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.)

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.

Signs and Symptoms Of An Upper Cervical Injury

These are the signs and symptoms that may indicate that you have an upper cervical spine injury, which may have gone undetected for some time. Remember these are just indicators but one should strongly consider being evaluated by an Upper Cervical Doctor if they are experiencing even just some of what is listed below. However, the posture, head tilt sign, shoulder height sign and ear symptoms will, in my opinion, make it a strong possibility that you do have such an injury.

1. Is your posture poor? Do you have rounded shoulders &/or forward head posture? Does your head feel heavy to hold?

2. Is your head tilted to one side and/or your head rotated to one side when you look in a mirror? This can be very subtle.

3. Does your nose or nasal septum deviate to one side? If so, you may find that it deviates towards the side to which your atlas has moved forward (e.g. nose deviates to the left; then atlas is forward on the left)

4. Is one of your shoulders lower than the other? Pull your shoulders back and down and look carefully for one lower than the other. Again it can be subtle.

5. Press firmly but gently with your thumb into the impression just below your skull at the top of your neck on both sides of the back of the neck. This is known as the sub-occipital area. Find the base of your skull and press the soft flesh around that area. Is this tender or painful for you?

6. Do you have some shoulder and/or neck pain/aches, which don't seem to go away?

7. Does your jaw click when you open your mouth? Further check on this; Put your pinkies (little fingers) into your ear canals and chew normally. Do you feel a bumpy dislocation like feeling? This should be a smooth action in your joints.

8. Do you have any lower back pain or mid back pain (under the shoulder blades)?

9. Can you move your head from side to side without pain or restriction? Is there a loss of Range of Motion (ROM)?

10. Do you have any sand paper, clicking or crunching sounds when moving your head from side to side in a 'NO' action?

11. Is your hearing a problem or do you have other ear symptoms (e.g. tinnitus, watery sounds, blockages, vertigo, Meniere’s Disease, otalgia, recurrent ear infections)?

12. Do you often get headaches or migraines?

13. Can you remember any trauma (even minor) to the head, neck or shoulders?

14. Was your birth difficult?

15. How’s your vision? – Sensitive to light, especially at dusk, floaters?

16. Do you experience any dizziness, vertigo or movement sensations? Does the ground seem to move away from you?

17. Do you experience any tingling and burning sensations especially in fingers and toes?

18. Do you have confirmed Scoliosis of the spine, from x-rays? Do you have one leg shorter than the other or is your pelvis higher on one side?

19. Have you had any x-rays, CT scans or MRIs taken of your neck? Do these reveal loss of normal neck curve), even a small amount?