Upper Cervical Chiropractic Adjustment

What are you going to do?  Is it going to hurt?  Doyou “pop and crack” the neck? These are typical questions askedbefore beginning treatment in an upper cervical chiropractor’soffice. To answer these questions it is easiest to help understandwhat upper cervical chiropractic care is.   Chiropractors ingeneral are well known to work with the spine and problemsassociated with the spine. The cervical spine is referring to theneck. Upper cervical chiropractors have a specific focus on the toptwo neck bones, which sit just below the base of theskull.  

A quick Google search of the atlas and axis bones (top neck andsecond to top neck bones) will show that they are shaped completelydifferent when compared to every other bone in your spine. This area of the spine is unique for two major reasons: mobilityand the brainstem.   The upper neck is responsible for over50% of all movement in your neck, which makes it the most mobileportion of your spine!  Unfortunately, there is a trade-off inyour body for all that movement and that shows upinstability.  As you increase the amount of movement somewhereyou lose stability and increase the likelihood of an injuryhappening.  Let’s compare to anywhere outside of thespine.  Is it more likely to sprain your wrists, shoulders,ankles, and knees or break your arms or legs?  Of course,sprained/strained injuries are significantly more common thanbreaks because those areas of the body move much more!  

Effects of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

This leads to the second reason why the upper cervical spine isunique, the brainstem.  The brainstem is the portion of thebrain that sustains basic life functions like heart rate,breathing, and digestion as well as assists in maintains healthybrain function and balance/coordination.   An accident orinjury to the upper neck can lead to pressure on the lower portionof the brainstem which in turn can result in a significant numberof problems such as neck pain, back pain, vertigo, orheadaches.  It can also contribute to much larger problemssuch as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Meniere’s disease,trigeminal neuralgia, and others.  This problem is referred toas an upper cervical subluxation.  

What Does Upper Cervical Treatment Look Like?

The very first thing an upper cervical chiropractor will do isreview your health history to determine if treatment will help ornot.  If the doctor feels like he/she can help, the next stepwill be to perform a thorough examination to figure out if you havean upper cervical subluxation and then a very precise set of x-raysare taken to figure out exactly how the neck should betreated.   The detailed exam and x-rays allow for anupper cervical adjustment  (treatment) to be performed in avery gentle way without any popping, cracking, or twisting of theneck.  

Finding An Upper Cervical Chiropractor Near Me

One of the best ways to locate a chiropractor near you that focuseson the upper cervical spine is to visit our website and search forone of our doctors near you.