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DETAILS OF ATLAS MISALIGNMENT

 

The brain communicates with the body via the central nervous system, which passes through the opening in the base of the cranium and whose ramifications connect the entire body by branching out from various points on the spinal column.

 

1) Atlas 2) Axis 3) Vertebral artery 4) Spinal medulla 5) Spinal nerves

The Atlas is the neuralgic point of the entire system. We also find this idea in Greek mythology: Atlas is the giant who is punished by being made to carry the weight of the celestial vault on his shoulders for all eternity. As in the myth, the first cervical vertebra is known as the Atlas because it bears the full weight of the head. When there is a misalignment of the Atlas, the interactive communication between the brain and the various organs is disturbed. The anatomy of the spinal column is like a precision mechanism. The slightest shift of the Atlas from its correct anatomical and physiological location can have major repercussions on posture, the autonomic or parasympathetic nervous system and the body in general.   This misalignment may be present from birth (even in the case of delivery by caesarian section).   For a better grasp of the problem, it is important to understand the difference between static load and dynamic load. When the body moves, there are dynamic changes in weight distribution. These stresses are purely momentary: after an exertion, the body returns to a resting condition. A static load, on the other hand, bears on the skeleton permanently. It will be readily appreciated that an incorrect static load has a far more negative influence than momentary changes in load.

 

 

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CORRECT THE POSITION OF THE ATLAS

 

When the vertebrae that constitute the spinal column are in the correct position, weights are distributed evenly between the two sides of the skeleton. The considerable weight of the head (as much as 5-6 kg) is supported entirely by the Atlas. Misalignment of the Atlas creates an unbalanced supporting base for the skull on top of the spinal column, so that it is no longer perpendicular with respect to the vertebrae, as though it were resting on an inclined plane. This produces a shift in the body’s centre of gravity and therefore an imbalance in the entire posture, from the head to the feet. 90% of all postural receptors are located in the upper cervical spine. They are responsible for sensing the position and movement of the body therefore disbalances in these region have negative impacts on the entire body statics. Most of the static load is transferred to one side of the body rather than the other. This imbalance is measurable with two ordinary sets of scales, which in some cases may indicate a difference of up to 20 Kg. The first cervical vertebra affects the equilibrium of the whole skeleton. The ligaments and muscles of the Sub-Occipital region, in their constant exertion to keep the position of the head aligned with the cervical spine, are under stress and eventually go into spasm.

This can give rise to cervical problems such as tensive headache, dizziness, torticollis, or asymmetrical or limited rotation of the head. In a chain-reaction process, misalignment of the Atlas can cause asymmetries of the entire skeleton, such as one shoulder higher than the other with pain in the scapula, scoliosis, tilted pelvis with consequent danger of herniated discs , pain in the back, the hips, the knees and even the feet. When the posture is not what it should be, permanent muscular contractions develop which, as well as being painful, can cause shifts (subluxations) in other vertebrae in the column, providing work in due course for chiropractors and osteopaths. Subluxations can create persistent compression on certain nerve roots, which in time become irritated. The most common approach used by doctors to treat this irritation is injections of cortisone, which produce serious side-effects. The compression of certain nerves causes “pins and needles” or makes an arm or a leg “go to sleep”, and can result in a malfunction of the respective organs connected to these nerve roots, giving rise to a series of disturbances throughout the body, even in apparently unrelated areas. Another consequence of muscles that are thickened and hardened by the constant tension to which they are subjected is compression of the lymphatic canals, veins and arteries that pass through these muscles, causing a reduction in the supply of lymph and blood and the digestion of the waste products of these muscles. There are certainly other factors to be taken into account that can affect correct posture, but wrong alignment of the Atlas can be absolutely decisive. Experience has shown that in many cases, after a simple correction of the Atlas, the skeleton takes on a more correct and natural shape.

Only a body with an ideal posture can remain free from ailments in the long run.



When one shoulder is higher than the other or the pelvic is tilted, ailments are soner or later unavoidable.

REPERCUSSIONS OF A MISALIGNED ATLAS ON THE CIRCULATORY AND AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM

 

				Misalignment of the Atlas:
				can cause a constriction of the passage between the vertebral canal and the opening in the base of the skull, leaving less space available to the spinal medulla and limiting, altering or blocking the flow of electrochemical impulses.
				can cause pressure on the cervical artery and the blood vessels and nerves that exit the skull through the jugular foramen, such as the glossopharyngeal nerve, the vagus nerve, the accessory nerve, the jugular vein and the internal carotid artery.
				can slow the circulation of the cerebro-spinal fluid that flows inside the spinal medulla, enclosed by a membrane. This fluid nourishes, protects and cushions the medulla.

 

During normal movements of the head and body, the various vascular, nervous and lymphatic structures may be momentarily compressed or stretched. These compressions are only momentary and do not create problems of any kind: the body is built to move. The compressions generated by a misaligned Atlas, on the other hand, are CONSTANT!

 

		1) Spinal medulla 2) Tooth of axis 3) Vagus nerve 4) Internal jugular vein 5) Internal carotid artery 6) Atlas 7) Vertebral artery
		Picture: cross-section of the neck at the level of the Atlas. The white arrows indicate how the left lateral apophysis of the Atlas exerts pressure on the vessels 3, 4 and 5.

 

 

   

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VAGUS NERVE

 

12 pairs of cranial nerves leave the brain and continue down the right and left sides of the body. The Vagus Nerve or cranial nerve X is the longest, most important and most branched cranial nerve of the parasympathetic system, and helps to regulate the functioning of almost all the internal organs: it controls certain muscles, the larynx, the pharynx, part of the external organ of hearing, the heart, the lungs, the stomach and the intestines. One of its principal tasks is to stimulate the production of gastric acid and regulate the digestive phase (peristalsis). The vagus nerve is also responsible for regulating heart rate and perspiration, and is involved in some movements of the mouth, controlling certain muscles used for speech and breathing. The vagus nerve has a diameter of 2-3 mm at neck level and, together with the carotid artery and the internal jugular vein, passes in front of the Atlas.
When the functionality of the vagus nerve is compromised, for example by cervical arthrosis, this may produce a whole series of symptoms, including nausea, stomach acidity, dizziness, spinning of the head, facial flushing, tachycardia, pain and stiffness in the neck, and headache.

 

 

CONSEQUENCES OF COMPRESSION OF THE VAGUS NERVE

 

Depending on how and at what angle the Atlas is shifted from its optimal position, it can create pressure on and thus irritate the vagus nerve and/or other cranial nerves. This can give rise to various ailments such as headache, Menière’s syndrome, difficulty in swallowing or the sensation of a lump in the throat, excessive perspiration, pain in the neck, sleep disturbances, cold hands or feet, irregular or accelerated heart rate, or frequent constipation or diarrhoea with no apparent cause. Correction of a misaligned Atlas might have positive effects on epilepsy, since for some serious epileptic conditions the vagus nerve is cut or stimulated with electrical impulses generated by an implanted stimulator. The left vagus nerve is the only one compressed by the Atlas. Can this be a coincidence? The question would merit further attention and more thorough investigation.

 

 

THE 4 VARIANTS OF MISALIGNMENT OF THE ATLAS

 

Wrong positioning of the Atlas manifests itself in combinations of 4 basic variants. These variants affect the posture in different ways:
 

Variant 1 Lateral shift (sideways movement). As a consequence, the Atlas is tilted sideways and one lateral apophysis is higher than the other. Causes scoliotic attitude, deviation of posture from the ideal axis of vertical symmetry, one shoulder lower than the other, tilted pelvis, “leaning tower of Pisa” posture. Photo:   1) Before treatment    2) Immediately after treatment                  Notable in the photo: considerable improvement in the posture; the left shoulder is returning to the same height as the right, and the tilting and rotation of the pelvis are correcting themselves.

Variant 2 Rotation on its horizontal axis. Causes pressure on the nerves, arteries and lymphatic ducts surrounding the Atlas, and therefore particularly produces electrochemical changes; does not have major repercussions on posture in the vertical axis, but may cause rotation of the ribcage or pelvis. Photo:   1) Before treatment    2) Immediately after treatment         Notable in the photo: disappearance of the rotation of the pelvis, general improvement in posture, gain of approximately 2 centimetres in height.

Variant 3 Locked backwards (dorsally). Contributes to increased kyphosis and lumbar lordosis. Photo:   1) Before treatment    2) Immediately after treatment         Notable in the photo: evident improvement in kyphosis and consequent cervical hyperlordosis.

Variant 4 Locked forwards (ventrally). Contributes to a loss of cervical and/or lumbar physiological lordosis. Photo:   1) Before treatment    2) Immediately after treatment         Notable in the photo: restoration of correct physiological lordosis; the shape of the spinal column is significantly improved.

 

REPERCUSSIONS ON THE AXIS AND OTHER CERVICAL VERTEBRAE

Depending on the type of misalignment of the Atlas, negative repercussions are also often seen on the alignment of the axis (second cervical vertebra or C2). When the wrong position of the Atlas is corrected, the wrong position of the axis and thus the chain of the other underlying vertebrae is also corrected.
We often see vertebrae that previously required regular chiropractic treatment in order to be put back into position but spontaneously remain aligned after ATLANTOtec^® treatment. See also Scientific tests.

CONCLUSION In a garden regularly watered by an efficient irrigation system, the grass and various plants enjoy optimal health. If we place a large stone on the main pipe upstream of the various branches of the irrigation system, we will quickly find ourselves with a space disfigured by dry grass and dead plants. We can either hope for abundant rain, leaving the situation to fortune and providence, or we can simply remove the stone, and this is the only logical course to take. As with the garden, we can restore proper distribution of the various fluids and electrical flows throughout the body by removing the stone that is crushing the main pipe, in this case by repositioning the Atlas in its proper location, with the same simplicity and with no danger, in a single session.