Clinical Application of 3D Spinal Decompression: Patient Positioning and Progressive Protocol Design

Session Information

Regional Event: national
Start Date: 08/14/2026 1:00 pm
End Date: 08/14/2026 2:40 pm
Location: Celebration 9-10

Speakers in this session...

  • Etienne Dubarry

    Sponsors

    Etienne Dubarry DC

    Dr. Dubarry graduated from NCC Chicago in 1982, practiced for 10 years in France at a time where you could be jailed for illegal exercise of medicine. He published in 1986 one of the first book on chiropractic in French in a major publishing house. He came back to practice in the States in 1992. He then travelled for 15 years over fifty times to South America and initiated in Chile the creation of the first chiropractic college with a full time Cursus. He published a series of three books (translated in three languages) on spinal manipulation in 2017. Doctor Dubarry works in close with Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Institute Franco European of Chiropractic in Paris, and Toulouse (IFEC), University Central Santiago Chile. He has been giving seminars for the past 20 years in three languages and is currently practicing in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

    Sessions...

    Clinical Application of 3D Spinal Decompression: Patient Positioning and Progressive Protocol Design
    Regional Event: national
    Start Date: 08/14/2026 1:00 pm
    End Date: 08/14/2026 2:40 pm
    Location: Celebration 9-10
    Session details

    Course Description

    This course presents a clinically oriented approach to spinal traction and decompression for chiropractic practice. Participants will review the differences between general spinal traction, flexion distraction, linear decompression, and three-dimensional decompression. Emphasis is placed on understanding how spinal curves, lumbar lordosis, patient positioning, table mechanics, anchorage points, traction speed, and passive motion influence the clinical effect of decompression.

    The course introduces progressive prone and supine decompression protocols using patient response as the guide for clinical decision-making. Doctors will learn how distal, pelvic, thoracic, and axillary anchorage modify the traction field; how leg position and pelvic section movement influence lumbar and thoracolumbar targeting; and how lateral flexion and extension positioning may improve specificity. The course also connects decompression principles with the Arc of Tension model, showing how controlled vertebral blocking and targeted relaxation can improve clinical precision.

    This program is designed to help chiropractors move beyond preset machine protocols and develop a patient-specific decompression strategy based on biomechanics, functional testing, comfort, and symptom response.

    Learning Objectives

    1. Identify the biomechanical differences between general traction, flexion distraction, linear decompression, and 3D decompression, including how each affects the disc, spinal curves, and surrounding soft tissues. 
    2. Demonstrate how patient positioning, lumbar lordosis, anchorage points, leg position, table section movement, and lateral flexion can be used to modify the location and specificity of lumbar and thoracolumbar decompression. 
    3. Apply a progressive clinical testing model to select prone or supine decompression protocols based on patient comfort, symptom response, functional retesting, and targeted treatment goals. 

    Sponsor: 01M

Course Description

This course presents a clinically oriented approach to spinal traction and decompression for chiropractic practice. Participants will review the differences between general spinal traction, flexion distraction, linear decompression, and three-dimensional decompression. Emphasis is placed on understanding how spinal curves, lumbar lordosis, patient positioning, table mechanics, anchorage points, traction speed, and passive motion influence the clinical effect of decompression.

The course introduces progressive prone and supine decompression protocols using patient response as the guide for clinical decision-making. Doctors will learn how distal, pelvic, thoracic, and axillary anchorage modify the traction field; how leg position and pelvic section movement influence lumbar and thoracolumbar targeting; and how lateral flexion and extension positioning may improve specificity. The course also connects decompression principles with the Arc of Tension model, showing how controlled vertebral blocking and targeted relaxation can improve clinical precision.

This program is designed to help chiropractors move beyond preset machine protocols and develop a patient-specific decompression strategy based on biomechanics, functional testing, comfort, and symptom response.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify the biomechanical differences between general traction, flexion distraction, linear decompression, and 3D decompression, including how each affects the disc, spinal curves, and surrounding soft tissues. 
  2. Demonstrate how patient positioning, lumbar lordosis, anchorage points, leg position, table section movement, and lateral flexion can be used to modify the location and specificity of lumbar and thoracolumbar decompression. 
  3. Apply a progressive clinical testing model to select prone or supine decompression protocols based on patient comfort, symptom response, functional retesting, and targeted treatment goals. 

Sponsor: 01M