Upper Cervical Spine Neurology

From The International Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (IUCCA)

Of the voluminous research compiled in the literature on spinal arthrokinematics and neuropathophysiology, the most neurologically intensive is on the upper cervical spine. The current literature is replete with information on aberrant upper cervical biomechanics and its possible ramifications on brain stem and higher order functions. Neurological pathways have been traced with radioisotopes from the upper cervical spine to brain stem centers. Dysfunctioning and non-functioning areas of the brain have been mapped, the cause found, and the solution traced to possible causes in the upper cervical spine. The amount of supporting research is staggering and exciting.

No other site in the human body has so much data on the possible effects of an adjustment on global body function than the upper cervical spine. Although lower spinal dysfunction has been shown to potentially cause local neurological disturbances, the magnitude of these disturbances are significantly less than in the upper cervical spine. This junction between the brain control centers and the body below deserves critical attention if one is intent on consistently affecting the body as a whole.