practice of chiropractic" means a practice of a branch of the healing arts:
(a)the purpose of which is to restore or maintain human health, in which patient care or first aid, hygienic, nutritional, or rehabilitative procedures are administered;
(b)which places emphasis upon specific vertebral adjustment, manipulation, and treatment of the articulation and adjacent tissues of the spinal column, musculoskeletal structure of the body, and nervous system;
(c)that involves examining, diagnosing, treating, correcting, or prescribing treatment for any human disease, ailment, injury, infirmity, deformity, pain, or other condition, or the attempt to do so, in accordance with Section 58-73-601;
(d)that involves diagnosing, prescribing treatment, or making a determination of treatment necessity for another person's condition by means of:
(i)a physical examination of the person; or
(ii)a determination based upon or derived from information supplied directly or indirectly by a third person; and
(e)that includes the practice described in this Subsection (9) on an animal subject to:
(i)Subsection 58-28-307(12);
(ii)the provisions of this chapter; and
(iii)division rule.
(10)"Therapeutically position the articulation of the spinal column" means to adjust or manipulate the articulation of the spinal column.


Amended by Chapter 64, 2026 General Session

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What does Utah Code § 58-73-102 cover?

Section 58-73-102 ("Definitions.") is part of the Utah Code, the codified statutory law of Utah. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.

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