Whiplash and Upper Cervical Care

If you are like many others that have been in a car accident at some time in your life, but thought that “I’m not in pain anymore” or “I was fine” or “it was just a fender bender”, think again. There are 3 million new whiplash injuries per year. 35-50% of those people will never fully recover and 14% of them will become disabled. This is pretty significant. Most people that I see in my clinic have had a motor vehicle accident at one time or another in their lifetime. Some of them have had some real doozies, while others deny that they were affected by an accident that happened so long ago. Some report that they walked away without any problems or pain. Then 7-10 years passes and these folks start complaining of problems: arthritis, headaches, neck and back pain, neurological problems like vertigo, etc. The presence or absence of pain right after an accident is not indicative of damage done to the upper neck structures. Only a 10 MPH collisions is equivalent to catching a 200 lb. bag of cement from a 2nd story window! (Much of this information was taken as notes during a recent NUCCA conference address by an upper cervical doctor and whiplash specialist, Dr. Scott Rosa, DC from New York.)

If you pay attention to the following information, you might be able to save yourself from a world of hurt. Upper cervical chiropractors are the best suited, in my opinion, to helping people deal with the underlying damage done from whiplash injuries. Car crash injuries have gone up 284% since 1984 because of changes made to cars to make them “safer”, like more rigid seat backs and stiffer frames. When there’s a collision, there are forces involved that get either absorbed in the car, or you. If the car is more rigid, then it gets absorbed into you, translating into whiplash damage that tears ligaments and structures in the neck, especially the upper neck, which is not as protected. These injuries can create a whole host of problems and compensations into the rest of the spine and body that negatively affect our health.

The injury mechanism occurs when the neck is forced into an S-shaped curve during impact in just milliseconds of time. **I’m going to get a little technical here. The lower neck hyperextends, and the upper neck flexes. Whiplash is like getting hit from the front and behind by 2 football players at the same time, all within 150 milliseconds. This causes tearing damage to the upper cervical ligaments (like the posterior atlantooccipital membrane, the posterior atlanttoaxial ligament, the alar ligament, and others). This damage is usually overlooked by most radiologists looking at the MRIs because they fail to pay attention to the craniocervical junction (where the skull and the neck meet). Also, the best views to see such damage are usually not utilized (you need upright MRI and coronal and axial views of this region to see most of the damage). Another problem shown on MRI and CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) flow studies is the cerebellar tonsils that dip down in to the foramen magnum in many whiplash victims. These cerebellar tonsils can “choke” the spinal cord and impede the flow of nerve signals and cerebral spinal fluid from circulating properly. This is called Cerebellar Tonsillar Ectopia (CTE). Some of you might have heard about Arnold Chiari malformations, which, along with whiplash injuries, can be a factor in CTE. According to Dr. Scott Rosa, It is 4 times more prevalent to find CTE with someone that has had a whiplash. Dr. Rosa is in the middle of publishing a scientific study with pre and post-MRIs to show how upper cervical techniques will actually remedy the misaligned atlas, return the normal CSF flow and also how the cerebellar tonsils will get “sucked” back up after a correction, restoring normal neurological and CSF flow.

If you’re still with me to this point, then you’re serious about getting help for yourself or your loved ones. Before you go to the extremes of toxic meds or surgery, you owe it to yourself to get relief and get to the root of the problem. The best qualified individuals to assess and address the problem, in my opinion, is an upper cervical chiropractor. Whiplash patients should come and see us within 72 hours of an accident. I do the NUCCA technique, in which we take precise films before and after the correction. The films show us how the head, the atlas and the neck are misaligned before adjustment and how they realign afterwards. It’s as simple as that. The adjustment is barely felt but yet profound in its effect of restoring the body to balance. The body then does the rest in healing itself. Although I don’t need pre and post-MRIs to tell me if I have done my job, it is sure nice that we have some nice explanations for why what I do works.

Whiplash patients usually don’t care why it works, but that it simply does. Here’s an example to finish the blogpost: I recently had a young teenage girl that came in with hip and low back pain that radiated down into her thigh. Two weeks previous, she was involved in a rollover where she was in the passenger seat and was not wearing her seatbelt. Her truck flipped and rolled and she remembers waking up in the car afterwards with lacerations on her face. Consequently, she couldn’t run, jog or ride a bike because of her hip. After taking films and making the correction she reported that her back pain was gone and was giddy as a school girl. She came 2 more times over the next couple of weeks and both times she was holding and did not need an adjustment. The first follow up visit she reported that her left thigh still hurt a bit, but that her low back pain was gone. The second follow up visit, she said the thigh pain was also gone.

I never adjusted her hip or her low back but they were related to the upper neck misalignment. This is something I find often with patients, where the low back responds to getting the head back on straight due to the body being out of balance and compensating for the upper neck misalignment. If you're around Southern Utah or Nevada, come by for a free consultation to see if you are a good candidate for care (435-688-1890). If you're not in the area, look up an upper cervical chiropractor close by. You can find a good NUCCA practitioner by going to http://www.nucca.org/.

Gut and Psychology and NUCCA

Could there be a natural remedy for those with both digestive problems and brain disorders? I believe we have finally found the correlation and even the underlying root of the problem.  What kind of disorders am I talking about?

Here is a list of brain conditions that may have a common underlying gut problem:

• Autism, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD or ADHD), anxiety, behavioral problems, other learning disabilities, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and seizures.

Other common conditions found in these individuals:

• Eczema, psoriasis, allergies, and asthma

One or more of the following gut problems are usually present with the above brain issues:

• Colitis, irritable bowel (IBS), diverticulitis, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s, chronic diarrhea, gas, bloating, constipation, colic, reflux, heartburn, gut pain, etc. 

I have been lecturing recently at the St. George, UT clinic on the concepts in the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), written by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD.  It focuses on the science of the problem and then on the dietary measures to reverse it. Her own child was diagnosed with autism. In her search to find a natural remedy, she came across and followed the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). As a result, her child has fully recovered!  I know that sounds crazy, because most people think that autism is something you don’t “recover” from. But she has implemented what she learned from SCD and created her own 3-part GAPS Program for multitudes of patients and now for anyone who reads what is in her book. The Program is composed of the GAPS Diet, detoxification through juicing, and specific supplementation. 

The major premise of the book is that a GAPS person’s gut flora (bacteria) is in a state of imbalance between the good and bad bacteria. This creates an environment where every-day, modern foods are not being digested properly in our gut, but are feeding the bad bacteria and creating toxic by-products.  If bad enough, these toxins can overload our natural abilities to successfully eliminate them and we end up with them inside our blood stream. These cross the blood brain barrier and get into our brains and interfere with normal development and function. This is why it seems like that same underlying dysbiotic gut condition can “cause” so many different brain and other bodily conditions. The type of bacteria in each GAPS person’s gut will determine the type of toxins that create things like autism in some people, while creating ADD in others.

Why am I interested in such things?  I don’t have any immediate family members who suffer from these disorders. But, as a chiropractor with patients with all sorts of conditions, I am always looking for natural means of rectifying the underlying problems. I feel that we are what we absorb through are gut.

How does this tie in to the structural work (NUCCA) that I do on the upper cervical spine (neck)? It has a TON to do with it. Most of the GAPS individuals get that way early on even from the traumatic process of birth. There is a study from the Journal of Neurotrauma in Aug of 2009 that showed how traumatic brain injuries or “TBI, can induce an increase in intestinal permeability”.  We also know that the brain and nervous system controls and influences everything in the whole body, including the digestion. We access and influence the nervous system through the atlas bone, getting the head and neck aligned. This is a great foundation to build on. We clear things up with the structural work, then help direct the patient with dietary and lifestyle changes, like the GAPS program, if needed.

We have many parents that come into our office, bringing their newborn children to get checked to see if they are a good candidate for the type of chiropractic care that we specialize in. Many of these children might be suffering from colic, upset tummies, inability to thrive, tummy pain, inability to latch on to mom, etc. Resolving these problems might be as simple as getting their heads on straight. For the majority that comes in, there is vast improvement or recovery altogether. Other things that respond well to our upper cervical care are headaches, migraines, neck and back pain of all types, etc. etc. We can tell if a child, or any other individual for that matter, needs to be adjusted. You can call our office and make an appointment for a free consultation.

In March 2012, I lectured twice on the introduction to GAPS and also did a class where we actually showed how to cook some of the recipes in the GAPS diet. There was great attendance by those looking for natural and alternative ways to help their bodies heal and function properly. We are holding another class on April 18^th where we will demonstrate how to cook more of the healthy probiotic recipes in the diet. This class will be held 4/18/12 at 6 PM at the Bosch Kitchen Center in St. George, Utah. Call the office for details and to reserve your spot: 1-866-867-5070.

Dr. J. Hartman Andersen, DC

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