How a Neck Injury Can Cause Low Back Pain

If you suffer from chronic low back pain or chronic body pain could it be coming from your neck! Have you had trauma to your upper neck and noticed that your whole body hurts or you are just more tired and stiff all over? Well why is that?! That’s what we are going to answer today! The paper that we are studying today is called “Dentate Ligament Cord Distortion Hypothesis” by John D Grostic, 1988 in the Chiropractic Research Journal.

The Upper Cervical spine, specifically the Atlas and Axis, give rise to 50% of the flexion/extension and Rotation right and left in your neck. The upper cervical spine is the most complex joint in the spine as it houses all of the nerves that go down from your brain out to your body. When the upper neck goes out of alignment, as it doesn’t have any boney locks like the rest of the spine, it shifts enough that it can compromise the SpinoCerebellar tract and Spinothalamic tract in your spinal cord. These nerve tracts are the largest nerve tracts in the spinal cord and they lay right next to the attachment sites of the Dentate ligaments to the spinal cord. An upper neck misalignment is a big problem because until someone carefully measures and corrects that misalignment, it can be causing direct spinal cord irritation. So if you know of someone that is struggling with chronic body pain or low back pain, getting their upper cervical spine checked may be an integral piece to getting their health back. Call today to find out more about what an initial evaluation in an upper cervical office may entail 802-441-5223.

You might wonder how the tiny little ligaments in the neck can cause such a big problem. They can cause such a big problem because those ligaments do a big job. The spinal cord is known to stretch up to 30mm in flexion and extension of the cervical spine. If the spinal cord isn’t attached safely and securely to keep it riding in the center of the spinal canal, that’s where the big problems can arise. If it were slightly off center, it would start to cause spinal irritation with movement. That exact problem is what Upper Cervical Chiropractic office see regularly. They often hear some of their patients say things like: “As long as I’m flat on my back or standing straight I don’t have a problem, but then when bend over I feel more pain.” That’s because that cord is being tugged around and pulled out of place. So if you know of someone that suffers from unexplainable body pain like that, let them know upper cervical chiropractic care might be able to help.

Since the spinal cord is comprised by this Dentate ligament traction, it can also cause a restriction in blood flow to the spinal cord. This is a huge problem because the blood flow brings energy and oxygen and takes away metabolic waste. So if the upper neck is out of alignment it can be slowly causing two problems: a direct spinal cord tract distortion, and a loss of blood to and from the spinal cord. If you know of someone that has had an injury to their cervical spine, it may be affecting the entire body, not just their neck. Call an upper cervical chiropractor today to find out how they can help.

We partner with Arete Chiropractic, Upper Cervical Specialists in Portsmouth, NH to provide subsidized Upper Cervical Chiropractic care through the Craniocervical Foundation to veterans, active duty military, and those in financial need. Call today to learn more!

802-441-5223

Neurodegenerative Conditions and the Upper Cervical Spine

Can the alignment of the bones in my upper neck prevent Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers, Parkinson's and Dementia?...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681798/pdf/NRI2015-794829.pdf

The paper we are reviewing this week is called “The role of the craniocervical junction in Craniospinal Hydrodynamics and Neurodegenerative Conditions. Well that’s a lot of big words, what do they all mean and how are they connected!? The Craniocervical Junction (CCJ), aka the Upper Cervical spine, is the joint between your head and your spine. This is important because all of the nerve signals between your brain and your body go through there and the blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) flow travels between the joint as well. The CCJ is comprised of the Base of the Skull or occiput, the Atlas or first Cervical vertebra, and the Axis or second cervical vertebra. What makes this joint different is that it doesn’t have a disc above it or below it and gives rise to approximately half of the Flexion and extension and left and right rotation in your neck. Therefore the joint is prone to injury as it is the most mobile joint in the spine but also the most unprotected as it is held together by ligaments, tendons, and muscles unlike the rest of the joints in the spine that have boney locks. 20% of the arterial fluid that travels to the brain travels up through the CCJ as well as when you are upright the venous drainage route of choice for the blood is through the vertebral venous plexous through the CCJ, not the larger jugular veins! This is important to understand because if the CCJ is misaligned at either ATLAS (C1) or AXIS (C2) it can create fluid imbalances in the brain which can be very bad. So If you experience feelings of pressure in the head or pounding or whooshing it might be something an Upper Cervical Chiropractor could help with by correcting the alignment of C1 or C2. We partner with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, NH to provide subsidized upper cervical chiropractic care to active duty military, veterans, and those in financial need. Call today to find out more 802-441-5223.

The fluid flow balance to the brain is very sensitive. When arterial blood travels up to the brain it is very carefully balanced by venous blood coming back down out of the skull through the Upper cervical spine or CCJ. This is also balanced by the CSF fluid leaving through the venous system as well. So all of this fluid is constantly moving based on heart beat rhythms, respiration or breathing, and movements of the rest of the body especially when going from standing up to laying down or inverting. When the blood leaves the skull it prefers to go through the vertebral plexus which can be an issue for some people backing up into the brain causing what is known as Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or (CCSVI) and this can in turn cause things like Multiple Sclerosis. Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to the brain so the brain balances the blood very carefully coming to it and going away because if blood isn’t getting to the brain we can have hypoxia or nutrient deficiency. As well going away from the brain if blood is getting away quickly enough it can cause pooling or build up of toxins in the blood which can injure brain tissue. The brain tissue is very sensitive to changes in environment so having the cervical spine which is a gatekeeper for the brain in good alignment can prevent any of these such build up of toxins or lack of nutrients. So if you know of someone suffering from Multiple sclerosis or a chronic neurodegenerative disease getting their neck checked by an Upper Cervical Specialist can be greatly helpful.

Finally the Cerebrospinal Fluid flow or CSF flow is a very important piece as well. The CSF can be obstructed by either a malformation of the CCJ or misalignment of C1 or C2. This can happen in cases of Chiari Malformations where the Cerebellar tonsils actually drop down into the foramen magnum at the base of the skull and into C1 which ends up rerouting CSF flow and can cause eddies and jets in the brain. This is bad for the brain tissue again as the tissue is very sensitive to changes in the environment. Alignment of C1 and C2 can greatly impact the CSF flow in these Chiari patients as there symptoms are a result of pressure imbalances and direct brainstem pressure. If you know of someone who struggles with Chirari malformation or malformations of the CCJ getting their upper Cervical spine checked can be a great help to their bodies function.

Personal Trainer Achieves Better Performance with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Haylee has been under care for nearly two years and has recovered from migraines, headaches, wrist pain, foot pain, neck pain and back pain. She is a personal trainer and knows the value of good alignment especially when lifting big weight and training hard for body competitions. Haylee has been able to achieve higher performance levels and feels more comfortable in her body by regularly keeping her head on straight through gentle upper cervical chiropractic care.

We partner with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, NH to provide subsidized Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care to active duty military, veterans, and those in financial need. Call us today to learn more or to schedule your first appointment 802-441-5223

Whiplash Injury with Shoulder Pain and Back Pain Helped with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Colin came into our office 8 weeks ago with headaches, left shoulder pain, and low back pain. He was in a car accident and was struck from behind while stopped in traffic by someone traveling 40mph. He felt fine for a few days, and then a week later developed symptoms of headaches, shoulder pain and lower back pain that were getting worse as the days went on. After a few weeks of specific upper cervical chiropractic care, Colin is back on track. His headaches have dissipated, his left shoulder pain and low back pain have all gone away!

If you have suffered from whiplash injuries getting checked out by an upper cervical chiropractor might be the answer you are looking for! We partner with Arete Chiropractic to provide subsidized Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care in the Seacoast area. Call us today at 802-441-5223

Treat Chronic Neck Pain and Cervical Instability with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Do you know someone that’s always complaining about their neck or cracks their neck to make it feel better? Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care might be just what you’ve been looking for. Our Partners, Arete Chiropractic are Upper Cervical Chiropractic Specialists in Portsmouth, NH. Check out the video below from Dr. Tyler Evans from Arete Chiropractic all about neck pain.

In the paper titled “Chronic neck pain: making the connection between capsular ligament laxity and cervical instability” the authors discuss chronic neck pain dysfunction, what causes it, and how it can be helped. Within the general population, about 30-50% of people suffer from a bout of neck pain at some point. Women over 50 make up the largest proportion of this statistic. One third of the population will have chronic neck pain which lasts longer than 6 months, and 5% of the population will become disabled from chronic neck pain. Traditional treatments for chronic neck pain these days include: NSAIDs, Narcotics, cervical collars, PT, rest, nerve blocks, manual therapy, and strengthening exercises. These traditional treatments tend to have short-term changes or results, but lasting, long-term changes are few and far between. In this paper, the writers propose that chronic neck pain and neck pain disability occur because of a ligament laxity and cervical instability from macro and micro trauma to the cervical spine ligaments, tendons and muscles. These traumas could include everything from whiplash associated disorders from a car accident, or a concussion from sports injury, all the way down to anterior head carriage from sitting at the desk all day. Upper cervical chiropractic care is very effective at stabilizing the spine after macro traumas and micro traumas a like, so if you are struggling with debilitating neck symptoms, give your local Upper Cervical Chiropractic office a call.

There are many reasons why the cervical spine is so susceptible to chronic instability. The upper cervical vertebra are the smallest bones in the spine and sit directly under the head which weights up to 10-12 lbs on average. The upper cervical spine is comprised of some of the most mobile joints in the spine, which is why you have a lot of mobility in your neck, but that also makes it more susceptible to injury. The upper cervical spine is held in place by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. When there are traumas to the upper cervical area, the ligaments and tendons that prevent too much motion become slightly unstable, causing the joints to move in unhealthy patterns. If this sounds like you, an Upper cervical chiropractic evaluation will be able to tell if you are a good candidate for care. Give us a call to find out more.

If your neck has become unstable from an acute injury like a whiplash, or from prolonged poor posture, the joints may be out of alignment in the upper cervical spine causing restricted range of motion, or clicking, popping, and grinding. These are all signs that the cervical spine is out of alignment, and possibly compensating from ligaments and soft tissue damage. In a specific upper cervical chiropractic office, they assess and analyze the spine to see if gentle, upper cervical corrections will be the best fit to allow the joints to heal. If you have seen someone grab their head and twist their neck until it pops that is the opposite of what is done in an Upper Cervical Chiropractic office. They work to find out what joint is the most affected and correct the alignment gently without any rotation so that the range of motion naturally returns and the joint heals and becomes strong again to prevent abnormal motion, and allow proper motion to return. If abnormal motion persists for long periods, the body will start to lay down bone to prevent abnormal motion, which is called arthritis, or degeneration. If you get to the problem early enough, Upper Cervical Chiropractic care actually prevent that degenerative process, and keep the ligaments, tendons, and muscles healthy and happy. If you are struggling with chronic neck pain and instability give us a call to see if you are a good candidate for Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. We will connect you to our partners at Arete Chiropractic who provide subsidized Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care to those in financial need, active military, and veterans.

Call today at (802) 441-5223

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25328557

You Can Improve Your Brain Function With Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic adjustments can help your brain function better! If you are looking to make big life changes in the new year, chiropractic care can be a great foundation to starting that process!

In 2016 Dr. Heidi Haavik released a paper titled “Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the prefrontal cortex: a brain source localization study.” The paper talks about how neural plastic changes have been shown after chiropractic adjustments. In the past, chiropractic studies have shown changes in the brain areas, specifically the primary sensory cortex, primary motor cortex, the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and the cerebellum. This is important because normally people seek out chiropractic care when they have neck pain, headaches, or low back pain. What this study is showing is that patients with these symptoms got adjusted, and a side effect to the adjustments was a 20% change in brain function after just one adjustment! That group was compared to a "sham" or "control" group that was not adjusted, which showed no change in brain function. If you are looking to help your body function better and improve brain health, chiropractic is a very effective tool. Give us a call today to find out more about how chiropractic can help your brain and body function better.

The brain is broken up into three main areas: the Cerebrum, the Cerebellum, and the Brainstem. The Cerebrum (the large sponge looking piece we normally think of) is the newest part of the brain and is where most summation of thought occurs and where our human consciousness, as we think of it, sits. The Cerebelllum (the small brain in the lower, back portion) is where movement is coordinated and learned skills and habits come from. The brainstem (the little stalk at the bottom and the deepest, oldest part of the brain) is what controls all of the automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, and digestion. They are all very important but what this study did was to localize where the largest change happens after an adjustment. What the study found was the Pre-frontal cortex (which is right behind our forehead and is the area in charge of thought and consciousness) is where the largest shifts happened in brain function after the adjustment. That’s profound considering most people go to the chiropractor just to help their stiff low back or the neck pain! If you are looking to take control of your life in the new year and improve your ability to focus, improve brain function, and get your health back on track - chiropractic care can help with more that just neck pain. It can literally help “get your head back on straight”.

The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military. Call us today to find our more (802) 441-5223

“Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the prefrontal cortex: a brain source localization study.” Heidi Haavik 2016

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2016/3704964/

Blair Upper Cervical Care can Help with High Blood Pressure

Is your neck causing your High Blood Pressure?!

Recently a study published titled “Atlantoaxial misalignment causes High Blood Pressure in rats: a novel hypertension model,” was published by acupuncturists in China. These acupuncturists do Chinese Medicine which includes ways to lower high blood pressure via manual manipulation to the upper cervical spine. What they have found over the years is that patients with neck pain and stiffness often have high blood pressure and when they manipulate the upper cervical spine, they notice normalization of high blood pressure. So naturally they wanted to study the relationship and find a description for why that’s happening. We partner with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic specialists, Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, NH to provide Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. We also see this same result in that practice where a patient comes in with hypertension and after years of diet and exercise modification or medication, they still have high blood pressure. After 8 weeks of upper cervical chiropractic care their blood pressure will stabilize. This doesn’t happen with every patient and it isn’t always a 100% fix. But we believe that if it helps, every one that is struggling with high blood pressure should be checked for upper cervical misalignment. If you are struggling to balance hypertension give your local Upper Cervical Chiropractic office a call today.

In the study they took rats, which have similar anatomy and physiology to humans in the upper cervical spine, and measured their blood pressure before intervention and again after. Before the intervention, the rats had normal systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Then they inserted a 6mm staple in the upper neck to misalign the bones and found post intervention an immediate shift toward hypertension. They waited a few days and took the staples out and low and behold their blood pressure came back down. Now what they found was that it's not necessarily a bone on an artery that causes the problem by kinking off the blood flow to the brain. They did that study with rabbits, pulling on the artery into the brain and found that there wasn’t a significant change. What they found in this study was that changing the position of the bones in the upper neck caused the Superior Cervical Ganglia (SCG) to over fire into the brain causing Norepinephrine (NE) to increase and Acetylcholine (Ach) to decrease in the blood stream. This neurobiochemical interaction is what caused the rats to have increased blood pressure! This is very important to remember because STRUCTURE dictates FUNCTION. If we know that misaligning the upper cervical bones can cause problems in blood pressure who knows what other poor neurobiochemical pathways are being turned on and what pathways might be turned off!?

If you or someone you know is struggling to manage blood pressure through conventional means of diet, exercise, and medication, Upper Cervical Chiropractic care may be an effective tool for getting things under control. Call us today to find out more. 802-441-5223

Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care Impact on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371115/

The paper linked above titled: “Effects of Upper and Lower Cervical Spinal Manipulative Therapy on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in Volunteers and Patients with Neck Pain: A Randomized controlled cross over preliminary study” was designed to test a connection between neck pain, Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Blood Pressure (BP), and Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT).

The results of the study showed a significant decrease in neck pain after upper and lower cervical SMT, as well as changes in BP. The Craniocervical Foundation provides subsidized Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care to active military, veterans, and those in financial need. We partner with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic specialists, Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, NH to provide those services. In their office, neck and back pain are the most common complaints patients report. They correct the patients’ Upper Cervical Spine and see changes throughout their whole body, not just their neck. The changes in how their whole body functions happen because the nervous system is the master control. If you know of someone that is experiencing whole body dysfunction, getting their nervous system checked by an Upper Cervical Chiropractor is a great place to start. Call us today to find out more.

Why is the cervical spine and the nervous system so important? The answer is in how the Nervous system is broken up. There are two main branches to the Nervous system: the Central or CNS, and the Peripheral or PNS. The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord and this is the master control of the body. The PNS is made up of the nerves that come out of the spinal cord and brain and direct function to the extremities, torso, muscles, and organs of the body. The PNS is then broken down into the Autonomic System which is our basic Automatic control of organ function and reflexes. This Autonomic system is often known as the “Fight or Flight” and the “Rest and Digest”. Studying the Autonomic system is very helpful in showing how well the body is functioning. In this paper, neck pain was reduced by adjusting the cervical spine while simultaneously seeing changes in HRV and BP. Call us today to find out more about the alignment of your spine. 802-441-5223

What is HRV and why does BP change when the cervical spine is adjusted? Heart Rate Variability is measured in the intervals between heart beats. It is the shape and length of the QRS wave, which is the one beat of the Heart Rate. Spread across time you can measure the heart beats against each other for many different qualities, but the goal is to have a regularly changing heartbeat. If the heart beat is the same every time, that is what we call a pattern of pathophysiology or bad physiology that can set the body up for a problem. In chiropractic, we are always trying to make the body adapt better, and measuring a thing like HRV allows us to tell if we are making good changes in the nervous system. Finally, Blood Pressure or BP is influenced by Autonomic nuclei in the cervical spine, as well as the Vagus nerve, which has a neurological link to the cervical spine. There have been studies that have shown good sustained change in Hypertensive patients as well as Hypotensive patients with gentle, specific, upper cervical corrections. If you are interested in finding out how to get your body back on track, getting your nervous system checked by an Upper Cervical Chiropractor is a great start. Call us today!

Eagle Syndrome Diagnosed with 3D Printing

“The role of 3D printing technology in the diagnosis of Eagle Syndrome.”

Journal of Medicine 2018

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5895411/

Eagle syndrome, or Stylohyoid Syndrome, refers to a process in which the Stylohyoid ligament, which extends off the Styloid process at the base of the skull, below the ear, can harden and calcifi into bone. This syndrome was first described in 1937 by an Otorhinolaryngologist, Watt Weems Eagle, which is why it’s called Eagle Syndrome (If you were wondering). Why are we talking about this paper? Eagle syndrome is not well understood. Basically, Eagle Syndrome is diagnosed when a patient describes dizziness, throat or jaw pain, problems swallowing or speaking, and a hardening upon palpation of the Stylohyoid ligament. If you, or someone you know, has been diagnosed with Eagle Syndrome, an Upper Cervical Chiropractor is a specialist that can take a look at the relationship between the symptoms and the structure in the neck without invasive drugs or surgery. Call to set up an Upper Cervical Chiropractic examination today.

Upper Cervical Chiropractors specialize in balancing the relationship between the skull the atlas vertebra. What we find is that the Atlas or C1 vertebra sits directly behind the Styloid process and can compress nerves and blood vessels when it is out of alignment. Upper Cervical chiropractors work to balance C1 so that the pressure from misalignment pushing on soft tissue in-between C1 and the styloid process is released. As upper cervical specialists, we look at how the structure can be causing problems in the soft tissue. This can be helpful, as Eagles syndrome is often looked at as more of a genetic problem, or one that demands surgery to remove the elongated styloid, which may not even be the problem. In the paper above, a CT scan was taken of a patient’s head and neck, to then 3D print the structure so that the surgeons could study the position of the calcified ligament before they cut it out. This is a very interesting use of 3D printing. Surgery and medications to relieve dizziness, and jaw or throat pain, can have negative side effects. So, if you are looking for conservative options and you have been diagnosed with Eagle Syndrome. give your local upper cervical chiropractic specialist a call today. The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military.

802-441-5223

Blair Upper Cervical Care and Concussion from Impact to Chest

“Concussion with primary impact to the chest and the potential role of neck tension.”

Journal of Open Sport and Exercise Medicine 2018

https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000362

Most papers in the past have focused on direct blows to the head when researching concussion. There have been a handful of papers that linked stretching of the soft tissue in the brainstem in the Craniocervical Junction (CCJ) to concussion. This paper studies impact to the chest and estimates the strain put on the CCJ. The CCJ or Upper Cervical Spine can be a major component of Concussion and why Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS) symptoms don’t seem to resolve. If you had a concussion over 30 days ago and are still experiencing concussion-like symptoms, that is what’s called PCS. This is a sign that the CCJ or upper cervical spine might be involved. Upper Cervical Chiropractors focus directly on analyzing and correcting the misalignment of the Atlas and Axis (or C1 and C2 vertebra) to bring proper fluid flow and nervous system balance, as well as structural balance back to the head, neck, and whole body. Gentle, vectored correction to the upper cervical spine might be the solution for what’s holding you back from health. Call an upper cervical specialist today to find out more.

In this study, impact testing was done to the chest of a helmeted and unhelmeted Anthropomorphic Testing Device (ATD), which is basically a test dummy. They also reconstructed two National Football League (NFL) collisions, which resulted in concussions of the players from live footage. Lastly, they tested a Finite Element (FE) model to estimate the stretching of the cervical spine under tensile and flexion loading conditions. They found that the helmeted ATD had a 40% increase in neck tensile force and an 8% increase in neck flexion angle compared to the unhelmeted ATD. From this data, the researchers concluded that strain in the upper cervical spine and the upper cervical spinal cord from neck tension is a factor in concussion. So, if you have been struggling with health problems like brain fog, fatigue, head pain, dizziness, and neck pain since a concussion incident; whether it was from a hit to the head, whiplash, or a hit to another part of the body, getting your Upper Cervical Spine assessed by an upper cervical specialist might be the next step to regaining your health. The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military.

Call today at 802-441-5223 to find out more.

Bed Wetting in Children Helped with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic management of primary nocturnal enuresis. JMPT 1994

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7884329

In this paper linked above, a chiropractic study was done at the Palmer Chiropractic Institute in Davenport Iowa on the management of 46 children with Primary Nocturnal Enuresis for 10 weeks. Primary Nocturnal Enuresis means children with consistent bed wetting incidents more than 2 times per week after the age of five that has never gone away. Secondary Enuresis would be if it came on and then went away for 6 months and then came on again. In the 10 week study, 25% of the children achieved a 50% or greater reduction in bed wetting incidents. Statistics say that approximately 5-7 million children suffer from chronic bed wetting. At age 5, it’s approximately 10-15% of the population, by age 8 that number goes down to 6-8%, and by age 15 years old it goes down to 1-2% of the children. It tends to affect boys more than girls. So if your child is suffering from this problem Chiropractic care can be a gentle and safe treatment option to give children their lives back. The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military. Give us a CALL TODAY to set up an initial evaluation.

You may be wondering what chiropractic care has to do with bed wetting. Chiropractic is a safe gentle means to balance the Nervous System. The Nervous system can be broken down into two parts: #1 the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM or CNS, which is the brain and spinal cord; and #2 the PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM or PNS, which is the rest of the nerves that come off the CNS and go to EVERY SINGLE ORGAN TISSUE AND CELL IN THE BODY. The PNS can be broken down into more parts. One of them is the Autonomic Nervous System or ANS, which consists of the PARASYMPATHETIC and SYMPATHETIC nervous system (also called the fight or flight), and the rest and digestive systems. The ANS is what regulates and controls homeostasis and normal organ function in the body like: DIGESTION, BLADDER CONTROL, REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM CONTROL, HEART RATE, LUNG CAPACITY, BREATHING, and many more systems.

So how can chiropractic help? The centers for the sympathetic system are located along the spinal cord in the mid spine and the parasympathetic centers are located in the brainstem and sacral plexus of nerves in the low back and pelvis. So if a child has had spinal misalignment from a very early age, it can create abnormal nerve flow which can cause dysfunction of the balance and control of organs like the bladder. These spinal misalignments might be from a traumatic birth process, stress in the womb, or through accidents that may have happened while learning to walk and crawl. Chiropractic is a gentle and safe way to realign the spine to balance the nervous systems of children. To see if your child is a good candidate for care CALL US today.

What are the other treatment options for chronic bed wetting? The paper titled Management of Primary Nocturnal Enuresis (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722619/ Pediatric Child Health 2005) talks about medications, behavioral therapy, and bed wetting alarms as the main treatment options. What the paper briefly mentions are the side effects of the medications which include things like headaches, constipation, and decline in mental health in children. All of those side effects are things all parents would want to avoid. There are some positive responses with the behavioral therapy along with the bed wetting alarm. Interestingly, chiropractic is not mentioned at all in the paper above, even though we see significant changes in bed wetting patterns in children quite often within the chiropractic profession. So if this is something your family is struggling with, give us a call at 802-441-5223 to find out more about how chiropractic can help.

Reflex control of the spine and posture: A Literature Review

Reflex control of the spine and posture: a review of the literature from a chiropractic perspective. Journal of Chiropractic and Osteopathy, 2015

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1198239/

Chiropractic was founded on the idea that the nervous system controls and regulates all of the systems of the body, so if the nervous systems ability to function is interrupted then the systems of the body start to lose function. Most of the literature in chiropractic discusses this direct nervous system, brain to body, connection to health. The link above is to a review of the literature on the interactions of postural reflexes and how they influence the balance of the body from a chiropractic perspective. The objective of this paper is to define how posture plays an important role in maintaining the health of the body via direct reflexive control systems that rarely get talked about in the chiropractic profession. This set of direct postural reflexes control the alignment of the body in the earth’s gravity environment all day long and are constantly running in the background. What chiropractors tend to find is that when the posture goes into an abnormal state with one shoulder higher than the other, head tilt to one side, and hips rotated and higher than another with a functional short leg the physiology of the human body is greatly affected. Once this abnormal posture sets in, the nervous system breaks down and dysfunction begins to show up in the body. This is what Upper Cervical chiropractors work to fix. If you are noticing that your posture is taking a turn for the worst, an initial evaluation with an upper cervical chiropractor will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for care. The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military. Call to set up an evaluation today.

9.8 m/sec^2, the force of gravity, is a constant force down upon the human body from the day we are born until we leave the earth. This resistance is pivotal to the growth and development of the human frame. We develop spinal curve in the womb; as we start to grow our spines take on a C shaped curve. Then when we are born we start to develop a curve in the cervical spine when we lift and hold our heads up, then we develop our lumbar curve when we learn to crawl and walk. These curves and the shape of the human spine gives structure to our bodies to resist gravity but that’s only half the story. Our nervous system has to then hold our structure up in gravity by constantly having checks and balances that tell us how to move and how to react to a dynamic environment to maintain a constant postural state and erect posture. These checks and balances include three major systems: the Vestibular (or inner ear) system, the Visual system, and the Mechanoreceoptive system in the; muscles, ligaments, tendons, and facet joints. These systems also talk to each other through the Vestibulo-ocular, vestibulo-cervical, occulo-cervical, and cervico-collic reflexes. All of these checks and balances are constantly sending afferent information to the brain about where your head is in space, how your head movement has changed the position of your trunk and how your trunk movement has changed the position of the head. What’s really fascinating is that they all work independently of each other but they also all need each other to keep the body truly balanced in a dynamic, gravity environment. So when someone is struggling with a multitude of chronic health issues whether it is a digestive issue or an issue with Migraines they could have a similar origin in the postural control center of the body. Getting your upper cervical spine checked by an Upper Cervical Chiropractor is the first step to correcting posture. Call us today for more information.

Lastly the Upper Cervical Spine is the most dense area of postural reflexive control of the whole system. The first reason is that the vestibulocular, and spinocerebellar tracts of nerves in the spinal cord have direct connections to the upper cervical spine so when it is out of place it can affect the whole body’s posture. The second reason is that the upper Cervical spine has the the largest density of proprioceptors in the spine; meaning the largest amount of tiny gps muscle receptors that tell the brain how the body is balanced above the neck and below. If your Upper Cervical Spine is out of alignment, it could be shifting more than just bones. It could be setting up negative postural reflex patterns that wear and tear on your body’s joints, and your nervous system’s ability to communicate between the brain and the body. Don’t hesitate to call your local Upper Cervical Chiropractor if you are noticing that you are begin to develop poor posture and your spine seems out of alignment. Call us today for a thorough neurologic exam, and chiropractic assessment to get your posture back on track and your health on point.

802-441-5223

Facial Nerve Pain and Upper Cervical Care

Trigeminal Neuralgia and Chiropractic Care: A Case Report.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921783/

Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. The paper linked above is a case report of a chiropractor who treated a patient who suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) for 7.5 years. The patient was a 68 year old female that had reported to the Chiropractor that it was her last straw and that she was all out of options, having treated with Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, pain medications, and anti-seizure medications for pain control. She treated off and on with the chiropractor for 18 months, and while under chiropractic care, she reported a decrease in overall symptoms and at times a near resolution of symptoms while she was following the Chiropractors treatment protocol. The sensation she was having ranged anywhere from electrical shocks on one side of her face, to hot burning water, to bugs crawling across her skin. She did not obtain long term relief with any of the treatment options other than the chiropractic manipulation. If you are experiencing Trigeminal Neuralgia pain, chiropractic care may be able to help. An initial evaluation with a Chiropractor may be able to uncover some Upper Cervical problems that may be contributing to, or directly causing Trigeminal Neuralgia. The Craniocervical Foundation partners with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who are Upper Cervical specialists, to provide subsidized care to those in financial need, military veterans, or active duty military. Call to set up an evaluation today.

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) has been termed the “Suicide Pain”. The patient in this study described the pain as sharp, sudden, severe, but brief stabbing, recurrent pain. The pain is in the distribution of the fifth cranial nerve. The risk of developing the problem, or the prevalence for TN is 1/1000 for men and 2/1000 for women. The Incidence of TN is 4/1000 for men and 6.5/1000 for women. TN is approximately twice as common in females as males. Primary care physicians will encounter TN 4 times in a 35-year career and chiropractors even less, as stated by this paper. Upper Cervical Chiropractors who specialize in correcting misalignment in the C1 and C2 vertebra tend to see it more than what was reported here because of the chiropractic speciality. TN pain can be activated by a sensitization of the Trigeminal Nucleus, found just behind the Temporomandibular Joint in the skull. Patients that visit Upper Cervical Chiropractors often report more problems with their Upper Cervical Spine and craniocervical junction (which includes the bas of the skull). Therefore, TN comes up more frequently. The nucleus of the Trigmeninal nerve can get activated via the Trigeminocervical nucleus found in the Upper Cervical Spine, which has a direct nerve connection to the spinal nerves that arise at C1, C2, and C3 in the Upper Cervical Spine. Upper Cervical Chiropractors gently assess and realign C1 and C2 under the skull, to decrease the stimulus into the Trigeminocervical nucleus which fires up into the nerves in the face. If there has been trauma to the Upper Cervical spine via head and neck injuries, or repetitive poor posture from sitting at a desk for years, it can be a contributing factor or a causative factor of TN. So if this sounds like you, call an upper cervical specialist to be checked for Upper Cervical misalignment.

The treatment options for TN include Physical Therapy, medications like carbamazepine, gabapentin, pregabalin, and tricyclic antidepressants for pain. If these treatments don’t work to reduce the pain, usually the next step is decompression or compression of the nerve via surgery, or radiofrequency ablation of the nerve by burning it. This paper showed good success when treatment was consistent with manual manipulation of the Upper Cervical spine. So why not try a specialist in the Upper Cervical spine? Call us today! (802) 441-5223

Malformations of the Craniocervical Junction and Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

This week Dr. Evans, an Upper Cervical Specialist at Arete Chiropractic, reviewed a research article titled “Malformations of the Craniocervical Junction Chiari Type 1 and Syringomyelia: (Classification, Diganosis, and Treatment.)” published in 2009 in the Journal of Muskuloskeletal Disorders. Arete Chiropractic is our partner, providing subsidized upper cervical chiropractic care in the Seacoast area. A link to the article is below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2796052/

Chiari syndrome was first described in 1883 by Cleland and was given its present day description by Chiari in 1891. By the mid 1970’s the term Chiari began to be used by the medical field to describe the condition.

Chiari Syndrome is understood to be a malformation of the Craniocervical junction (CCJ) or the Upper Cervical spine in which the developmental tissue doesn’t form properly. In most cases the Cerbellum has tonsils that descend down through the hole at the base of the skull called the Foramen Magnum (FM). In the worst cases some of the brain stem descends as well into the FM and it is accompanied by Hydrocephaluas, and Syringomyelia. Patients experience recurring head pain, cervical pain, and spasticity of the lower limbs. These are all symptoms that patients see results with every day in Upper Cervical Chiropractic offices. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it can help to have an upper cervical specialist examine you.

Chiari type 1 is noteworthy because it is the most common type and can be very life threatening. Syringomyelia, which accompanies the Cerebellar Tonsilar Ectopia (CTE) of a Chiari type 1, means REED or FLUTE like spinal cord. This is slightly more prevalent in females and can be found in children at birth all the way up to 60 years of age, but not often over people of 65 years. The average age of diagnosis is between 25-45 years old. So if you have been diagnosed recently and you haven’t had your upper cervical spine checked contact the Craniocervical Foundation

Treatment is broken down into surgical and non surgical. Surgical treatment includes removal of the bone of the occiput base of the skull or the back of C1 vertebra to remove pressure off the spinal cord and brainstem. 83% of patients see relief with this surgery of some sort. However, there is a 2% mortality rate associated with this as the brainstem controls breathing and heart rate and a whole host of internal functions. When the bone that supports the brain is removed it does have the potential to create a lot of problems for the body. Non surgical treatment included electrical stimulation to override the pain sensations in the nerves, but there was little evidence to support this. There was more evidence to support pain medication to relieve the headaches, neck pain, and other symptoms, however they are not that effective and can have side effects. The last options the paper discussed were things like Occupational Therapy and Physical therapy to help regain movement in the body, as well as Craniosacral Osteopathy. This is where an Upper Cervical specialist could step in as well and assess the area of the Chiari symptoms for misalignment. At Arete Chiropractic, the providers hold advanced certifications in evaluation and treatment of the craniocervical junction. If the upper Cervical spine is out of alignment it can compress the soft tissue even more. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or feel that Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care could be a solution for you, Call today 802-441-5223

Recovery from Head Trauma with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Bob came in 6 months ago and was suffering from headaches, neck pain, midback pain, low back pain, numbness and tingling in his hands and ringing in the ears or tinnitus. The Craniocervical Foundation (CCF) was a good fit for Bob because he had a bad head trauma when he was working construction a few years back. This impacted his work and leisure activities. He would have a hard time keeping his pack on his back comfortably while hiking, and his arms would go numb at his desk at work. He also reported that his tinnitus would increase around stress.

Bob didn't want the neck pain, back pain and headaches to be his new normal, so he checked out the CCF. Under the CCF Bob was able to make a near full recovery in less than 6 months under Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care with our partners Arete Chiropractic . Now he can actually hike comfortably on long hikes with his pack and not even think about it. The numbness and tingling in his hands is much better, the ringing in his ears is nearly gone and his headaches, neck pain, and back pain are a thing of the past!

If you are dealing with any of these conditions and you would like to see if we can help reach out today!

802-441-5223 INFO@CRANIOCERVICALFOUNDATION.ORG

Full Recovery from Whiplash Injury with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Post-traumatic upper cervical subluxation visualized by MRI: a case report

Journal of Chiropratic and Osteopathy. 2007 Dec 19;15:20.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18093309

In this paper we follow a 21-year-old female that was in a head-on collision where a truck traveling at 55mph struck the front left corner of her car while she was going 45 mph. The female patient was knocked unconscious as the speeds of the collision are added together and come out to roughly a 100mph accident! That energy travels directly through the car and into your body. This is why an Upper Cervical Chiropractic specialist should be consulted directly after a patient is cleared for fractures and serious soft tissue injury.

Paramedics rushed her to the Emergency Room where they proceeded to take x-rays of her neck (2D of bone) and a CT of her neck (3D of bone). The reports came back negative. She didn’t have any fractures or large tears or bleeds that they could see so they gave her a referral for a neurologist whom she saw quickly and sent her home with migraine medication.

Fast forward to two days after the car accident, her head and neck pain is a 9 on a scale of 1-10, and she is suffering from dizziness and incredible restriction in her neck. The chiropractor checks her spine by checking range of motion and doing orthopedic exams, which find a positive Valsalva test and some positive neurologic findings. The chiropractor noticed that the muscles in the patient’s neck were very stiff and that something wasn’t quite adding up. The Chiropractor took flexion/extension x-rays to look for soft tissue injuries in the cervical spine and those came back negative. So next he referred her out for an MRI of the Cervical spine and found a Syrinx (central spinal cord injury) from C2-C7, a left alar ligament with a left lateral translation of C1 vertebra under the occiput (Because the Alar ligament checks lateral movement of C1), and a Myodural bridge injury between the sub occipital muscle called the Rectus Capitus Posterior Minor (RCPMi) and the spinal cord (because RCPMi) was in spasm. Sometimes it takes a great investigator to get to the bottom of what’s happening in a cervical whiplash injury. Upper Cervical chiropractors are great at getting to the bottom of these types of problems!

Immediately the Chiropractor gently corrected the position of C1 and put the patient on a care plan of three visits per week for six weeks. At the end of six weeks the patient had a 75% reduction in symptoms. After six months under conservative Chiropractic care the patient had a complete resolution of symptoms! So if you have been struggling with symptoms like headaches, dizziness, neck pain, or low back pain after a whiplash accident, reach out to the closest Upper Cervical Chiropractor to you!

Our partners, Arete Chiropractic are located in Portsmouth, NH. They are hosting a Dinner with Doc on Whiplash on September 27 at 6:30pm at the Atlantic Grill in Rye, NH. To find out more about them or to RSVP to the dinner, they can be reached here:

(603) 380-9184 Office@aretechiro.com www.aretechiro.com

Whiplash Injuries Treatment and Recovery with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

In the united states whiplash is the most common injury associated with car accidents. It affects up to 83% of the population and costs patients $3.9 billion annually in medical bills. However, if you total the litigation fees, it totals up to $29 billion.

Today we are reviewing a paper that was published in 2008 titled “Whiplash: Diagnosis, treatment, and associated injuries.” in the journal Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. This study is a review of 485 articles on Whiplash and Whiplash associated disorders.

In 1995 The Quebec Task Force met and created a grading and classification system to Whiplash injuries:

Grade 0: No complaint about the neck. No physical signs of injury.

Grade 1: Neck complaint of pain stiffness or tenderness only. No physical signs.

Grade 2: Neck complaint and Musculoskeletal signs including decreased range of motion and pain or tenderness.

Grade 3: Neck complaint and neurological signs including decreased or absent Deep Tendon Reflex’s weakness and sensory deficits.

Grade 4: Neck complaint and fracture or dislocation.

There are some controversies in how to diagnose, treat, and give a prognosis for whiplash injuries. Patients also report their injuries in a wide variety of ways, and in many cases it can be hard to find diagnostic criteria to prove the problem. The diagnosis of whiplash associated disorders is grounded in the clinical findings of Headache, Neck pain or stiffness, arm pain and numbness or tingling, TMJ pain, Visual disturbances, memory and concentration problems and psychological distress. Patients may also experience Psycho-social symptoms like depression, fear, anger, hypochondriasis, and anxiety.

There will often be findings from imaging, such as xrays, that accompany whiplash injuries like preexisting degenerative disc or joint disease in the cervical spine or a loss of the normal cervical curve, known as the lordotic curve. Some studies suggest that part of the problem with whiplash is the joints in the cervical spine are actually misaligned and become hypomobile, or stuck out of place and that early mobilization or correction of the alignment can improve motion and help to speed recovery.

The paper described factors that may delay recovery like: age, sex, and preexisting cervical spine conditions. We see that whiplash associated disorders appear more in patients that are older in age, more females than men (due to the physical size of the neck and the structures in it), and those without the proper curve in their neck, before the accident.

Some of the studies suggest that symptoms persist in 25-40% of patients after one year. Another study showed that 7 years post injury, 40% of patients were still suffering from Whiplash Associated Disorder symptoms.

Click the link below to see the paper discussed here. And feel free to watch Dr. Evans’ from our partners, Arete Chiropractic, Facebook live video, too!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684148/

Arete Chiropractic is hosting a Dinner with Doc on Whiplash on September 27th at 6:30 at the Atlantic Grill in Rye, NH. This would be a great opportunity to meet the doctors and to hear about Whiplash injuries and recovery, and to learn more about Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care. Dinner is free! If you or someone you know are suffering from whiplash associated disorders or symptoms like: neck pain, headache, numbness or tingling, loss of range of motion in the neck and jaw pain, Upper Cervical chiropractic care may be an option to help recover. Check out the EVENT on Facebook or call 603.380.9184 to reserve your seat today!

Incredible Improvement of Meniere's Disease and Stoke Symptoms with Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

We met George in February of 2018. He had suffered a stroke in 1993 and had been suffering from neck pain, throbbing headaches in the back of the head, decreased range of motion in the neck, numbness in his left foot, and left arm weakness. George also said that his head felt heavy and that he had a hard time holding it up. Back in January of 2017 George had started to develop what are known as "drop attacks" while traveling and flying on a plane. Drop attacks are episodes that can include: vertigo, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. These attacks would leave him exhausted with little to no energy, as well as hearing loss in both ears. By the time he came into our office, he was having a drop attack every three to four days. Some of what he was experiencing was from his stroke, although he also had been told that he may have Meniere's Disease. He was given a medication called meclizine to help manage the drop attacks. They were occurring more and more frequently and the effect of the meclizine was wearing off faster and faster. Things had progressed to the point that George couldn’t go out any more, never knowing when the next drop attack would be.

His daughters did some research online and found that Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care can help reduce the symptoms of some Meniere's cases. George and his daughters decided it was time to try something different. During the initial evaluation, we measured George's posture, range of motion in his neck, balance, arm strength, and spinal misalignment in his upper cervical spine. By analyzing these tests and exams, we came up with best way to balance George's upper neck gently and carefully with a vectored correction. After his first correction, his energy increased, his balance improved, he had no more nausea, his neck pain decreased and his hearing started to return. Even his walking and standing gate had improved.

Over six months of Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care, George has only received four upper cervical corrections. He is back to enjoying gardening, he has been able to return to work, has stopped taking his meclizine, his walking gate is more balanced, and his energy is back. What's more, he just got back from a vacation with his daughters where he flew on a plane without drop attacks or issues!

In the image below you can even see that over time, he was able to stand with his feet closer together. Look at the difference between his initial posture picture in February (on the left) and his latest posture picture taken in August(on the right). George's story is incredible and inspiring.

If you know of someone suffering from Meniere's disease, or related symptoms of vertigo nausea, vomiting, headaches or neck pain, upper cervical chiropractic care may be able help! We partner with Arete Chiropractic in Portsmouth New Hampshire to provide subsidized Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care for active military, veterans, or those in financial need. Make your first appointment today!

Whiplash Injuries Explained

In an age where we relish our independence and freedom, more and more people not only own a vehicle, but we're spending lots of time in them! Which means more car accidents! Whiplash is the most commonly reported injury from motor vehicle accidents, and they are on the rise. Today we are looking at some current literature on rear-end motor vehicle whiplash accidents and the associated disorders and injuries.

In The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, a paper was published in 2016 titled "Whiplash associated disorders: occupant kinematics and neck morphology" (see link below).  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27690838. This paper is the culmination of thirty years of research and attempts to prevent whiplash injuries. 

The term "whiplash" is often actually somewhat misused. This study states that it has been confused with the description of the symptomatology, when it’s actually the description of the type of injury. So when someone complains of whiplash, it’s actually whiplash associated disorders or WAD. 

Let's talk about what happens to the head and neck with a whiplash injury. In the first phase, the head and upper neck move backward and flex downward, hyper-extending the lower neck and pushing the torso forward. This creates an unnatural S curve shape of the cervical spine which can injury the ligaments, tendons, muscles, joints, bones, and nerves. In the second phase, the head moves backwards behind the torso and the cervical spine, decelerating in cervical extension to the point that the joints in the cervical spine are taken to the limit of their ranges of motion and often slightly beyond. Finally, the head returns to what will now be its new normal positioning over the cervical spine as the momentum and force has left the body (See Figure 1 below). Whiplash is more common in females, or people with smaller neck bones and muscles because the size and thickness of the structures can actually prevent some of the injury components.

Preexisting conditions of the cervical curve (or lack thereof) can be somewhat of a predictor for injury during an accident. A "lordotic" or C-shaped cervical curve is important in handling stresses and traumas on the body as it acts like a shock absorber. However, if someone has a preexisting misaligned spine with either a straightening of the cervical curve or a kyphotic (backwards) curve, a whiplash type injury can create instability from the forces being displaced in a pathological pattern during the moment of the accident (see Figure 2 below).   https://idealspine.com/your-neck-curvature-will-help-you-or-hurt-you-if-youre-involved-in-a-car-crash/

This paper gives a great synopsis of whiplash associated disorders.  You can learn more about this paper by watching Dr. Evan's Facebook live video HERE. If you or someone you know has recently been in a rear end whiplash type accident then they could benefit from an assessment by an Upper Cervical Chiropractor. Meet our Upper Cervical Chiropractic partners, Arete Chiropractic at Dinner with Doc on Whiplash event September 27 at the Atlantic Grill in Rye, NH! A complimentary dinner is included. Reserve your seat today by calling the office at 603-380-9184 or by visiting their Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/303242203766079/

Figure 1

Figure 2

Neck and Back Pain from a Herniated Disc Helped with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

At the Craniocervical Foundation, we're concerned with spinal health and specialize in Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. We also love research on the subject and are always looking for research studies and case reports to stay informed. An article was published in 1998 in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics by Dr. Krik Eriksen titled "Management of Cervical Disc Herniation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care".

This paper is a case report of one patient with severe cervical pain due to a cervical disc herniation. Up to this point this was the first paper that tracked the progression of a patient with a Cervical Disc Herniation of the Nucleus Pulposus and chiropractic care.

The patient was a 34-year-old male with severe neck and lower back pain. He rated the pain a 10 out of 10 (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst). This was also rated at 76% on the Neck Pain Disability Index Questionnaire. The scale is designed to show how the neck pain has affected the patient's ability to manage their everyday activities, 0% being no issues with daily function and 100% being complete inability to function. The patient had been under medical care for one year and has exhausted conservative medical treatment with Physical Therapy. He had the cervical disc herniation confirmed using a MRI and with Needle EMG.

After the first correction to the patient’s upper cervical spine, his neck pain was substantially lower. After one month of care he reported only a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale as well as a 26% on the neck pain disability index questionnaire, which was a significant improvement. Also he had a needle EMG that reported his neurologic findings had resolved. One year into care, he had only needed to be adjusted two times and his symptoms were still all clear and confirmed from another needle EMG by the medical doctor.

This is only one case report, but it does show that there may be some link between upper cervical spinal instability and lower cervical spine instability as both his neck and lower back pain were drastically reduced through Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care, and that that relationship should be investigated further. 

You can read the case study for yourself here:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9467101

Interested in knowing more about Upper Cervical Chiropractic care? Call or email us for more information about the Craniocervical Foundation and our partners Arete Chiropractic.