Author Archives: The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor

Categories Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Pain Reduced or Eliminated With Natural Treatment

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Pain comes in a variety of different forms- headaches, neck pain, upper back pain, low back pain, knee pain, foot pain, stomach pain; you name it, we have probably seen it. One condition we see a lot of in our office is called fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, those experiencing fibromyalgia deal with pain all over their body. My name is Dr. Zach Shaw, and I am with the Upper Cervical Spine Center. We see fibromyalgia all the time in our office, so if you are reading this and suffer from fibromyalgia, maybe we can help you too! What is fibromyalgia? First, let us break down the word. “Fibro” means hardening, “myo” means muscle, and “algia” means pain. Therefore, fibromyalgia is pain coming from a tight muscle. These muscles are constantly active/tight and eventually develop into “trigger points.”

Trigger points are an area of muscle that are extremely tight, like a knot. Sometimes, people use massage therapy to try to loosen them up. However, trigger points in a patient with fibromyalgia happen all over the body. Most trigger points are in the shoulders, upper back, low back, and glutes, amongst other areas, but they can also form throughout the rest of the body. It is a terrible condition that a lot of people suffer from.

Why does fibromyalgia occur? The central facilitation/sensitization theory formulates a reason for fibromyalgia. The nerve system is hyperactive, especially the part going to your muscles. All your muscles have these little things called mechanoreceptors that allow you to balance in space and understand what movements to use. When we put a lot of pressure on a mechanoreceptor, it causes pain. This same pain in a person without fibromyalgia is normal and lets us know how to react before injury. However, this same pain in a person with fibromyalgia is amplified. You could literally just touch him or her and the pain will be almost unbearable. That is the effect of central sensitization. Central sensitization means that when a sensory stimulus occurs, the body overreacts and interprets the stimulus as pain.

For example, let us say that I, a person without fibromyalgia, gets my foot stepped on. That is a sensory stimulus, so the message of pressure on my foot travels up the nerve and meets at something called a dorsal root ganglion (DRG), a hub before entering the spinal cord. Once in the spinal cord, the message travels into the brain and the brain says, “Hey, it’s just pressure, but we need to move the foot away before it becomes painful or injured.” So, I pull my foot away; that is how a normal nerve system works. If this exact same instance happened to someone with fibromyalgia, the same process happens, except at the DRG, there is interference, so the message gets altered. In this instance, the message of pressure turns into extreme pain. The altered message now travels to the brain, but instead of a normal response of moving the foot, the brain instead sends extreme pain signals to that foot and then tells it to move. The patient now experiences a lot of pain in the foot from a stimulus that should not have caused so much pain.

Why does interference to the DRG change the message? It all has to do with the upper cervical spine, which is where I come in. When there is pressure on the brainstem due to a misalignment in the top of the neck, it can put pressure not just on the spinal cord, but on the DRG as well. If there is pressure there, any sensory input, whether it is someone stepping on your foot, putting on your shirt, or anything else that is sensory from the body back to the brain, it is going to be interfered with.

Unfortunately, in people with fibromyalgia, this interference transmits as pain. That is why a person with fibromyalgia can be barely touched, yet they feel excruciating pain and are almost jumping off the table, like some of my patients when they first start care. When we start correcting the misalignment, the patient’s body starts to work better, and the care gets easier and easier. Eventually, the patient does not feel as much pain. Why? Because as we take pressure off this area, the sensory part of the nerve system can communicate with the brain exactly like it should.

Categories Vertigo

Vertigo Chiropractic Treatment

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Have you ever been dizzy before? Maybe you went from laying down to standing up too fast, and the room starts to spin until you can get a hold of things. Maybe you were like me, and you played football in high school; you get your bell rung a few too many times, you get up, then get your bearings before you can go back. Maybe you have vertigo, and you wake up in the middle of the night with the room spinning and spinning and spinning until it finally stops. We see dizziness and vertigo a significant amount in our office, so why do our patients who experience these symptoms get great results with our care?

The main reason being the upper cervical spine, or the top two bones in your neck, house what is called the brainstem. The brainstem is the connector between your brain and the rest of your body. It is like our relay center. Sometimes we call it Houston Control for all you space aeronauts out there. The brainstem holds 10 out of 12 cranial nerves. If you have read previous blogs of mine, you will see that these cranial nerves innervate the face, eyes, ears, and everything else up into our head, and it all comes from the top of the neck. How does this affect dizziness? First, we must talk about balance because essentially dizziness, or vertigo, is a lack of balance. Where does balance come from in our body? Balance comes from three things: our eyes, ears, and mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors are little cells in the muscle that basically tell us where we are in space, while causing certain muscles to contract or relax for us to stay balanced.

All three of these things play a role, and all three of them start at the top of the neck. Let us think about a real-world scenario. You are deep sea fishing, or maybe you are just on a boat out in the ocean. When you are on the boat, you are looking out on the horizon, and everything looks flat. You see the horizon, nothing is moving. Maybe you can see some waves, but other than that, everything is still. However, we are bobbing up and down on those waves, so the eyes see the still horizon, but the ears (and fluid in the ears) are constantly up and down. In essence, eyes are still, ears are moving, and the brain does not know what to do.

Suddenly you get a little dizzy, then boom, you are seasick and wind up throwing up off the deck. The problem with this is that people with dizziness or vertigo are not even on a boat! Why is this happening? Why is it that you can get dizzy, but your eyes and your ears are still? This is where the nerve system comes in. If there is pressure on the brainstem due to a misalignment at the top of the neck, one of those nerves that are going up into the ears, or eyes, could be interfered with. Maybe it is interfering with the optic nerve, cutting off some of your visual clarity. Maybe the misalignment is cutting off the nerve input to the vestibulocochlear nerve. “Vestibulo” means balance and “cochlear” means hearing. If there is pressure on that “vestibulo” part, we are not going to be able to balance properly, and thus, we have dizziness or vertigo. 

What about mechanoreceptors? When one of the top bones in the neck misaligns, forcing certain muscles to contract and others to relax, they stay contracted for a long period of time, causing the mechanoreceptors to get damaged. There is also something called the vestibular nucleus. Remember that vestibular means balance and the vestibular nucleus just so happens to be right in the heart of the brainstem. If the messages from these mechanoreceptors to the vestibular nucleus are interfered with, it just cannot function properly. If the balance center of our body is not functioning properly, does it make sense that we may experience dizziness and vertigo?

Another thing that can happen is that when the top bone in your neck misaligns, it forces your head to come out in front of you. When this happens, it causes a lack of proper curvature of the bones in the neck, resulting in a straight neck, or even a reverse-curve. This abnormal position starts to pull on the muscles in the neck, while also stressing the arteries going up into the head. Stress on these arteries causes a lack of blood flow to the brain. Does it make sense why this can cause dizziness and vertigo?

Now you know exactly how dizziness and vertigo happen, so how do we correct it? In our office, it is simple. All we do is find the misalignment at the top of the neck and correct it. This correction takes pressure off your nerve system, allowing your body to function better. With better function comes less symptoms, which is why our patients who experience dizziness and vertigo achieve great results. If you or a loved one suffer from dizziness, vertigo, Meniere’s disease, or anything that has to do with the eyes, ears, or the mechanoreceptors in your neck, give our office a call. We are happy to do a consultation free of charge to see if it is an upper cervical issue that we can help you with. 

Categories Upper Cervical Care

Conditions Your Chiropractor Can Treat

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Many people live with chronic pain. Neck pain, lower back pain, hip, or foot pain – they are energy draining and cause you to take lots of over-the-counter pain pills. They help relieve the symptoms for a while, but the pain comes back – always. This is because all the drugs you take are not designed to solve the cause of your pain, only numb the symptom.

A chiropractor can identify the root of your ongoing pain and apply a non-invasive method to solve the problem itself.

How Chiropractic Treatment Works

The chiropractor’s adjustments involve manipulating joints in order to relieve muscle stress, reduce inflammation and realign bones. These three issues are the main causes of pain in various parts of your body.

They are induced by poor posture, standing up for too long (retail workers know this all too well), lifting heavy weights, or making wrong movements in the course of training for professional and amateur athletes. 

Here are some of the most common conditions your chiropractor can help you with:

1. Neck Pain

Neck pain can be a nuisance or even disabling, leading to unbearable headaches. It affects especially office workers who do not have an ergonomic chair and a healthy posture while working on the computer. When the laptop screen is not at eye level, you tend to bend your head down to see properly.

This constant bending keeps the muscles contracted and leads to cramps and chronic pain. In other situations, making a wrong movement while stretching can misalign your vertebrae and cause ongoing neck pain.

Through careful adjustments, the chiropractor can realign these vertebrae and bring you much-needed relief from neck pain.

2. Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is another condition associated with working long hours sitting down. If your chair does not offer proper lumbar support, the muscles in your lower back will become tense, and, in time, chronic pain sets in.

In the worst instances, lower back pain is disabling, preventing the patient from getting up from bed. A complete course of chiropractic treatment will help you say goodbye to back pain and regain your mobility and energy levels.

3. Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow or epicondylitis is a condition afflicting all persons who play racquet sports frequently. The repeated movements of the forearm cause a tendon in the elbow to become swollen and painful. 

When tennis elbow sets in, the patient is unable to perform even simple tasks, such as lifting a glass of water, due to the intense pain. A chiropractor will prescribe a complex treatment consisting of adjustments and physical therapy to heal the inflamed tendon and restore it to proper functionality.

4. Hip Bursitis

The bursa is a sac filled with liquid, acting as a sort of shock absorber between bones in major joints. As you know from your everyday activity, a lot of pressure is put on the hip joint, which has to support the weight of the upper body and allow the free movement of the legs.

When the hip bursa becomes inflamed, the pain can be unbearable. Patients with hip bursitis usually have to take time off work and rest in bed. Chiropractors report a good success rate in treating this condition without any invasive methods.

5. Plantar Fasciitis

Your feet carry all your body everywhere you go. And sometimes they get damaged – more precisely a thin muscle layer in your heel becomes inflamed. Your heel will become swollen, tender, and sore and you will walk with great difficulty.

Chiropractic treatment, especially soft tissue therapy, as well as recommendations to wear custom-made orthotics, will help your leg heal and you will be back walking and running.

Chiropractic can help you solve many painful conditions without surgery and drugs. 

Categories Vertigo

Can a Chiropractor Help You with Vertigo and Balance Problems?

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Vertigo, or the sense that the world is spinning around you, is a serious issue, affecting many people and diminishing their quality of life. They are not able to walk, orient themselves in space, and complete simple tasks because all their visual points of reference are out of focus. If you are suffering from balance problems associated with vertigo, you know just how difficult it is to do simple things and how little enjoyment of life you have.

In the past, you may have tried various medications. But your problem may not be related to a cause that drugs can cure. Instead, you may benefit from a natural form of therapy, which does not involve using any substances on or inside your body: chiropractic.

What Are the Causes of Vertigo?

You may ask: how can a chiropractor help you with vertigo? First of all, we need to go to the root of the problem: why you suffer from vertigo. Vertigo is, in its essence, a problem with balance.

Achieving balance in a tri-dimensional space is a very complex issue, involving several organs, including three tiny elements in the inner ear. When you feel vertigo, this is not a condition in itself, but a symptom that something is wrong with one of the organs that should keep you in balance.

In essence, vertigo indicates that there is a problem with:

  • Your inner ear
  • Your spinal ligaments or joints
  • The vertebrae in your neck.

In very rare and severe cases, vertigo may be the symptom of a stroke or a brain tumor. 

What Is Chiropractic and How Effective Is It?

Chiropractic is a healthcare specialty that involves manipulation by hand of the spine and joints to relieve various symptoms. Since the spine is the “main highway” of the nervous system, communicating with all the parts of the boy, chiropractic treatment is recommended for restoring function and mobility to various areas, from neck and lower back to arms and legs.

The beneficial effects of chiropractic on vertigo were demonstrated in a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Its authors conducted chiropractic treatment on a group of patients suffering from vertigo. The conclusions of the study indicate that “most patients demonstrated improved balance, and some showed reduced dizziness and neck pain after 8 weeks of chiropractic care”.

How Can a Chiropractor Help You with Vertigo?

A chiropractor can use one or both of the following positioning maneuvers to improve your balance and reduce vertigo symptoms:

Manipulation – by manipulating joints in your upper neck, the chiropractor will restore your balance by correctly aligning all the vertebrae and muscles. 

The Epley Maneuver – by manipulating your head in various positions, the chiropractor will help reposition the crystals in your “balance center” – the vestibulocochlear apparatus of your inner ear. These manipulations will also help clear away debris accumulating in this delicate area.

Last but not least, a chiropractor can teach you a series of exercises that you can safely perform at home in order to improve your balance and fight the sensation of dizziness. In time, you will be able to walk, run and go up and down the stairs with confidence. Nothing will hold you back from enjoying your life, so don’t wait up: find a chiropractor near you and say good-bye to vertigo!

Categories Multiple Sclerosis

Why and How UCSC Chiropractic Deals with MS

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a fairly common neurological condition that we see throughout the world. It is so common, that there are about 200 new diagnoses each day. Most of these diagnoses are female, usually around 30 to 40 years of age. Unfortunately, this is a terminal condition; once you have MS, almost everyone has MS until it takes their life.

As upper cervical doctors, we see a decent amount of MS patients. What is MS? Multiple sclerosis is a condition where the immune system attacks certain cells in the nervous system. All of your peripheral nerves, or the nerves outside of the spinal cord that goes to your arms, legs, heart, lungs, and all of your organs, have something called myelin that surrounds the nerve.

The myelin is there for conduction. You have electrical signals going through your nervous system and the myelin allows those signals to be distributed at a quicker rate. However, in multiple sclerosis patients, this myelin starts getting eaten away by the immune system. MS patients start to have issues like numbness and tingling in the legs, feet, arms, and hands. They start to have vision problems, hearing loss, and taste loss, all because the myelin is getting eaten away from the nerves. The nerves are malfunctioning and over time, it gets worse and worse. The more myelin that gets eaten away, the worse the symptoms get to the point where people at the end stages of MS, can’t even swallow or speak, see, or hear. 

MS takes motor skills as well. Most victims of MS are wheelchair-bound by the end of their life. It’s a very terrible, debilitating condition that, unfortunately, conventional care does not really know what to do with. A lot of these neurodegenerative diseases are treated by throwing some medications at it to hopefully help with the symptoms and provide some relief, but they never get to the cause of multiple sclerosis. That is what we are here for. As upper cervical doctors, we get to the cause of the MS by finding interference to the nerve system.

Research shows that upper cervical care helps multiple sclerosis patients. A study was done in 2015 and of 77 patients out in Italy. Every single one of them had multiple sclerosis or cerebrospinal insufficiency, a condition of the nervous system when CSF, or the fluid in the nervous system, is impeded, presenting similarly to multiple sclerosis.

The results say, “The differences between the clinical symptoms before and after the specific treatment of C1-C2 or those upper cervical bones are statistically significant…” This means that the upper cervical care given to these MS patients was effective on all 77 of them. Did it completely get rid of the MS? No, but some were completely symptom-free, and every single one, all 77 participants, saw some type of benefit with upper cervical care. Unbelievable. It just goes to show that upper cervical care does help with MS. 

Why? Because when we find the subluxation, or the misalignment at the top of the neck putting pressure on the brainstem, a vital part of the nervous system, we start to see dysfunction throughout the body.

When we correct the misalignment, we help the nervous system work properly. Now the brain is telling the immune system, “Hey, this is just myelin surrounding the nerves. It is not a foreign invader. You do not have to attack it.” The immune system stops attacking the nerve and the MS symptoms start to go away.

Categories Depression and Anxiety

Stress Problems – Chiropractic for Stress Relief

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

I think we can all agree that the number one thing we have noticed in 2020 and the first four months of 2021, is an increase in stress, and that is for good reason. We are dealing with a global pandemic right now. There are two sides to everything going on, whether you are completely scared by this virus, or maybe you don’t worry about it at all. Maybe you have lost a loved one recently, which is awful. Maybe you got the virus yourself and it just really took a toll on you. Maybe you are one of those people who are sick and tired of the restrictions, and you just want things to go back to normal. Regardless of what you are going through, everyone is dealing with a little more stress currently.

As upper cervical chiropractors, we help take care of people’s stress for them. Now how do we do that?

Adaptation all happens through your nervous system. Every single human being is designed to be able to adapt to stress. These stresses can be in the form of mental stress, physical stress, emotional stress, or chemical stress, and all of these things beat our body down to the point where we may be sick, depressed, anxious; you name it. Regardless of what it is, these negative stresses beat down our body if our bodies do not know how to handle them.

As upper cervical doctors, we search for and correct the misalignment at the top of the neck that is putting pressure on the brainstem. We know that this misalignment is interfering with the messages between your brain and body, and between the brain itself. When we see nervous system interference, the body can’t work properly; the brain can’t work properly and can’t receive the proper messages.

 let’s say we have a misalignment at the top of the neck. The brain sends a signal down to the brainstem, which the brainstem relays back to the brain, and that message is interfered with. A message of happiness turns into sadness, anxiousness, or depression. Add in the increase in stress we have had this year and last year, and we start to see a lot more depression and anxiety coming into the office. If there is interference to your nervous system, we need to find it now and remove it, so your body can adapt to these physical, chemical, and emotional stresses exactly as it was designed to do.

If you’re feeling an increase in stress lately – maybe you’re depressed, anxious, or have something else going on, give our office a call. 

Categories Neck Pain

Loss of Cervical Lordosis – Corrected after Upper Cervical Care adjustment

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

The goal of Upper Cervical Care is to restore normal function to the body by removing impediments (subluxations) to regular brain-to-body communication. Oftentimes patients come to our offices with a variety of symptoms and diseases.

These include cervical issues such as loss of Cervical Lordosis. We do not exactly treat disease. However, a host of conditions can resolve after removing interference to the nerve system.

Not only do a variety of conditions resolve when patients undergo care, but they can also have dramatic changes in the structure of their spines. Diseases like loss of Cervical Lordosis can be diminished this way effectively. 

In our office, we take a pre and post cervical spine x-ray to monitor any changes that take place structurally after receiving care. The results are encouraging. Let’s take the instance of Cervical Lordosis Loss to understand our procedure.

What exactly is Loss of Cervical Lordosis? 

Condition 

Cervical Lordosis is a curve that exists in the spinal cord. It helps in keeping the spine springy meanwhile distributing and balancing the body weight on the spine. Loss of cervical Lordosis causes straightening of the spine, making the posture hard and painful for the patient. 

Symptoms 

Loss of cervical Lordosis can be characterized through the following symptoms: 

  • The body becomes Injury-Prone – When the spine is unable to divide body stress, it often results in injuries. The spine’s flexibility is lost in this condition which helps the spine to divide weight and stress. Hence, the injury occurring rate becomes higher in such patients. 
  • Muscular Pain  –  Muscular pain is a common symptom in this condition. People feel their shoulders neck in constant pain and soreness. This is because the curvature which carries the weight of the head is lost. 
  • Weakened Discs  – Due to increased spinal tension in loss of cervical Lordosis, the spinal discs degenerate. This is a risky condition as discs’ weakness can cause pain as far as in the arms and the legs. In case the discs spill their internal material, surgery is required as it may prove fatal to health. 
  • Posture issues  –  As the spinal loses its elasticity, the posture naturally disturbs, becoming painfully straight. This misalignment is visually evident as a person suffering from loss of Cervical Lordosis may constantly appear at “attention.” This condition is also known as “military neck.” 

Causes  

Varied causes exist for loss of cervical Lordosis. Some of the causes include: 

  • Excessive exposure to screen  –  Ignoring screen safety is one of the major causes of Cervical Lordosis loss. After Smartphones invaded our lives, people are consistently exposed to a screen. Be it for fun or work; everything occurs within the premises of this screen. This is not only a root cause for significant diseases but also destroys your posture. Keeping your head forward while staring at a screen almost doubles your chances of acquiring this fatal condition.
  • The wrong posture  – It all starts with the wrong posture. With the current technology-oriented lifestyles, people are more prone to acquiring postural diseases. Staying in a head-forward posture for long periods creates an unhealthy posture. This is the foundation of Cervical Lordosis Loss. If you wish to avoid this disease in adulthood, you must start at an early age. Keep your shoulders and back straight. Even when you have to work in front of a screen, you must focus on sitting up straight.   Instilling healthy habits in oneself can bear good consequences later. 
  • Sedentary Lifestyle  – Lack of exercise and a balanced diet is another cause of this condition in young people. To avoid this disease, one must be vigilant. Remaining active is the key. Be it exercise or Yoga; you must always be energetic enough. Eating a balanced diet is also crucial. You must have strong bones to battle this disease. 

Ramifications  

Loss of Cervical Lordosis gives rise to Scoliosis. In this condition, the spine becomes deviant from a straight alignment, resulting in deformity of posture. 

How exactly is this condition relevant? Let’s find out. 

Scoliosis and Neck Trauma – What Is The Connection? 

Normal balanced muscle tone through the spine is a function of a normal neurological function. When the atlas(c-1) is subluxated(out of its normal position causing neurological interference), the body adapts structurally to minimize the amount of interference to the system. Most structural problems through the spine are nothing more than adaptations to this upper cervical problem. In our office, we find approximately fifty percent of our new patients have lost their normal Lordosis (curvature) in the spine. 

Treatment  

We at Upper Cervical Spine Center tend to treat this condition with utmost diligence. It is not exactly a medical treatment but rather care through a chiropractor. Results have shown repeatedly how chiropractic practices can enhance spinal problems and create a healthier posture for the patient. 

Cervical Lordosis loss can create a distorted situation for the spine. In this case, we focus our treatment on restoring the cervical curve. In the process, we intend to make the painful symptoms disappear. Also, we work to make the pine capable of overcoming uneven weight. 

Cervical Lordosis loss makes the spinal curves abnormal and disturbs the entire stability of the spinal cord. In our treatment, we not only manage to cure cervical Lordosis but also tend to the entire spine. This way, whatever is wrong at any place in the spine can be adequately treated. 

Conclusion 

 In conclusion, it is evident how significant it is to keep the Cervical Lordosis healthy. However, if there is a loss of it, the patient can always infer to our office, and we can overcome this terrible condition together. 

Categories Migraines

How Does Upper Cervical Care Treat Migraine Headaches?

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Are you one of those people who have suffered a migraine in their whole life? Then don’t worry because you’ll get to know every detail about your situation here.

There are a lot of people who have migraine headaches either acute or chronic, but they do not know the cause behind it neither they know the actual remedy to get rid of this uncomfortable and annoying headache. 

The best you can do to yourself is just going for upper cervical care. The reason is that migraine headache is always due to the misalignment in the upper two bones in the neck region. If these two bones are being corrected your life will be a whole different thing. 

Migraine headache is one of the worst conditions that patients suffer due to the misalignment in their upper cervical. Without wasting time on high-capacity drugs, having side effects, go for upper cervical help to pacify your migraine headaches. 

Migraine headache

Migraine is a neurovascular headache and a neurological disorder. It is because of the abnormalities in certain transmitters or levels of the neurotransmitters in the blood that cause the dilatation of the blood vessels that result in a throbbing headache. Migraine headaches are considered the leading cause of disability. 

This abnormality affects the communication of the nervous system badly. Migraine headache is the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world. This headache can be moderate and severe and last for four to 72 hours. 

Migraine attacks can affect a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks properly thus create hindrance in person’s socioeconomic lifestyle. 

The person may suffer an aura before the onset of throbbing head pain, and it is called a migraine with aura. Various kinds of migraine headaches with aura are:

  • Migraine with or without aura
  • Hemiplegic migraine
  • Retinal migraine
  • Migraine with brainstem aura

The symptoms of migraine headaches are:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Numbness and tingling in the face, legs, and arms
  • Sensitivity to light, touch, and smell
  • Sensitivity to sound
  • Blurred vision
  • Pulsating pain on one side of the head
  • Dizziness
  • Lack of consciousness
  • Distorted speech
  • Confusion
  • Lack of concentration

Misalignment in the upper cervical region

Due to different causes, there happens a misalignment in the upper two bones of the neck region that worsens the brain functioning and normal life of a person. When there is a distortion in the nervous system’s communication that will cause different neurological disorders and one of them is migraine headaches. 

The upper cervical evaluation is the ultimate solution to live a happy and healthy life. 

Upper cervical care

The chiropractors focus on upper cervical care when the problem is arising from the two upper bones of the neck that are atlas and axis. These bones work as a junction between the brainstem and the spinal cord of the nervous system.

Thus, the important and concerning point here is that a little misalignment in these bones can affect the communication to and from the brain. 

Thus, the chiropractors with their hands and specific tools align and correct the positioning and the patients live a normal life without any stress and strain. 

Migraine headache is a crippling illness that eventually renders a threat to the normal life functioning of the person. However, if one wants a solution once and for all, then one must seek upper cervical care to pacify the migraine headaches. 

The chiropractors first determine the area where the problem lies and then with gentle methods correct the position of those bones and body starts using its restorative powers that heal the damages that have been done and let the bones in place.

Continuous upper cervical care helps the person in avoiding all future terrible situations relating to upper cervical misalignment problems. 

Upper cervical care is a very gentle and non-manipulative technique that focuses on the head related to the neck and how that affects the health of your entire spine and thus the health of your body.

This method of correcting the alignment of bones consists of a few sessions and in every session of adjustment, the patients feel the pain running away. 

Studies showing upper cervical care pacifying migraine headaches

Research is done in Australia where they looked at 127 people suffering from migraine headaches, and they compared two months of chiropractic care versus two months of no chiropractic care. Afterward, they measured migraine frequency and duration, the pain scale, and also medication intake.

Consequently, what they found was that the people under upper cervical chiropractic had way better results with the migraine headaches frequency, the duration, and the pain scale as compared to the people with no chiropractic care. 

In 2015 a study was held where the chiropractors took 18 patients from neurologists with chronic and frequent migraines. However, 18 of them were diagnosed while 11 of them were actually included in the observational study.

Resultantly, after 8 weeks of upper cervical care what they found was that those 11 people, their migraine headaches reduced in frequency and had a better quality of life. Thus, the scale of pain was also less. 

Interesting research shows that 92% of the people who suffer migraine headaches were able to pacify their migraines with the help of upper cervical chiropractic care. 

Conclusion

Thus, getting your upper neck corrected can help drastically reduce some of these severe neurological conditions that people suffer from all the time. Thus, if you suffer frequent migraine headaches, just seek help from upper cervical chiropractors.

The reason behind the upper cervical care is many folds as it will help you in the long run and it also keeps your bones aligned doesn’t matter what. According to studies people with migraines now prefer to seek the help of upper cervical care rather than consuming high-capacity medicines.

Upper cervical care is a spinal correction technique that helps in relieving migraines by releasing strain and pressure from the nervous system and alleviating the positioning of the atlas vertebrae. This method of care also protects the patients from drug usage and its side effects. 

References

Integrating Chiropractic Care (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6440032/)

Headaches and Chiropractic (https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Headaches-and-Chiropractic)

Migraine (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201)

Categories Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia and Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can be defined as a medical condition that is characterized by severe and widespread pain all over the body, especially in muscles and joints, fatigue, memory, and sleep issues. People suffering from fibromyalgia are more sensitive to pain as compared to others.

The causes of fibromyalgia are yet not known. But research has shown that there might be a problem in the processing of pain signals from the nerves via the spinal cord and brain. Furthermore, women are at higher risk of suffering from fibromyalgia than men.

Risk Factors

Age: Fibromyalgia can occur in any individual. But it is more common in individuals of middle age or old age. The chances to suffer from fibromyalgia increase as you get older.

Gender: As compared to men, women are more likely to suffer from this disorder. Studies have shown that the chances of developing fibromyalgia are two times higher in women than in men.

Other Diseases: If a person is suffering from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus, then the chances of him/ her to suffer from fibromyalgia are quite high as compared to others.

Family History: Research has not confirmed yet that fibromyalgia is a genetic disorder or not. But if one family member is suffering from this disease, then the chances of other members to suffer from this disorder are high.

Other Factors: Persons suffering from stressful events (PTSD), infections, injuries or accidents can also develop this disorder.

Symptoms

Symptoms of this disorder appear after surgery, physical trauma, psychological stress, or infection. In some cases, fibromyalgia occurs without any triggering event. Here, the major symptoms of fibromyalgia are described:

Severe Pain: Patients with fibromyalgia suffer from severe and widespread pain. The pain occurs all over the body, in muscles and joints. Besides these, twitching, tightness, stiffness or burning also occur in joints and such persons have a very low threshold for pain.

Tiredness: People suffering from fibromyalgia mostly feel tiredness and fatigue even after getting sleep of 8 to 9 hours. 

Sleeping Disorder: The sleep of such persons is mostly disrupted due to severe pain. As a result, they suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea. Some persons also suffer from restless leg syndrome in which they feel a severe urge to move their legs.

Due to this, the person might not be able to sleep comfortably and peacefully.

Cognitive Problems: Problems related to the brain also occur in persons suffering from fibromyalgia. The person is unable to focus, concentrate and pay attention. The person also feels difficulty in remembering. This symptom is called ‘fibro fog’. 

In rare cases, the persons also experience the following:

  • Tingling or numbness in arms, legs, hands, feet, face, etc.
  • Pain in the jaw ( that is also called temporomandibular joint syndrome)
  • Headache especially migraine
  • Anxiety 
  • Depression, tension, and nervousness
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (that is also called IBS)

Diagnosis

This disorder is usually diagnosed through physical examination, patient’s history, and X-ray, etc. But it is quite difficult to diagnose this condition because the symptoms of this disorder mimic other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, or bursitis, etc. Furthermore, no test is available for the diagnosis of this disorder. So sometimes, this condition is misdiagnosed. 

Treatment

There is no cure for this disorder. But the doctor can prescribe pain killers, muscle relaxers, etc. Exercise and self-care with good habits can also be helpful in relieving the pain. Besides, a technique called the chiropractic adjustment technique is very effective in lowering the pain.

Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

Besides medication and exercises, the upper cervical chiropractic technique can also be used to lower the pain and relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This type of chiropractic technique was developed and introduced by B. J. Palmer in 1930s.

Studies have shown that this technique is very helpful in correcting the underlying misalignments. Actually, the misalignment in the neck affects the functioning of the central nervous system. This leads to a problem in the processing of pain signals from the nerves via the spinal cord and brain.

As a result, the person feels severe pain in his or her body. A minor misalignment in the neck can affect the functioning of the body in the following ways:

  • The brainstem is a part of the brain which connects your cerebrum to the spinal cord. All the messages from the brain pass through the brainstem and then go to the body via the spinal cord. A minimal misalignment can put pressure on the brainstem or on parts of the brainstem. As a result, the communication between the body and the brain could be disrupted.
  • Secondly, the cervical spine facilitates the flow of blood to your brain. A minor misalignment can change the flow of blood which can cause issues in the functioning of the central nervous system.
  • Thirdly, misalignment in the cervical spine can cause problems in the proper drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). When CSF is unable to drain well it can disturb the optimal function of the whole body. 

This shows that misalignment in the upper cervical area can affect the functioning of the whole body. It is necessary to correct these misalignments, and these can be corrected through upper cervical chiropractic care. If this technique is used to correct the specific vertebrae in the upper cervical region, it can help in relieving the pain and reducing the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Drastic improvements have also been observed in patients with fibromyalgia due to the upper cervical chiropractic technique. By using this technique, chiropractors can put the neck, spine, or head in their correct position. Chiropractors perform this technique with extreme care and gentle hands.

Also, this technique does not involve any pulling or twisting. Instead, it involves precise and controlled movement. This technique reduces irritation towards the brain stem and also facilitates the proper flow of nerve impulses. 

Conclusion

Although fibromyalgia is a chronic disease and there is no treatment. But medication (pain killers, etc.), exercise, self-care, a healthy lifestyle, and chiropractic adjustment techniques can help lower the pain and improve the quality of life.

References

What is fibromyalgia? (https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/fibromyalgia.htm)

Fibromyalgia (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354780)

Categories Upper Cervical Care

What is the Best Sleeping Position for Your Back?

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Sleeping is one of the most favorite things of people to do but honestly, it is not the favorite thing of a lot of people because they are uncomfortable when they sleep. People often question their pillow, their bed, sleeping position. Among all these questions the main concern is your sleeping position.

There are a few basic sleeping positions that are mandatory for everyone to opt to have a comfortable and relaxing sleep and reduced lower back pain. These recommended positions will prevent back pain in the future too.

It is also likely to reduce the likelihood that you might develop scoliosis so the twist in your spine since you are going to be spending about a third of your life sleeping. If you are sleeping in the wrong position for a third of your life you can develop some adaptive change.

Better sleep is the ultimate desire of everyone as it regulates your hormonal regulations, mental well-being and also increases the healing process.

You are going to see a few very comforting sleeping positions for your back that will help you in a long run and positively impact your health in general. 

Causes of morning back pain

Back pain is common among many people. Most of the time, it is the first thing one feels after getting up from the bed. Stiffness among the joints of the spinal cord is one of the main causes. 

Many other causes of morning back pain are following:

  • Bad sleeping posture: sleeping position can be the bad guy. The bad posture puts pressure on the spine and distorts its normal curve. Sleeping on your stomach can aggravate the situation and you will feel back pain more frequently. Stomach sleeping position can be detrimental to your overall health too.
  • Old mattress: sometimes bad mattress plays a very triggering role in activating back pain. Replacing your old mattress with a new one can be a useful technique in this regard.
  • Disc degeneration: it is a disease in which the disc between the vertebrae of the spinal cord starts deteriorating. This condition causes severe pain in the back, and it is higher in the morning after sleeping. 
  • Pregnancy: pregnancy also puts stress on the backbone and after a long period of rest in the night, the pain can be worse in the morning. 

These are a few causes that amplify the back pain in the morning and the best sleeping positions can help you in this matter.

Best sleeping position for your back

Every person sleeps differently so everyone will need a different sleeping position to hamper back pain. Here you will see some best sleeping positions to reduce your back pain 

Back sleeping: this is probably the best go-to way to sleep on your back. However, when you lay down depending on how soft your bed is, the weight of your legs may be pressing downwards, and this can cause your hips to go into anterior hip tilt. Therefore, making your lower back go to lumbar extension, if you already suffer from lower back pain this will cause you to have lower back pain. If you think this is the cause of your lower back pain or you are suffering from lower back pain, try placing a pillow under your legs. This will elevate your legs higher and create posterior hip tilt and make your lower back go into a more neutral position or flatten it out a little bit providing you a bit of relief.

If you still don’t feel like you are getting any relief, you can always add an extra pillow to raise up your legs even more so that way it flattens up your back a little bit more. This will reduce the tension from the legs that are created from the gravity pulling down your spine, your muscles, and even your nerves. 

Side sleeping: it is one of the most natural positions for sleeping. Some professionals even call it the fetal position, since you look like a position that a baby would be in an expecting mother. However, as we get older our limbs get a lot longer and our body can twist and turn in the middle of the night. Even if we start off in a perfect sleeping position. Sometimes the legs may move forward or even back this will create torsion and rotation in the lumbar spine. 

If you develop a habit of sleeping on a preferred side, you will create either more mobility on one side or stiffness on the other side of the lower back. The lower back can then be locked up or cramped up due to the long duration that some of these areas are being compressed. To combat the twisting is to place a pillow under your leg that moves too far in front of you causing your body to twist. 

Most chiropractors recommend you place a soft pillow between your legs when you sleep as this pillow will stop your legs from twisting your legs. 

To support the lower back from stooping just add a soft pillow between your rib cage and your hip bone.

Some patients also use a dedicated memory pillow for side sleeping to help them stay in a position to support their legs.

CONCLUSION

A natural symmetrical sleeping position can help you to have a comfortable back with no stress and strain. If you are already suffering from back pain so being in an asymmetrical position can cause you to have scoliosis or even lower back pain just replace your mattress that has lost its firmness or that is a too soft cause that will cause more harm to your spinal cord than anything could ever do. 

To avoid your spine to twist the middle of the night, place a soft pillow between your legs and also down the rib cage. 

In case of prolonged and frequent back pain, consult your health care professional and a chiropractor immediately. 

REFERENCES

Identifying relationships between sleep posture and non-specific spinal symptoms in adults: A scoping review (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6609073/)

How to Sleep With Lower Back Pain (https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/how-to-sleep-with-lower-back-pain#:~:text=The%20best%20sleeping%20position%20for,make%20this%20position%20more%20comfortable.)

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