What is an Upper Cervical Subluxation?

As a result, nerve tracks from the brain stem (Medulla Oblongata) impinge on various parts of the body and normal transmission of nerve energy is obstructed. Although not always painful, the “subluxation” interferes with the proper function and healing of your body. The brain stem is what we call “Houston Control”. It is a complex extension of the spinal cord and is extremely unique. 

Nowhere else in the entire body is there found such a complex integration of the nerve system. The brain stem is responsible for everything that occurs in the body. Mild to moderate irritation of this area results in sickness and disease, while the slightest trauma results in instant death. Nowhere in the entire nerve system can such total and complete devastation be caused.

Knee Chest Upper Cervical adjusting is a little-known chiropractic procedure that corrects the position of the top vertebra of the spine, the atlas, and/or axis. By correcting the tilt, shift, or rotation of these vertebrae, the body is able to better overcome the effects and completely eliminate many types of conditions. 

It is important to remember that it is not the aim of the Upper Cervical doctor to “treat” or “cure” any conditions, but rather to restore the health and life of the body, allowing the individual's body to function and heal at 100% resulting in reduction or resolution of symptoms. The atlas is a single, 2 oz. doughnut-shaped vertebra at the top of the spine. Millions of nerve fibers from the brain stem travel through the small opening in the atlas and flow down into the spinal column. Because of the size of the opening and because of the atlas’ close proximity to the brainstem, if the atlas is moved out of position, even a fraction of a degree, two very serious complications occur.

When the atlas and/or axis are out of their proper position, the head moves off-center of the body. This creates a body imbalance from head to toe. More weight shifts to one side of the body than the other. If these vertebrae are also rotated out of position, they can twist your spinal structure, including the pelvis so that one leg becomes shorter than the other. 

Not having your atlas corrected to restore body balance is like continuing to drive a car that is out of alignment. Your tires are going to wear out prematurely! You can keep replacing tires, but unless you have your car realigned, you will just be wasting your money. The same thing is true for headaches, ADD, or hundreds of other conditions that have been known to respond to Upper Cervical Care. 

You can keep taking medication, doing therapies, or even have surgery, but if your atlas is out of alignment and causing the problem, it’s not going away until the atlas is corrected and body balance is restored.

The second serious result of an atlas and/or axis being out of alignment is the restriction (pressure on the brain stem) or distortion of critical messages from the brain to all parts of the body. Every cell, organ, or tissue that is not receiving adequate nerve flow and communication from the brain stem will suffer, malfunction, and sometimes shut down altogether. 

For example: Ball your hand into a fist. This represents your head. Extend your index finger as if you were pointing at someone. Your index finger represents your body. Take a rubber band and wrap it tightly around your index finger at the base of the finger where it is attached to your hand. The rubber band represents your atlas, which is wrapped around the spinal cord at the brain stem level and has shifted out of alignment. Now, wait a few minutes….

Your entire finger begins to turn white, red, and blue due to the circulation being cut off by the rubber band. You can massage your finger to restore circulation. You can inject a syringe with pain medication to stop the pain. In severe cases, you can even cut off the finger to erase the pain. However, only the symptoms of the problem have been addressed, not the CAUSE. The pressure from the rubber band is the cause.

The same is true for an atlas subluxation or misalignment. It can constrict or distort proper brain messages to organs and limbs throughout the body. Your feet may hurt or you may be having kidney problems, but the cause of the problem may not be in those areas at all, but in your neck where a misaligned atlas or axis is restricting or distorting messages to areas throughout the body. If your atlas remains out of alignment for years, degeneration of organs, muscle, and cell tissue results. Over time, that could be serious, since, in many conditions, pain is the last symptom to occur to indicate a problem exists...

The repositioning of the atlas vertebrae is done by hand or by instrument. Depending on the doctor’s technique, it feels like a light tap, a brisk thrust, or a soft massage at the side of the neck as the atlas is moved precisely back into its correct position. It is completely “underwhelming”. There is NO twisting of the neck.  Patients are often surprised by how anti-climactic it is until, over a period of time, they feel their bodies healing. The procedure cures nothing. It simply restores body balance and brain-to-body communication so that organs, limbs, and tissues can resume normal functioning. The body is now able to self-heal. That is why we see many different conditions responding to the same procedure.

However, too many of us wait too long to get our upper cervical spines corrected. This is mainly due to ignorance of the vital role the atlas plays in the health of the entire body throughout life. It is becoming increasingly clear that parents should have their children’s spines examined as soon after birth as possible, due to the traumatic procedure of birth, and have periodic check-ups throughout their lives. Countless problems could have been avoided entirely. A properly positioned atlas or axis is so fundamental to good health, everyone from children to grandparents, needs to get their spine and nerve systems examined now!