Upper Cervical Care: Healthcare that begins by getting our head on straight.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Concussion, Headache, Vertigo?... Upper Cervical Care?
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for concussion, headaches, vertigo or any other condition, disease or symptom. This is also a more in depth post of one that I posted previously. Thanks to Dr. Bill Davis for this more in depth look.)
Adapted from: Do concussions cause chronic headaches and vertigo?
by Dr. Bill Davis
For years I have been asking my patients if they have a history of head and neck injuries including, car accidents, falls, times where they have been knocked unconscious, had a concussion or stitches to their head.
Why?
When accidents and injuries tear loose the connective tissue that holds the spine in place it creates a weakness, which can cause the spine to break down and lock into a stressed position.
The area of the body that is the most vulnerable to injury and has the most far reaching effects is the upper neck. The top bone in the spine, the atlas sits right underneath the skull and when the tissues around it become stretched and damaged the weight of the head can be shifted from center.
Once the position of the head is altered the position of the eyes and ears is altered as well. The brain will initiate a reflex called the righting reflex in order to balance the eyes and the semicircular canals in the ears with the horizon.
The problem is now the head is slightly off center and the spine must adapt to that position by often twisting and turning the remaining structure of the spine. This can lead to tilting of the shoulders, the hips and imbalance all the way down to the legs leading to an unequal distribution of weight.
Body imbalance can lead to a variety of different health problems, but frequently has the same root cause…
The original head or neck injury created a misalignment of the Atlas bone at the base of the skull which led to the subsequent problems with the structure of the body, nerve and blood flow from the brain to the body.
Here is a great example from a recent research article published in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research ~ January 6, 2011
A 23-year-old female patient presented for upper cervical care five months after a slip and fall that resulted in a concussion. The patient presented with symptoms of vertigo and headaches consistent with post concussion syndrome. The patient had a longstanding history of headaches that were exacerbated by the concussion and a new complaint of positional vertigo that occurred immediately following the trauma. Significant body imbalances were noted including a leg length difference. Specific Upper Cervical X-rays demonstrated an upper cervical misalignment.
She began to receive Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic care and the headache and vertigo was gone immediately following the first adjustment. Post X-Ray evaluation showed a significant improvement in the alignment of the head and neck. The follow up examination the following day revealed a significant decrease in muscles spasm in the neck and the legs were balanced.
The patient’s fourth visit was two weeks following the first adjustment and at that time the patient reported a slight nagging headache had begun earlier that day, rated at 2/10, but she did not have any symptoms of vertigo. The patient’s care was continued on a frequency of twice per month for evaluations and progress monitoring. She was evaluated with Atlas Orthogonal protocol for necessity of adjustment and her symptoms were monitored at every evaluation. She continued to report a complete resolution of vertigo and intermittent headaches rated as 2/10 that occurred at an average of two hours/day.
Who do you know that has had a concussion? Do they have a chronic health problem? Is there head/neck misalignment and interference in brain to body communication limiting the ability for you to heal?
Only an upper cervical doctor could tell you.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Upper Cervical Care And The Patient With Seizures
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for seizures or any other condition, disease or symptom.)
The Patient With Seizures
by Dr. Smith
Another interesting case is that of a 19 year old female, who presented to my office with complaint of sudden onset of seizures. She was admitted to the hospital a few days prior to this office visit, when the sudden onset of a seizure had scared her and her mother quite seriously. While at the hospital, at least three more seizures took place, and the doctors put her through an entire battery of tests, cervical x-rays and a brain scan, but all tests were completed as negative. She was released under supervision, but told there was nothing they could do at that time because the doctors didn’t know why the seizures were occurring. She had never experienced seizures before, so what exactly was the cause?
During the consultation, her case history revealed she had been the passenger on a public transportation bus when it had been in a collision about one month prior. I suggested that although the damage to the bus was considered light, perhaps enough force had been transmitted to her body that the upper cervical region had misaligned, and the increased pressure on the brain-stem was causing nervous system interference to the point of intermittent seizures.
We took upper cervical specific x-rays of the cervical spine, and it was determined that the axis, or C2 had misaligned to a greater extent than the atlas, or C1. The misalignment was considered a "constant", so she therefore had an axis major listing. Analysis of repeated spinal temperature graphs revealed the body was in pattern, and a specific vectored adjustment was given to the axis. Being young has its advantages where healing is concerned, and all other variables being equal, the body is generally able to heal quicker in a younger person.
After the first adjustment was performed and the resting period elapsed, the post scan revealed that her pattern had almost completely resolved. It took only two more adjustments over the next four weeks for the body to remain free of pattern for long periods of time. Although her body’s response was much quicker than typically seen, especially in chronic cases, the most important news is that she has not suffered from another seizure since that first upper cervical adjustment.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tinnitus and Upper Cervical Care?
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for tinnitus or any other condition, disease or symptom.)
by Dr. Smith
A middle aged, caucasian male was rear-ended in an automobile accident in mid June. He suffered from constant headaches, tinnitus, upper and lower back pain. He went to the Emergency Room at a local hospital and was x-rayed for determination of fractures and life-threatening injury. He was then given pain medication and sent home. Two weeks later, his symptoms persisting, he was treated at his primary medical doctor’s office and also referred to an ENT specialist who prescribed him medication for the tinnitus. After tolerating the tinnitus, increasing musculoskeletal pain and headaches for more than a month, he decided to seek other forms of treatment. He presented to a full spine chiropractor to see if chiropractic care would help his condition.
Initially, he achieved positive results from the adjustments and physical therapy exercises, including decrease in the severity of headaches, upper back pain, and low back pain over the course of two months. However, his tinnitus increased, even while continuing to take medications prescribed by the ENT specialist and receiving the full spine chiropractic adjustments. The headaches plateaued at about 4/10 on the analog pain scale, and he was trying to sleep at night with headphones on to drown out the ringing in his ears.
At this time he was referred to me for Upper Cervical Specific adjusting (upper cervical care), and a new cervical x-ray series was taken, including specific views for analysis. It was determined that his atlas was misaligned, and spinal temperature graphs showed a consistent pattern, despite his previous treatment. He made the personal decision to cease other forms of care at that time, including drugs, physical therapy, and full spine adjusting to focus on the upper cervical region.
Under our care, his condition improved to the point of sleeping without the headphones after the first week. His headaches and tinnitus steadily decreased as his body began to hold the adjustment. The headaches resolved nearly one month after the first adjustment was given, and the tinnitus was down to 2/10 at that time as well.
He was forced to fly out of town on a business trip, and when he returned, the tinnitus had increased to 4/10 and his body was in pattern. Adjustment was delivered and the level of tinnitus was reduced to 2/10 again, where it stayed for the next three weeks. At his next examination it was determined that his tinnitus had gradually reduced down to 1/10 and all other symptoms were resolved. He was checked on a continual basis over the next six weeks, during which his tinnitus completely resolved and he began to hold his adjustment for a considerable length of time.
Monday, March 21, 2011
What You Need To Know Before Beginning Upper Cervical Care
When a person seeks upper cervical care and when an upper cervical doctor accepts a person for such care, it is essential that they both are seeking and working toward the same goals. Upper cervical care has one goal. It is therefore important to understand the goal and the means to attain it. In this way there will be no confusion, misunderstanding or disappointment.
First, one must realize that upper cervical care is not a substitute for medical treatment of any kind, in any way, for any reason. Also, no statement of the upper cervical doctor is intended as a medical diagnosis and should not be confused as such. Patients usually want to get rid of whatever ailments, symptoms or conditions are bothering them. This, however, is not the goal of upper cervical care. Upper cervical care is not intended to be a treatment of the symptoms of a medical condition or to treat the cause or causes of a medical condition.
The purpose of upper cervical care is to restore and maintain the integrity of the spinal cord, especially the lower brain stem. These vital nerve pathways are housed in and protected by the bones of the spine. Small misalignments of the head and neck can interfere with the proper functioning of these nerve pathways. Head/neck misalignment can come from many causes and prevent various parts of the body from functioning properly.
By means of an upper cervical correction, head neck misalignment is reduced and an interference to proper nerve function reduced as well. The goal of upper cervical care is to correct head/neck misalignment for the purpose of allowing the proper transmission of information over nerve pathways so that every part of the body may have a proper nerve supply at all times.
This allows the innate healing ability of the body to work closer to maximum efficiency. With a proper nerve supply health improves. In some, symptoms clear up quickly. In others, the process is slower, and in some, it is partial or not at all. Regardless of what the disease is called, the upper cervical doctor does not offer to heal or even treat it. Nor do they offer advice regarding the treatment of disease. Their only goal is to allow the body to do its job. Their only means is the correction of head/neck misalignment in order to restore/maintain proper brain to body communication. They promise no cure from and offer no treatment of disease, conditions or symptoms.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Upper Cervical Care And The Patient With Parkinson's Disease
CASE STUDY
Reduction in Symptoms Related to Parkinson's Disease Concomitant with Subluxation Reduction Following Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
Jonathan Chung DC & Justin Brown DC
Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research ~ March 14, 2011 ~ Pages 18-21
Abstract
Objective: To provide a detailed report on one case of a 67 year-old female with Parkinson’s disease under upper cervical chiropractic care.
Clinical Features: A 67 year-old female patient presenting to a private practice with an atlas subluxation complex as well as signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease that include weakness, tremors, scoliosis and rigidity.
Intervention and Outcomes: Over a period of 6 months, the patient was seen 19 times and was adjusted 12 times following the NUCCA protocol. Improvements in radiographic measurements, paraspinal thermography, and sEMG were recorded. Patient self-reported improvements in weakness, tremors, rigidity, and overall mobility.
Conclusion: The upper cervical subluxation may be a contributing factor to the symptomatic expression of Parkinson’s disease. Reduction of the subluxation with specific vectored correction may be a plausible, safe, and effective approach for managing PD. More research is warranted investigating the effects of upper cervical care and Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
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Editor's Note: Remember that upper cervical care is not a treatment for Parkinson's Disease. An individual with Parkinson's Disease will benefit from a good nerve supply free of interference due to head/neck misalignment (the objective of upper cervical care). Sometimes that improved function better enables the body to heal itself as is evident in this case of a woman with Parkinson's Disease.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Epilepsy, a Nine-Year Old Girl and Upper Cervical Care
Upper Cervical Care in a Nine-Year-Old Female
With Occipital Lobe Epilepsy: A Case Study
FROM: Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research 2011 (Feb 3): 10–17
Susan Hooper PhD, DC, Allison Manis DC
Objective: The reduction of an upper cervical subluxation (head/neck misalignment) through (upper cervical) chiropractic care in the case of a child with occipital lobe epilepsy is described.
Clinical Features: A nine-year-old girl presented with uncontrollable blinking of the left eye and fainting spells, previously diagnosed by a neurologist as occipital lobe epilepsy.
Intervention and Outcomes: High velocity and light force adjustments (Blair technique) were applied to the first cervical vertebra on three separate occasions. Other low force adjustments (Activator) were administered to various levels of the spinal column where vertebral subluxations existed. The patient’s uncontrolled eye twitching decreased immediately following the first upper cervical adjustment and ceased completely 3 weeks following the final adjustment. The twitching has not resurfaced in approximately 2 years.
Conclusions: This case report demonstrated resolution of signs and symptoms associated with occipital lobe epilepsy in a child following the reduction of an upper cervical subluxation.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sciatica and Upper Cervical Care
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with the proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for sciatica or any other condition or disease.)
Sciatic Pain in both legs and the Upper Neck?
by Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C.
Sciatica that affects both legs (bilateral) is slightly less common than one sided (unilateral) sciatic nerve pain. Either leg can be affected individually or both together at once. Bilateral symptoms have a reputation as being a highly variable pain process and most patients demonstrate pain, tingling, weakness or numbness throughout wide ranging areas of the lower back, buttocks, legs and feet.
Being an upper cervical chiropractor many people cannot understand how I can get such good results with lower back and leg pain. But the truth is one of the most common conditions that I see in my practice is lower back pain with or without leg pain or sciatica.
So what does the neck have to do with the lower back and legs?
Upper neck misalignments (can) cause the posture of the body to be altered. Accidents and injuries to the head and neck will tear loose the tissue that holds the spine in place which will create a weakness and allow the spine to break down and lock into a stressed position.
The most movable bone in the body is located at the base of the skull and is called the Atlas. When the Atlas has lost it’s normal position the weight of the head is shifted to one side or the other.
Once this shift has taken place the body will begin to compensate. One of the shoulders will typically become lower and the pelvis will distort in order to compensate for lack of balance in the upper neck.
This Functional Pelvic Distortion is the underlying factor in many sciatic cases. This twisting and tilting of the pelvis causes a tethering on the sciatic nerve or nerves, inflammation and muscle spasms in most cases.
Here is an example from my office just last month.
Jim had lower back pain for years and was seeking help for severe degenerative disc disease in the lower back from a spinal decompression center in the area. After receiving the spinal decompression treatment his lower back pain increased and eventually he began getting intense sciatica down both legs.
He was referred to our office by a friend and came in quite sceptical that an upper cervical correction could help his lower back and legs. But at the encouragement of his friend he decided to give it a shot.
He had a history of severe head and neck traumas including several concussions and a auto racing crash at 145 mph.
He was assessed and found to have significant postural problems originating from the upper neck. His head and neck were markedly off to the right side and his pelvis was severely tilted and twisted 3 degrees from level. His thermographic scans showed severe inflammation in the upper neck and lower back.
He had lower back pain mostly on the left side and leg pain from the buttock to the foot on the left and sporadically on the right as well. He also had numbness and tingling on both sides worse in the feet.
He noticed if he moved his head back into extension it would increase the leg pain.
He was barely walking, could not sit for more than 5 minutes and was taking 4 Codeines and 12 Advil per day!
His x-rays showed significant disc degeneration in the lower back and neck and a very complicated and unstable upper cervical misalignment.
We began working on him and results were slow because of the instability of his misalignment. Once he began to hold his correction and the pressure remained off of the nerves for prolonged periods of time, his pain began slowing improving. A 30% reduction in the pain and the majority of the numbness in the legs was gone in the first month. He is in his second month now and his corrections are holding better and better. His hips stay level for weeks at a time and now he is completely off of the pain pills and able to sit for long periods of time again and his pain has gone from a constant 10/10 pain to a sporadic 3/10 pain that has localized to one leg. He and his wife just left on a week long cruise and he is very happy!
I never did any treatment on his lower back! I only corrected the underlying postural problems in the spine that were causing the lower back pain and the sciatica. By balancing out the head and the neck the pelvis is able to stay level and the pressure stays off the nerves.
Who do you know that has recurring lower back pain or sciatica? Who do you know that is considering surgery, decompression, injections or other overpriced and dangerous options?
The best questions to ask to see if upper cervical chiropractic could help you is…
Have you had head or neck traumas in the past?
Do you have obvious postural issues? Head tilts to one side, shoulders uneven, etc.
The results that I see are common in upper cervical offices. If you google upper cervical and sciatica you will see many of the patients who have been helped with sciatica across the country.
To find out if upper cervical chiropractic is right for you go to www.nuccawellness.com, www.nucca.org or www.upcspine.com and find a doctor in your area today.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Multiple Sclerosis and Upper Cervical Care: Results, Discussions and Conclusions
Editor's Note: This is the last of a seven post series where I have shared five case reports on patients with MS that received upper cervical care and the results that occurred. The full article with all the reports can be read at length here.
RESULTS
At their first upper cervical chiropractic office visits, computerized thermal scans showed thermal asymmetries and cervical radiographs showed upper cervical misalignments in all five subjects. Because these exam findings indicated upper cervical injuries, all five patients consented to upper cervical chiropractic care. The five subjects underwent upper cervical care for a minimum of four months and a maximum of two years at the time of this paper's submission for publication. Before the intervention of upper cervical chiropractic care, four out of the five patients (Cases 2 through 5) showed patterns of constant, progressive MS symptoms for a minimum of six months. After upper cervical care, MS symptoms were improved or corrected, including L'hermitte's Sign, paresthesias, pain, balance, muscle weakness, bladder control, bowel control, cognitive ability, vision loss, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue. The only case that followed the typical MS relapse-remit pattern, Case 1, had a history of MS relapses once per year for nine years. After the intervention of upper cervical care, this subject had no further relapses and remained symptom-free for two years. Therefore, results of the five cases indicated that upper cervical chiropractic care prevented the progression of MS, stopped the MS relapse pattern, and improved and/or reversed symptoms of
DISCUSSION
An important parallel in the MS patients' medical histories was their recollection of head and/or neck trauma(s) prior to the onset of MS (also mentioned in the Palmer case described in the Introduction). All five patients remembered specific incidences of trauma preceding the onset of MS symptoms such as a fall on an icy sidewalk, an auto accident, and a ski accident. In addition, all five individuals showed evidence of upper cervical injury during exams (digital infrared imaging and cervical radiographs). The body of medical literature detailing a possible trauma-induced etiology for MS, or at least a contribution, is substantial. (33-35) In fact, medical research has established a connection between spinal trauma and numerous neurological conditions besides Multiple Sclerosis, including Parkinson's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, migraine headaches, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), vertigo, and bipolar disorder, to name a few. (36-43)
While medical research has shown that trauma may lead to MS and the other neurological conditions mentioned above, no mechanism has been defined. It is the author's hypothesis that the missing link may be the injury to the upper cervical spine. While various theories have been proposed to explain the effects of chiropractic adjustments, a combination of several theories seems most likely to explain the profound changes seen in these MS patients due to upper cervical chiropractic care. After a spinal injury, central nervous system (CNS) facilitation can occur from an increase in afferent signals to the spinal cord and/or brain coming from articular mechanoreceptors. (44-48) The upper cervical spine is uniquely suited to this condition because it possesses inherently poor biomechanical stability along with the greatest concentration of spinal mechanoreceptors.
Hyperafferent activation (through CNS facilitation) of the sympathetic vasomotor center in the brainstem and/or the superior cervical ganglion may lead to changes in cerebral blood flow, including ischemia. (49-55) Because of the close association between the nervous and immune systems (the immune system recently has been reclassified as the neuroimmune system), upper cervical injuries affecting sympathetic function consequently may cause a cascade of non-favorable immune responses. (56-58) Among these are uncoordinated immune tissue responses (auto-immune responses) and the release of cortisol, which ultimately can result in decreased immune function.
It is likely that the five MS patients sustained injuries to their upper cervical spines (visualized on cervical radiographs) during spinal traumas they experienced. It is also likely that due to the injuries, through the mechanisms described previously, sympathetic malfunction occurred (measured by paraspinal digital infrared imaging), possibly causing decreases in cerebral blood flow. Consequently, because the nervous and immune systems are so closely intertwined, it is possible that CNS facilitation and cerebral ischemia could have stimulated an auto-immune response such as myelin destruction. According to the results of each of the five patients discussed in this report, it seems correction of the upper cervical injury not only stopped but also reversed the pathological processes involved in MS. However, few conclusions can be drawn from a small number of cases. Therefore, further research is recommended to study the link between trauma, the upper cervical spine, and neurological disease.
CONCLUSION
All five patients discussed in this report recalled experiencing head or neck trauma(s) prior to the onset of Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. In all five cases, evidence of upper cervical injury was found using paraspinal digital infrared imaging and upper cervical radiographs. After IUCCA upper cervical chiropractic care, all five cases reviewed revealed improvements in Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. In fact, correction of the five patients' upper cervical injuries appeared to stimulate a reversal in the progression of MS symptoms. To the author's knowledge, these are the first cases reported on this topic using thermal imaging and knee-chest adjustments since Palmer's research seventy years ago. Further investigation into upper cervical injury and resulting neuropathophysiology as a possible etiology or contributing factor to Multiple Sclerosis should be pursued.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Multiple Sclerosis and Upper Cervical Care: Case 5
Editor's Note: This is the sixth of a seven post series where I will be sharing five case reports on patients with MS that received upper cervical care and the results that occurred. The full article with all the reports can be read at length here.
CASE 5
History: This 43-year-old female first experienced symptoms of MS seven years ago. The symptoms included numbness in her legs, hands, and face, and lasted for two weeks. No further symptoms occurred until six years later with the onset of L'hermitte's Sign. Soon after L'hermitte's Sign began, this patient noticed loss of grip strength and a spasmodic curling of her left hand. After an MRI, she was diagnosed with MS. Because Lhermitte's Sign was present every time she nodded her head causing her pain, she began daily pain medications (neurontin). After the symptoms were constantly present for six months, she began upper cervical care.
Exam: During her initial (upper cervical) chiropractic exam, cervical flexion produced L'hermitte's Sign. Cervical extension and left rotation were reduced and painful. She reported constant tingling in her left arm, grip strength loss in her left hand, and weakness and pain in both forearms. She experienced aggravation of forearm pain while taking notes in class. As an avid martial arts participant, she expressed concern over her inability to perform push-ups in class due to exacerbation of L'hermitte's Sign. She also reported experiencing dizzy spells several times per day for many years. Cervical radiographs depicted right laterality of atlas. Computerized thermal imaging revealed thermal asymmetries of 0.5ºC.
Outcome: After the first upper cervical adjustment, this patient noted reduction in intensity of L'hermitte's Sign. By the end of two weeks of care, L'hermitte's Sign was noticeable only occasionally and no dizzy spells had occurred. After four weeks of care, this patient no longer reported experiencing any dizzy spells, arm pain, tingling, forearm weakness, or L'hermitte's Sign. Consequently, she reduced her pain medication dosage. In addition, she resumed taking notes in class and performing pushups in her martial arts class without pain or tingling.
Summary: This subject's symptoms were present constantly for six months prior to upper cervical care. With the intervention of (upper cervical) chiropractic care, symptoms were reversed either immediately or over one month's time.
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