I believe that people, in general, fundamentally understand that if something is misaligned, whether it be their teeth, automobile tires, or their spine, it’s easy for them to grasp the concept of “this is not okay.”

What some pain-driven people aren’t quite clear on, however, is how exactly the head/neck pertain to the rest of the body. This is evident from a very common question that people ask when they discover I’m an Upper Cervical doctor: “Does that mean you can only help people with neck problems?”

Allow me to explain why my answer is “No.”

Using spinal models provided by Dr. Kiyokawa of Tokyo, Japan, I’d like to show you how misalignment of the head and neck can be the cause of pain, discomfort, stiffness, and limited motion in the rest of the spine.

The top two photos depict what your head looks like when it is balanced over the neck and shoulders. As long as the head/neck are properly aligned, the rest of the spine is better able to perform its duties of protection, stability and support.

The two bottom photos show the opposite. The red arrows demonstrate a tilting effect of atlas, or C1. This tilt causes the head to be lower on the left. As a result, a cascade of neurological and mechanical reflexes take place to level the head. The rest of the spine will now have to bend, curve, and twist in subtle ways to compensate for the misalignment of the head/neck above.

These compensatory shifts within the spine are often the primary motivator for people to seek chiropractic care. But just because they have pain between the shoulder blades, in the lower back, or even down in the hips/knees, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they need “treatment” applied directly to these areas.

The pain sensations are effects, and every effect has a cause.

Head/neck misalignment can induce all sorts of different symptoms. Sure, you can find a doctor to treat the knee… another doctor to treat the shoulder… and plenty of doctors to treat low back pain. But many times, these measures fail to offer long-term results. They might push the “pause” button for a few days or weeks, but the pain returns, over and over again.

Upper Cervical Care strives to correct the cause. It has been the key for many people seeking a solution to their own health problems.