Why Upper Cervical Care Can Help Low Back Pain.

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If someone were to say to you "Chiropractor", what would be the first thing that comes to mind? If you’re like the majority, it’s likely LOW BACK PAIN! And you’d be right because 80% of the people that seek out a chiropractor have some sort of pain in their lower back. So as an Upper Cervical doctor, one that only adjusts the top two bones in the spine, does that leave me with the remaining 20%? Can adjusting a bone in the neck really help? Well sit tight because it’s a beautiful Monday morning and I’m in the mood to do a bit of myth busting.

The Misconception

Let me begin by saying I absolutely love what I do for a living and because of that, I try to share it with as many people that will tolerate hearing about it. On occasion (more than I’d like to admit), however, the dialogue I have with people goes something like this:

　
Person: "Oh, so you’re a chiropractor? Can you crack my back?!"

　
Me: "Ha, I get that a lot. Actually, I’m an Upper Cervical doctor and I look for misalignments of one of the top two bones in the neck. They can squeeze down on the brain stem and prevent the messages from the brain to communicate with the body. That could be causing your problem."

　
Person: "You only adjust the neck? Oh, well I have low back pain. You wouldn’t be able to help me."

　
In that very moment, I know I’ve lost them because no matter what I say after that, they’ve already settled back on their preconceived notions of what a chiropractor does. SMH (google it). To say the least, it’s incredibly frustrating! That’s ok though, because as a doctor, that’s my lifelong job…to educate.

Lesson #1

Repeat after me class, "Upper Cervical chiropractic helps low back pain (and SO much more)."

The spinal column is just that, a column that supports the entire body. Not only is it the body’s primary support structure, but it also houses and protects the one thing that animates us- the spinal cord. It’s designed to not only be strong, but resilient to all of the really dumb and daring things we do in life. Of the 26 vertebrae, 24 have locking facets or joints that are all intricately wrapped with connective tissue, fascia, ligaments and muscle to essentially form one continuous functioning unit. The top two vertebrae on the other hand, do not have the locking facets so as to allow maximum motion of the neck. If you’re from the South, you’d know them as the "Yes Ma’am, no Ma’am, and I don’t know Ma’am" bones. The down side to having this great mobility is that they’re more vulnerable to injury or misalignment.

Okay, so a bone in the neck is out of whack, how does that relate to my low back? Ever play the game Jenga? Jenga is a great example of what can happen when even one block (vertebrae) is out of alignment. Even if you have the perfect foundation, if you don’t place the blocks on top perfectly, the entire tower crumbles. Because here’s the deal, your head, which weighs 12-14 lbs rests on your Atlas which weighs in at a paltry 3 oz! You want to talk about a juggling act? There are literally thousands of so-called "sensors" (second only to the number found in the under side of the foot) in the upper region of the neck that communicate to the brain to keep your head upright and level. When a misalignment occurs, the spine WILL compensate by twisting, turning, or rotating the body – whatever it has to do to get your head straight again. Yes, you could look like a pretzel, but if it meant the head was level, the brain would allow it.

This will trigger a chain reaction from the top down and compromise the rest of the spine causing an entire imbalance of the body. The result? Weak spots in what should be a relatively strong spine. And what area of the spine do you think would be compromised the most by a weak spot? I’d wager to say the area that supports the most weight, the low back. Make sense?

Lesson #2

Think low back pain is the only side effect to a misaligned Upper Cervical spine? Think again. Degeneration and arthritis might be in your future forecast as well.

Now if you know me at all, you’d know that I love cars, almost as much as I love using car analogies to explain the proper functioning of the body. Apologies in advance if you’re not a motor head, but please, bear with me for a moment. For example, let’s consider your car tires. Usually, they’ll carry a warranty for a certain number of miles. In this case, we’ll say 60K miles. If properly aligned, rotated, and balanced, you should expect those tires to last the lifetime of the warranty, right? Now suppose you’re a tiny bit negligent and forget to do that all together? Do you think they’ll last? Of course not! They’ll wear unevenly or even prematurely, and could eventually turn into a real safety risk.

This principle can be applied to ANYTHING, because when something is not aligned, it will always wear out faster than intended. Ever wonder why someone will only get arthritis in one knee and not the other? Aren’t the knees the same age? Well, I’ll put it bluntly, age has nothing to do with arthritis or degeneration! Believe me, the hunched over teenager is going to have a worse looking spine when he’s 30 than that of an elderly person that has always been mindful of their posture.

The Bottom Line

If you have chronic low back pain or it "keeps going out", then I would strongly suggest you reconsider the idea that a "neck doctor" can’t help. There are plenty of people much smarter than me (hard to believe) that have done extensive research on the topic and the evidence speaks for itself. Personally, I’ve had low back cases that have time and time again, gotten well WITHOUT ever touching their back. It’s not magic, but sure seems like it.

If you’re curious whether or not your low back pain might be related to a misalignment of the Upper Cervical spine, go ahead and do a rudimentary self check at home. Next time you look in the mirror, look at your ears. Are they level? Are your shoulders? Lie flat on your back on the floor and have a friend look at your feet. Are the heels even with each other? If you answered "No" to any of these questions, you’re more than likely misaligned and a ticking time bomb waiting to be in pain. Please share if you found this article useful!

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

How Do I Tell If I Need Upper Cervical Care?

by Dr. Ben Hill

I’m going to venture to guess that, if you’re suffering from something that’s not obviously related to your spine that you didn’t wake up this morning and say,

“Eureka! I bet that upper cervical doctor is just the guy who can help.”

I’ll take no offense. In fact, it’s common and completely understandable that one doesn’t typically equate chiropractic care with conditions like digestive disorders, migraines,  ADHD, fatigue, fibromyalgia … or even multiple sclerosis. But when you consider that the nervous system controls just about every function in your body, it stands to reason that when something is compromising it? All sorts of not-so-great things can happen. It also stands to reason that, if we can reverse this situation, you may realize considerable relief or resolution to pain or conditions that are affecting your everyday life.

So how do you know if an Upper Cervical Chiropractic may be right for you? 

Here are a few questions to help you evaluate:

• Do you suffer from headaches, earaches or backaches that medication or other treatment is not alleviating or resolving?
• Do you or one of your family members regularly struggle to sleep through the night? Is the exhaustion leading to other health or relationship problems?
• Do you have ongoing digestive issues that haven’t been solved through medication or dietary changes?
• Do you have a child who isn’t responding well to ADHD, colic or autism-related medications or treatment?
• Are you experiencing ongoing pain in your body?
• Do you have vertigo, dizziness or  unexplained problems with your vision or hearing?
• Are you at your wit’s end because nothing you’ve tried so far has helped you?
• Do you want to feel confident that you can, and will, get your old self back?

If you answered “YES” to at least one of these questions, I may have a care plan that delivers the answers you’ve been looking for. While upper cervical care isn’t often the first thing people think of when struggling with frustrating, debilitating and life-altering conditions, we may well be the answer that’s (finally) the one for you.

 Can’t hurt to check it out, right?

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

Can Upper Cervical Care Help with Lower Back Pain?

As our lifestyles become more complex, the health care field has evolved and produced new methods that can help unique problems. Consider back pain. If a patient complained of lower back pain years ago, a doctor might simply prescribe some pain pills and recommend that the patient go home and rest. Today, there are types of care such as upper cervicalcare that can help. Instead of treating the pain symptoms only, upper cervical care seeks out a potential cause of your pain, in the attempt not only to help you feel better at the moment your back is hurting, but to prevent future episodes by restoring more balance to the spine. It’s a more holistic approach to care that is bringing relief to the people taking advantage of it.

Some people know exactly why they are experiencing lower back pain. They might have been involved in a car accident, or perhaps they remember pushing themselves too hard on the tennis court. When there is a specific injury that has caused a specific pain, it is much easier for doctors and medical practitioners to treat. However, a growing number of patients are reporting pain that is unexplained. Some people wake up one day and suddenly feel their back hurting. Other people report that what was once a minor irritation eventually develops into something extremely painful. This is where upper cervical care is most successful; when there is no obvious or known origin of the pain, particularly lower back pain.

When your lower back hurts, it seems natural to treat the lower back area. However, upper cervical care takes a look at the upper spine, mainly the area of the neck, instead. Practitioners have found startling evidence that these two areas of the body are linked, especially when it comes to movement and pain. The spine is one continuous part of your body. It works as a single operation and the top of the spine, near your neck, is the most mobile part of it. That’s where you’re doing most of your turning, bending, reaching and moving. The upper cervical area is also the most sensitive part of the spine. It sends thousands of sensors down your spine any time it is affected. Therefore, caring for the upper cervical area of your spine will have a direct impact on how your lower back functions and thus feels. With the goal of this type of care being to locate and correct an underlying problem that could be the cause of your symptoms, looking at the upper cervical area makes sense.

The nerve cells in your upper spine are powerful and can hurt or soothe the rest of your spinal areas. If you have recently noticed pain in your lower back, do not immediately assume it can be cured with strong medications and hot or cold packs. Instead, talk to a health care provider who has used upper cervical care successfully. Instead of focusing on the present pain symptoms in your back, your provider will focus on the spinal area that starts in your neck, and restore balance back to the spine.  Your relief will likely be more substantive and longer lasting.

This post was written for the Upper Cervical Blog by Dr. David Kulla. Dr. Kulla is a licensed NYC chiropractor and owner of Synergy Wellness in Manhattan.

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

A Letter From A Skeptical Patient Of Upper Cervical Care

Editor's note: Today's post is about a patient's experience while under Upper Cervical Care. The method used was NUCCA.

A letter from a patient

by Dr. Deb Sesker

Note: This letter comes from a patient named Robyn, who has received NUCCA care for the last five years. She sent this to us via email in January of 2011.

Deb Sesker and NUCCA has completely changed my life. I have had chronic back pain since I was 9 years old after I was kicked behind my right ear by my horse. Then, at 15, I fell on the ice and broke my tailbone. Between the ages of 16 and 21, I was in five major car accidents where all vehicles were totalled. At 36, I was rear-ended by a teenage driver talking on her cell phone, and suffered whiplash.

I have spent thousands of dollars at conventional chiropractors, hours at acupuncturists and physical therapists, and even considered back surgery.

The surgeon refused to operate on me because he said I had a herniated disc and degenerative arthritis in my lower back. He said, “If I operate on you, you will be in a wheelchair within 5 years. You just need to learn how to live with the pain (and, by the way, here are some pain pills).” I walked away from the pain pills but was very depressed that I was still unable to find a cure.

My life was an everyday struggle because of the pain in my lower back. I literally cried every single day because I still had to work and make a living, and sitting at a computer all day was excruciating. I taught aerobics and rode on RAGBRAI and lived my life but suffered through it the whole time. I was determined I wasn’t going to let this pain ruin me, but I still suffered terribly.

One day a friend of mine told me that a coworker had come to work literally exclaiming with joy that he had found a miracle! Jumping up and down! The coworker told my friend that Deb Sesker and NUCCA had changed his life. He had been in constant back pain for five years and was now miraculously pain free! My friend called me immediately and the minute I hung up the phone with him I called Deb at Balance First. I begged her to see me the next day.

I have to admit I had a tremendous amount of skepticism about all of this because I had tried so many other avenues of relief to absolutely no avail. Quick fixes that gave me a few days of relief and then back to the chiropractor again; always worried that I couldn’t do any activity to my full potential for fear of aggravating my pain. I had been disappointed so many times that I was incredibly skeptical.

BUT, without hope there is nothing, so I always kept the faith that I would find the fix. And I found her!

I have lived a very different life after my first visit five years ago. Except for the occasional visit back to Deb for an adjustment because of self-injury (mistakenly shoveling snow, haphazardly climbing trees, or lively yard work), I live virtually pain-free. I, too, have had a miracle!! I can do all the activities I love to do; gardening, hiking, biking, sitting pain-free at a two-hour concert, or just watching a movie on my couch. Life is good.

Make sure to look at the diplomas on her walls. She was valedictorian of her class at Palmer College of Chiropractic at the wonderful age of 39. She is the epitome of what a doctor should be. She genuinely cares for her patient’s health and well-being, and is also a Take Shape for Life Regional Director. She cares about the whole person and will be able to counsel you in many different areas of your life.

I believe in Deb and NUCCA so much that every member of my family has been adjusted by her and THEIR lives have been changed, as well. In my line of business, I have had an inordinate number of opportunities to talk to complete strangers, and in the course of conversation, I discover that these people are in back pain. Maybe it is because I am so aware of how it affects everyday life, or I can see pain in their face when I am talking to them; for whatever reason, I discover they are in back pain. In the past five years, I would estimate that I have encouraged, and literally begged at times, 100 people to visit Deb. I KNEW she could change their lives. Quite a few of those people have contacted me later and thanked me for sharing Deb with them. They, too, had found a miracle!

–RLW

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

Tinnitus and Upper Cervical Care?

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for tinnitus or any other condition, disease or symptom.)

by Dr. Smith

A middle aged, caucasian male was rear-ended in an automobile accident in mid June. He suffered from constant headaches, tinnitus, upper and lower back pain. He went to the Emergency Room at a local hospital and was x-rayed for determination of fractures and life-threatening injury. He was then given pain medication and sent home. Two weeks later, his symptoms persisting, he was treated at his primary medical doctor’s office and also referred to an ENT specialist who prescribed him medication for the tinnitus. After tolerating the tinnitus, increasing musculoskeletal pain and headaches for more than a month, he decided to seek other forms of treatment. He presented to a full spine chiropractor to see if chiropractic care would help his condition.

Initially, he achieved positive results from the adjustments and physical therapy exercises, including decrease in the severity of headaches, upper back pain, and low back pain over the course of two months. However, his tinnitus increased, even while continuing to take medications prescribed by the ENT specialist and receiving the full spine chiropractic adjustments. The headaches plateaued at about 4/10 on the analog pain scale, and he was trying to sleep at night with headphones on to drown out the ringing in his ears.

At this time he was referred to me for Upper Cervical Specific adjusting (upper cervical care), and a new cervical x-ray series was taken, including specific views for analysis. It was determined that his atlas was misaligned, and spinal temperature graphs showed a consistent pattern, despite his previous treatment. He made the personal decision to cease other forms of care at that time, including drugs, physical therapy, and full spine adjusting to focus on the upper cervical region.

Under our care, his condition improved to the point of sleeping without the headphones after the first week. His headaches and tinnitus steadily decreased as his body began to hold the adjustment. The headaches resolved nearly one month after the first adjustment was given, and the tinnitus was down to 2/10 at that time as well.

He was forced to fly out of town on a business trip, and when he returned, the tinnitus had increased to 4/10 and his body was in pattern. Adjustment was delivered and the level of tinnitus was reduced to 2/10 again, where it stayed for the next three weeks. At his next examination it was determined that his tinnitus had gradually reduced down to 1/10 and all other symptoms were resolved. He was checked on a continual basis over the next six weeks, during which his tinnitus completely resolved and he began to hold his adjustment for a considerable length of time.