The Gentleness of Upper Cervical Care

The NUCCA Procedure is a Gentle Correction

A gentle touch and controlled contact on the first vertebrae in the neck is designed to restore balance to the spine. Even though the primary focus is the neck, the effects of the correction influences the whole spine and all body systems. This is because the NUCCA procedure influences one of the highest control centers over body balance, the brain stem and central nervous system. The C-1 vertebrae, also known as the Atlas, is a small donut-like bone located at the top of the spine and the base of the skull that surrounds the brain stem. When the spine is subjected to stress it can become misaligned. This head/neck misalignment is also known as the Atlas Subluxation Complex or ASC .

The Balancing Act

The nerves in our spinal column are very sensitive to pressure and stress. When the spine becomes misaligned sufficiently it stresses the nerves, compromises their normal impulses, and changes function throughout the body. Nerves are responsible for four primary functions:

    Control and regulate all vital functions including circulation, breathing and digestion.

    Activate muscles allowing us to move.

    Allow us to sense, perceive and feel.

    Relate us to the world outside ourselves including learning, experiencing and behavior.

                               

Evaluation, Evaluation, Evaluation

Once you have decided to be examined for a spinal misalignment, an extensive evaluation process begins. The process begins by looking at your detailed health history including any past traumas, motor vehicle accidents, surgeries, other treatment programs and other diagnostic tests including other x-rays. Your chief complaints, including location, onset, and duration must all be evaluated and assessed. After concluding this initial process, the doctor will begin the steps necessary to determine if you are a candidate for NUCCA care.

Finding the Problem

The NUCCA Doctor will focus attention on the relationship of the head to the neck. The top bone of the neck, known as the atlas, must be in line with the head, as well as the vertebrae below. Spinal injury or damage can misalign these structures resulting in:

    Postural imbalance.

    Pelvic distortion.

    Leg length disparity also known as the "short leg" phenomenon.

As you lay on your back, measurement of the leg length equality will be made. Additional evaluation of posture may include shoulder height, hip height and deviation of the head to either side. Ranges of motion may also be measured. Specific instrumentation may also be used to evaluate body weight distribution, pelvic rotation and normal nerve function. If a spinal misalignment is indicated by history and examination, a series of x-rays are taken. It is important to know you would only be accepted as a patient if the consultation and exam results indicate that you could benefit from NUCCA care. The X-rays are only taken if care is to be initiated. 

Table Time 

Each correction is determined from x-ray measurement. Patients lay on their right or left side on the upper cervical table. By gently contacting the side of your neck, the doctor will direct your head and neck back toward a balanced, healthy position.

Precise, Accurate and Small  Corrections

The upper cervical correction depends upon precise mathematical calculations, physics, and biomechanics. X-rays are a critical part of ensuring the spinal correction is accurate and successful. The doctor will take pre-correction x-rays from different angles focusing on the atlas. These x-rays determine the direction and degree of spinal misalignment and how to properly restore the spine to normal.

Continuous Monitoring

Because each correction experience and healing response is unique to the individual, you will be monitored closely for any changes that you might experience which are linked to the healing process. We have stressed the importance of receiving the best possible correction during the first visit. The doctor will take x-rays after your correction to confirm results. This is typically done only after the initial correction. What we know is "The better the correction, the better the chance of recovery."

Are You A Candidate For Upper Cervical Care?

By Dr. Zachary Ward

Are you a candidate for an upper cervical (NUCCA) spinal correction?

If you want to remove barriers to self-healing, and you can answer yes to one or more of the following questions, then you may be a candidate for our care. Please request a consultation with the doctor.

■Have you ever been told by a chiropractor, podiatrist, tailor, or seamstress that you have one leg that is shorter than the other?

■Have you ever been prescribed a heel lift for a ‘short leg’?

■When you look in the mirror do you see your head tilting toward your right or left shoulder?

■When you look in the mirror do you consistently see one shoulder that is higher?

■Do you limit carrying handbags or purses to one shoulder because the strap falls off on one side?

■For women, do you always find one bra strap falling off of one shoulder?

■When you wear a belt, do you notice that it sits higher on one hip than the other?

■When you walk do you find that your waistband tends to twist towards one side of your body, pulling the inseam out on one side?

■Do you suffer from a head, neck, back or body pain that cannot be explained by other doctors? Or pain that is not responding to other kinds of care, including traditional chiropractic?

■If you turn your head all the way to the left or right, is it easier to make this motion on one side than the other?

■Do you have pain or tenderness or a sensation of tightness at the base of the skull?

■Have you ever had a chiropractor or medical doctor diagnose you with a ‘loss of curve’ in your neck from an x-ray or MRI?

■Do have an inability to concentrate (foggy headedness) that you cannot explain?

■Do you have a neurological problem (balance, seizures, vision disturbances, cranial nerve disorders) that you want to manage with other ways than medicine?

■Have you ever sustained a whiplash injury?

■Did you have a difficult birth using forceps or vacuum extraction?

■Do you have occasional headaches or migraine headaches?

(Editor's note: These are merely indicators of body imbalance. Please 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 anything listed above or any other condition, disease or symptom.)