What is Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care?
What is Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care in general, and an upper cervical (neck) focus in particular, emphasizes the improvement of total body function rather than the treatment of diseases or symptoms. We are concerned with symptoms as indicators of underlying problems; however, the absence of disease does not necessarily mean optimum health. Many debilitating diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes have no symptoms at first, but become serious if left untreated. We do not diagnose or treat disease. Our focus is to correct the cause of a condition rather than to simply treat its symptoms.
Upper cervical chiropractic is an area of expertise within chiropractic health care. After extensive additional training, a doctor of chiropractic may focus in upper cervical care, just as a medical doctor may choose a specialty. As with other specialties, care under the upper cervical chiropractor is more complex and quite unique.
Upper cervical care is specifically concerned with the two vertebrae directly under the skull. This is the junction area between the brain (control center) and the body. Encased within these vertebrae and the skull is the central nervous system which controls and coordinates all functions in our bodies. Damage or irritation to the central nervous system at this critical junction can interfere with the communication between the brain and the body resulting in numerous health problems.
The bony vertebrae are designed to encase and protect the nerves that communicate between the brain and body. However, when they are misaligned or fixated, they can irritate the nerves within them. The upper two vertebrae, unlike any other in the spine, are held in place mainly by ligaments and muscles rather than bones themselves. As a result, they are more susceptible to misalignment from traumas such as falls, auto accidents, sports injuries, etc. The misalignment or fixation in turn may produce irritation to the nervous system and thus compromise one’s health.
Upper cervical care aims to eliminate this source of nerve irritation thus returning proper communication between the brain and the body. This is done by correcting the specific misalignment or fixation in the upper cervical vertebra. Without irritation, the nervous system can properly control our bodies’ functions and maintain us in good health.
What is involved in Upper Cervical Specific Care?
Consultation and Examination:
Dr. Roddy-Adams, D.C. conducts a routine interview and examination to ascertain your current health status and medical history. This is important for establishing a health baseline if you are a new patient and to assess your progress if you are a patient in treatment.
Computerized Infrared Thermography:
This is a neurodiagnostic procedure primarily used by neurologists and upper cervical specialists. It is performed by moving a sensitive temperature scanning device along the sides of the spine. Any irritation to the nervous system along the spine will be detected in the temperature differential scans. This procedure is performed at every visit before an adjustment, to determine if an upper cervical adjustment is needed, and afterwards to determine if the adjustment has made a correction to the nervous system.
Precision X-ray:
If during your examination Dr. Roddy-Adams, D.C. discovers nervous system irritation, an accurate determination of your upper cervical vertebra’s position must be made by taking upper cervical specific x-rays. The x-ray images are analyzed by Dr. Roddy-Adams, D.C. to determine the three dimensional displacement of the upper cervical vertebrae. Be assured that x-rays are performed only when clinically necessary to insure proper patient care.
Precision Adjusting:
The uniqueness of the bony anatomy of the upper neck dictates the use of a unique adjustment to correct a misalignment/fixation. Dr. Roddy-Adams, D.C. uses specially designed tables which help relax the spine when an adjustment is performed. For those patients unable to get into the required position, due to their condition, other tables are available. The specific adjustment itself is a done by Atlas Orthogonal Instrumentation.
Post-Adjustment Recuperation:
In upper cervical chiropractic care, a mandatory recuperation period is important for two reasons. The first is to give the nervous system time to respond so that an accurate post adjustment thermographic scan can be obtained. The second is to allow the ligaments and muscles holding the vertebrae to begin to stretch and adapt to the change in the bones position. Following an adjustment, the patient is escorted to lie down and relax for approximately 10-15 minutes before the post adjustment scan is taken.
If an Upper Cervical Adjustment is not necessary, Dr. Roddy-Adams checks joint fixations/functions and uses low force techniques, drop table, modified Cranial-Sacral Therapy and Reiki to help the body facilitate and maintain the upper cervical adjustment during the healing/restorative process of the nervous system.