Dwyane Wade, Migraines and Upper Cervical

Dwyane Wade, Migraines and NUCCA

by Dr. William R. Davis Jr.

One of NBA Basketball‘s most exciting players Dwyane Wade continues to battle migraine headaches.

"Most of the time it lasts for four days," Wade said. "This time, the effects are going into the third day. I’m doing everything with the doctors, but there are certain things you can’t control."

Or can you?

Is it possible that there is an underlying cause associated with your migraines Dwyane?

If you got to the underlying cause would it be possible to prevent these migraines?

Would it be possible to eliminate them completely?

Dwyane Wade is a very physical player. He frequently dives on the floor and has had several head and neck traumas over the years. Here is one example of Wade whacking his head on the ground in the playoffs a few years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3ksc5_bpYw

What happens when you get head and neck traumas?

Well these accidents and injuries can tear loose the connective tissue that holds the spine in place and create a weakness, which then allows the spine to breakdown and lock into a stressed position.
Now I am sure that the Miami Heat have a staff Chiropractor, as almost all professional sports team do. But to get to this problem he may need a more advanced approach than general chiropractic. Learn more from a recent WebMD story http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure

If Mr. Wade has a misalignment in the upper neck at the base of the brain, blood flow has been shown to be effected. Research is demonstrating that these misalignments in the upper neck at the level of the Atlas can be an underlying cause with several vascular conditions such as Migraine Headaches, High Blood Pressure, Multiple Sclerosis and others. The veins that drain the brain are not working the way that they are supposed to be.

The main way that this takes place is the physical trauma associated with head and neck injuries.

The only way to safely, precisely and gently realign the spine is by acquiring precise upper cervical x-rays. Once the upper neck is viewed from all three directions then a plan can be put together to correct this complex condition. The NUCCA procedure is very effective at restoring the upper neck to it’s proper alignment.

(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.)

Chronic Headache Sufferers Find Relief With Upper Cervical Care

Many people are not aware of the relationship between upper cervical (neck) trauma and headaches. With all that modern science has accomplished, there are still more unanswered questions than answered ones. This is also true in the case of headache research. It’s been difficult to pinpoint the exact reason(s) why certain people suffer chronic headache pain. However, research is beginning to point toward upper cervical trauma as an underlying cause for many types of head pain, especially migraine, cluster and tension headaches.

The upper cervical area of the spine refers to the two vertebrae located at the top of the spine, directly underneath the head. C1 (known as Atlas,) along with C2 (known as Axis,) are chiefly responsible for the rotation and flexibility of the head and neck. Like the rest of the vertebrae, they are extremely vulnerable to injury and trauma, especially trauma to the head through auto or sporting accidents.

Because so many nerves transmit through the cervical region (to and from the brain,) trauma to this area results in problems to other parts of the body. This is where the relationship between the upper cervical area and headaches becomes evident. If these vertebrae become displaced, even slightly, chronic head pain can occur. Unless the neck injury is addressed, the symptoms persist.

Upper cervical care involves addressing the position and function of these injured cervical vertebrae, particularly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae may restore proper function to the area and reduce or eliminate many types of headaches.

The most common types of headaches for which people seek upper cervical care are migraine, cluster and tension headaches. Migraine headaches are characterized by intense pain on either one or both sides of the head. Pain is usually located around the temples or behind one ear or eye. The pain is so severe that it often causes extreme sensitivity to light, dizziness and may even lead to vomiting. Migraines may occur with or without ‘aura.’ Aura refers to visual symptoms which occur 10 to 30 minutes prior to the onset of the headache. They are usually in the form of flashing lights, lines, blind spots or even temporary blindness.

Cluster headaches almost always occur on only one side of the head. Their onset is so sudden and intense, cluster headaches have been described as “worse than childbirth.” In fact, the doctor who originally identified and researched cluster headaches characterized their pain as being able “to drive normal people to suicide.”

Tension headaches are sometimes called ’stress headaches.’ They often start midday and usually consist of a dull, aching pain rather than a sharp, intense one. They start gradually and slowly build in intensity. Tension headaches may last anywhere from less than one to several hours.

Of course, not every headache falls into one of these categories. The type and degree of pain varies from person to person. However, if any headache occurs more often than on an occasional or sporadic basis, it’s safe to assume that there may be an underlying cause. Continually treating chronic and recurrent headaches with pain medication may temporarily ease the symptoms, but it won’t cure the problem.

Many of these headaches improve significantly while under upper cervical care. The number of visits required varies by individual, as well as type and frequency of headache. A first visit to an upper cervical chiropractor usually involves a spinal evaluation including neurological tests and x-rays to assess alignment and function for each individual case.  Patients often notice an improvement in symptoms, sometimes after only a few visits with the doctor.

(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.)

Chronic Headaches And Upper Cervical Care?

Adapted from Chronic Headache Sufferers Find Relief

Many people are not aware of the relationship between upper cervical (neck) trauma and headaches. With all that modern science has accomplished, there are still more unanswered questions than answered ones. This is also true in the case of headache research. It’s been difficult to pinpoint the exact reason(s) why certain people suffer chronic headache pain. However, research is beginning to point toward upper cervical trauma as an underlying cause for many types of head pain, especially migraine, cluster and tension headaches.

The upper cervical area of the spine refers to the two vertebrae located at the top of the spine, directly underneath the head. C1 (known as Atlas,) along with C2 (known as Axis,) are chiefly responsible for the rotation and flexibility of the head and neck. Like the rest of the neck, they are extremely vulnerable to injury and trauma, especially trauma to the head through auto or sporting accidents.

Because so many nerves transmit through the cervical region (to and from the brain,) trauma to this area results in problems to other parts of the body. This is where the relationship between the upper cervical area and headaches becomes evident. If these vertebrae become displaced, even slightly, chronic head pain can occur. Unless the neck injury is addressed, the symptoms persist.

upper cervical care involves correcting the position of these injured cervical vertebrae, particularly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae may reduce or eliminate many types of headaches.

The most common types of headaches are migraine, cluster and tension headaches. Migraine headaches are characterized by intense pain on either one or both sides of the head. Pain is usually located around the temples or behind one ear or eye. The pain is so severe that it often causes extreme sensitivity to light, dizziness and may even lead to vomiting. Migraines may occur with or without ‘aura.’ Aura refers to visual symptoms which occur 10 to 30 minutes prior to the onset of the headache. They are usually in the form of flashing lights, lines, blind spots or even temporary blindness.

Cluster headaches almost always occur on only one side of the head. Their onset is so sudden and intense, cluster headaches have been described as “worse than childbirth.” In fact, the doctor who originally identified and researched cluster headaches characterized their pain as being able “to drive normal people to suicide.”

Tension headaches are sometimes called ‘stress headaches.’ They often start midday and usually consist of a dull, aching pain rather than a sharp, intense one. They start gradually and slowly build in intensity. Tension headaches may last anywhere from less than one to several hours.

Of course, not every headache falls into one of these categories. The type and degree of pain varies from person to person. However, if any headache occurs more often than on an occasional or sporadic basis, it’s safe to assume that there may be an underlying cause. Continually treating chronic and recurrent headaches with pain medication may temporarily ease the symptoms, but it won’t cure the problem.

Many of these headaches improve while under upper cervical care. A first visit to an Upper cervical doctor usually involves a spinal evaluation and tests such as x-rays. From there, the practitioner will determine the formula for the upper cervical correction. Patients often notice an improvement in symptoms, sometimes after only a few visits.

(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 headaches or any other condition, disease or symptom.)

Have You Heard Of Upper Cervical Care?

by Mindy Drake D.C.

If not, you’re not alone. Most people haven’t, and the funny name kind of makes you wonder what type of care this is? When we speak about ‘upper cervical care‘, we’re actually referring to the area of the upper spine that connects your head to your neck. There are 24 vertebrae in your spine- they’re like little square donuts stacked on top of each other, forming a tunnel for your spinal cord, and the spaces between them are like exit windows for all of your nerves. Your spine is really just a very ‘drafty’ house for your nervous system!

The top seven vertebrae are called your ‘cervical spine’, basically meaning the ‘bridge’ between your head and your body. The very top two vertebra, right up near your head, are the ‘upper cervical’ spine, and they have the very important job of holding up your head, allowing it to move in all directions, and they also surround and protect your brain stem. The design of this area makes it the weak spot in your body, and it’s very vulnerable to injury. Now, your brain stem is the most important part of your body- it’s kind of like your battery, and all of the nerves in your whole body eventually travel into the brain stem, either from the spinal cord below, or from the brain above. If those two very special vertebrae at the top of the neck, called the Atlas (C1) and the Axis (C2) are not in perfect alignment due to trauma or an accident, often the nerves that come out of that area can be irritated, and can cause pain and dysfunction. Usually the pain will start slowly, and get worse as the bones are misaligned for a longer period of time.

C1 and C2: Atlas and Axis

Upper cervical doctors require additional training to learn how to adjust the top of the neck precisely and gently; there are a few different techniques for this very precise work (N.U.C.C.A, Knee Chest, Toggle Recoil, Grostic/Orthospinology, Atlas Orthogonal and Blair). It’s very similar to all of the others, but involves a little different analysis of the spine, and some additional muscle testing.

The most important word to describe what we do as upper cervical doctors is ‘specific', and we take extra time to carefully analyze, and then very gently adjust the top of the neck. We also do extra testing to make sure we only adjust when absolutely necessary. This procedure gently and effectively ‘put’s your head on straight’ (all of our mothers and teachers love to hear this!), but crucially, it also takes pressure and irritation off of the nerves of the upper cervical spine, which are frequently implicated in migraine headaches, occipital neuralgia, and trigeminal neuralgia, and this also removes irritation from the brain stem area. This is a very good thing, and frequently can lead to a decrease in pain, sometimes almost immediately.

Another benefit of specific upper cervical care is that if we can gently and effectively correct the position of the top two vertebra, it takes far fewer adjustments to help the adjustments stay in place, and quite often the lower areas of your spine will align all by themselves with very little help from us. Your body can heal itself; sometimes it just needs a little boost in the right direction.