Why I chose to specialize in an upper cervical (neck) chiropractic technique

Do you want the biggest value for your money and time? I do. This is why I chose to specialize in the upper cervical spine. When I was in chiropractic school, I learned many forms of chiropractic. I learned how to adjust the whole spine and to adjust the extremities like hands and feet even. There are a lot of great chiropractors out there that do full-spine adjustments. But, I chose to specialize in only the upper cervical (upper neck) area using a chiropractic technique called NUCCA. This stands for National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (See http://www.nucca.org/). I only work on the top vertebra of the neck, called the atlas or C1 vertebra. I make a precise, gentle correction to C1 and use that as a lever to do a more global adjustment, affecting the whole body. Why would I choose to “limit” myself to only 1 bone of the spine, you might ask? The answer is below, in the details.

The atlas bone is so named because it holds the world on its shoulders. Atlas was the Greek mythological titan that received the punishment of holding the world on his shoulders. Our “world” is our head, which is a 10-12 pound bowling ball, while the atlas bone itself is only 2 ounces! This bone is tasked with providing us as much as half of the rotation of our head and also is connected to many muscles and ligaments in an area called the suboccipital triangle. The brain is especially interested in what is happening to this part of the spine and there are many neurological reflexes that connect this area to our balance centers and our vision and hearing. The nerve receptors that are located in this area are very densely populated. There are more receptors in this area that in any other area of the spine (242 mechanoreceptors/sq. inch)!


Well, so what? This is important because I am trying to explain why I am specializing in the upper cervical spine. Our brain needs to keep the communication lines open between itself and the rest of the body. Also, the vertebral artery passes right through the atlas area as well. Any misalignment in that area can hamper the proper flow of nerve flow and blood to the brainstem and cerebellum. The brainstem is like the grand central station for our cranial nerves and controls all of our life-supporting mechanisms like breathing, heart rate, heart rhythm, digestion, etc. etc. Having a misaligned atlas can affect these functions. A quick example for this is a study that was done on upper cervical misalignments and blood pressure: NUCCA Blood Pressure study .

Who might have this type of misalignment? The answer is most everyone to one extent or another. Any type of accident or injury can throw the alignment of this bone off. It can even happen, and commonly does, when we are born. Birth can be a sprain in the neck! We can easily check a baby to see if they fall under this category or not. If not, then most kids will get misaligned when they start to bump around trying to walk or playing on the playground or falling off the trampoline. Most patients have their problems associated with a spill or fall or hit the head. Sometimes, the patient had the accident 20-30 years before and is now starting to see the effects of the misalignment.

When a patient comes to my office, I perform an exam and take precise films of the head and neck area to get a 3-dimensional view. Then I analyze them to see exactly how the atlas is misaligned. From this, I can derive a customized angle for each patient so that I can bring the spine back into a line. This is done gently, without pushing or cracking or snapping. Patients cannot barely feel it, but they notice the difference immediately, if not soon thereafter. We take 2 films after the adjustment to ensure that we have reduced or normalized the alignment. As patients hold this correction, they improve.

What can this help with? Below is a list of things that have been known to respond well to upper cervical adjustments: arthritis, asthma, ADD/ADHD, back pain, bed wetting, abnormal childhood development, chronic infections, constipation, depression, seizures, ear infections, fibromyalgia, hay fever, headaches, herniated disc, high blood pressure, indigestion, knee pain, low back pain, migraines, muscle spasms, sciatica, scoliosis, TMJ problems, whiplash, etc. etc. This list is not exhaustive.

Here is a very recent testimonial of one of my patients who came in with trigeminal neuralgia (intense nerve pain in the face): “My initial contact of your office was totally by accident….I have been troubled by intense pain in my right jaw caused by trigeminal neuralgia. I tried acupuncture without success. I even tried a pain management physician who prescribed two very strong narcotic drugs which also did not help. The pain continued without relief; being almost to the point where I would scream. I was desperate! We met with Dr. Hartman Andersen who mentioned one of his colleagues [Dr. Stockwell] was successful in treating trigeminal neuralgia….After the 1st two treatments [with Dr. Andersen], my pain was greatly reduced. I continue to visit Dr. Andersen for treatments that continue to put my life back in control. Other treatments for trigeminal neuralgia would have cost much more and would have required me to travel great distances for a procedure that would not guarantee a success rate of greater than 50%. I am thrilled that I do not have to take narcotic drugs to help the pain; much less turn me into a zombie. I would recommend Dr. Andersen to everyone who has the need to overcome pain, and improve their quality of life. The NUCCA method of treatment is a new protocol for me, but it works!” F. Weigel

So again, I ask the question, do you want the biggest bang for your buck? Come see me in my clinic in St. George, Utah. I am working in Dr. Jack Stockwell’s St. George, Utah practice full time. See Jack Stockwell - St. George Office for our Facebook. You can also visit us at http://www.jackstockwell.com/St._George_Office.html