What is Upper Cervical Care?

Upper Cervical Care

Why do we place so much attention at the top of the neck, or the Upper Cervical spine? Why does upper cervical care play a vital role in human health?

Just about every nerve in the human body sends signals of communications through the vital junction where your skull meets the top bone in your neck. This top bone of the neck is called the “Atlas” or “C1”,  is the smallest bone in the spine and its shape resembles a small ring. The Atlas bone is the most freely-moveable bone in the spine and therefore allows your head/neck to have a great deal of range of motion. This increase in range of motion means this Upper Cervical region is more prone for injury and has an increased likelihood at being misaligned.

Any sort of whiplash or impact to the head will often cause a misalignment of the atlas bone. This directly distorts/blocks nerve signals that pass through this junction, which just happens to be nearly every single nerve in the body. A misalignment of the Atlas bone may not sound all that concerning until you realize that nerves are what controls every single system, tissue, cell, hormone, and activity of the body. So when the Atlas bone is misaligned, and the nerves become inhibited, any number of combinations of conditions may arise.

When the atlas is misaligned, the head shifts away from normal and level, causing the entire rest of the spine to misalign in order to compensate. The body will contort the whole spine, twisting and shifting the neck, shoulders, low back, and hips in order to keep the head on straight. This Upper Cervical displacement causes many musculoskeletal problems such as lower neck and upper back pain, TMJ issues, sciatica, knee pain, and low back pain. Its common for a patient, with say, back pain, headaches, digestive issues, fuzzy vision, and anxiety, to all resolve or improve once their atlas bone is realigned. It also explains why many other treatment options fail or must be repeated over and over again.

Our approach uses specific precise measurements and instruments to find exactly how your head and neck have misaligned. From these measurements we derive a customized adjustment to correct the Upper Cervical spine back to normal. This influences the entire spine to return to its normal optimal structure. We’ve had countless patients with neck tension, back pain, hip pain, and knee pain quickly dissipate once the distorted body is unwound all from the Atlas being in the proper position.

Once the Upper Cervical problem is addressed, any additional spinal corrections in the neck and low back will require fewer maintainence visits because the body completely unwinds. This is the key to why our Upper Cervical correction is so efficient and successful.

Important note: Just because your pain and symptoms aren’t in your upper neck does not mean that the problem is not there. We find most spine problems and their symptoms are ultimately a problem that originated in the upper neck because it is the most vulnerable area of the spine to trauma regardless of where the damaging forces may have entered the spine. This Primary condition called an Upper Cervical Subluxation is our practice focus and the foundation of Neurostructural Correction. An Upper Cervical misalignment often leads to one or more of a variety of Secondary Conditions or symptoms.

Secondary Conditions

  • Acid Reflux
  • Allergies
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Attention Deficit Disorders
  • Auditory (ear) dysfunction
  • Bell’s Palsy
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Colic
  • Digestive Disorders
  • Disc Bulges or Herniations
  • Epilepsy
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Gastrointestinal Dysfunction
  • Headaches
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Hyperactivity (ADHD)
  • Immune Function
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Knee Pain
  • Learning Disorders (children/adult)
  • Low Back Pain
  • Menstrual Disorders
  • Meniere’s Syndrome
  • Migraine Headaches
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Neck Pain
  • Neurologic Dysfunction
  • Otitis Media (Ear infections)
  • Sciatica
  • Scoliosis
  • Shoulder and arm pain
  • Seizure Disorders
  • Skin Disorders
  • Sports Injuries
  • TMJ Disorder /Dysfunction
  • Torticollis
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Ulcers
  • Vertigo / Dizziness
  • Visual / Eye Disturbances
  • Whiplash
  • Sleep Disorders