What is the difference between Upper Cervical Corrective Care and traditional (full spine) Chiropractic Care?
Our practice provides you with Customized Corrective Care and Real Solutions
Before discussing the most significant distinctions between a traditional chiropractic office and our practice, you must first understand traditional chiropractic care.
The typical focus of a traditional chiropractic office is:
1. Temporarily decrease pain
2. Decreasing muscle spasms
3. Improve range of motion
4. Covering up symptoms or a “quick fix” only
These are all fantastic goals and many traditional chiropractors in the area that do a good job at providing you this service.
At Healthy Beginnings Chiropractic, our main focus and objective is the well being of your brain/brainstem health, as well as neuro-structural correction. A majority of cases Dr. Stallman cares for at her practice, are often a referral from other area chiropractors, medical doctors, or specialists, and are suffering from a significant structural shift at the cranio-cervical junction affecting the health of the spine. These structural shifts or structural misalignments are the underlying cause, which often shows themselves as “symptoms” – or what Upper Cervical Corrective Doctors refer to as Secondary Conditions.
What is “Neuro-structural shift”?
When there is a misalignment of the spine causing the bones to shift into an improper position.
An upper cervical neuro-structural shift is when the head and neck lose its proper position also know as an Upper Cervical Subluxation. This may affect your body and health because two things occur:
First, the top two bones may become misaligned from their normal position due to a slip, fall or an everyday repetitive stress. If the misalignment is not corrected it will become stuck taking your head with it. Once this event occurs, your brain will quickly begin to malfunction. Your body will try and compensate the malfunction with your “righting reflex”. This reflex will kick in and tell your body to twist, turn or rotate your body to attempt to level the head back out. Because of this shift, the body will become off balance in the shoulders, hips, back, knees and feet. Over time, this will cause premature aging of the joints, muscles and discs leading to degenerative spinal decay known as arthritis.
Second, when you have a Neuro-structural shift at the craniocervical junction (the area between the skull and top two bones of the neck), it immediately shuts down the function of the brainstem up to 60%. The most important part of your brain is the brainstem because it controls vital functions such as breathing and heart rate. Your body cannot function without it. This part of the brain extends out of the skull and into the first two bones of the neck. It is very important to understand that the brainstem literally attaches to the bones of the upper neck. So if you have a structural shift or misalignment in the upper cervical spine, it will alter the normal function of the brain to the body.
A misalignment or Neuro-strucural shift at the upper neck (Craniocervical Junction) is often referred by the medical profession as “Cranio-cervical Syndrome” This health condition will over time lead to secondary conditions or “symptoms” such as arthritis, pain, headaches, migraines, seizures, poor immune function or poor posture, just to name a few.
Not everybody who is in pain or suffering will have a corresponding upper cervical problem. Sometimes you may really have a pulled muscle or a deeper underlying cause that needs traditional medical treatment or another specialist. If, when we walk through your initial examination we find your problem is not structural; we will discuss referrals and other medical options. Getting you the care you need and helping you find permanent solutions is always the goal at Healthy Beginnings Chiropractic!
What are Secondary Conditions?
“Symptoms” or pain, they are your body’s warning system that there may be a more serious underlying condition.
Just like the different lights in your car’s dashboard, secondary conditions are you body’s way of indicating that something may be wrong. A few of the secondary conditions that a person can have due to a neuro-structural shift include:
Neck & Back Pain
Sciatica & Hip Pain
Numbness & Tingling
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Rotator Cuff & Shoulder Pain
Muscular Spasm & Tension
Headaches (Including Migraine)
Pinched Nerve
Herniated Disc
Canal Stenosis
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Joint Disease
Decreased Range of Motion
Poor Posture
Dowager's Hump ("Granny Hump")
Fatigue
Muscular Imbalance
Dizziness/Vertigo
These secondary conditions may be a result of structural shifts that have been causing damage for many months or even years. If left uncorrected they set the stage for future health problems and the possibility of chronic pain management. Note that you do not need a “symptom” to have neuro-structural damage. Only proper testing and examination can determine that.
Do you take care of children and infants?
Yes.
It is important to understand that medical research shows that most American born children (72%) obtain an upper cervical shift during the birth process. Because of this it is strongly recommended to have all children evaluated.
The technique for determining if a child or infant needs upper cervical care is the same as an adult. Multiple objective indicators and structural analysis will determine if there are structural abnormalities. Pediatric Chiropractic care is safe, gentle, and specific. Only light pressure is necessary when checking an infant or child’s spine. The pressure is similar to the amount needed to put on a contact lens or indent a ripe tomato.
