When comparing chiropractic to drugs and surgery, the side effects are almost nothing. Sometimes, a patient may feel slight discomfort after their initial adjustment in the form of mild stiffness at the site of the adjustment, or lower in the spine. These effects last only a day or so, and are caused by the muscles in the body working extra hard to help realign the spine after an upper cervical correction.

Yes – many! If you were to “shop around” chiropractors, odds are each one of them will do something different. There are many techniques in the chiropractic profession. In our office, we focus on pure chiropractic, meaning our one and only goal is to remove pressure from your brainstem. This allows the mental impulses to be unimpeded while traveling throughout your body, providing optimal function and healing for your entire body.

Yes. There are many different types of upper cervical chiropractic, but all have the goal of realigning the upper cervical spine to remove pressure from your brainstem, allowing your body to function and heal at its highest potential. The specific technique we practice is called Knee Chest. Some others include Blair, NUCCA, Atlas Orthogonal, Orthospinology, and Grostic, among others.

No. Our chiropractors never adjust on the first visit for a very important reason. We need time to analyze your history, examination, and X-rays to determine exactly what the problem is and how to correct it. There are 274 possible misalignments of the upper cervical spine! Your health is too important to guess what you need without thorough examination of your X-rays.

Yes! Many of our patients have had spinal surgeries and still deal with pain and other conditions before receiving Upper Cervical chiropractic care. Taking X-rays in our office helps our doctors know what areas to avoid that should be left alone after a spinal surgery.

Yes! Actually, since there is very minimal force provided in an adjustment, Upper Cervical care is a much safer option than general chiropractic. Not to mention, the upper cervical spine is rarely affected by osteoporosis. Since the upper cervical spine is the only area of the spine we adjust, this makes our office great for those with osteoporosis.

We love taking care of pregnant moms in our office. It is so important for the nervous system to be optimal when carrying another life! There are ways to determine how the upper cervical spine is misaligned without taking X-rays. Our chiropractors also provide care for the pelvis to make sure everything is aligned to allow baby to be safe and mom to have an easier labor.

The nervous system is the very first thing to develop in utero, so yes, it is vital to get your kids checked for an upper cervical misalignment. Our chiropractors see newborn babies to check for a misalignment that may have happened during the birthing process. Colic, ear infections, ADD/ADHD, and learning disorders, among other conditions, have all had great results with Upper Cervical chiropractic.

Yes! We are a family practice taking care of newborns all the way to our most elderly. Upper Cervical Chiropractic is important for everyone in the family, so they can be the best moms, dads, kids, and grandparents they can possibly be!

We are not medical doctors, so we will never advise you to get off of medications without consulting your medical doctor first. However, when we restore proper communication between your brain and body, the body start to work better and not need the effects of medications. Many of our patients are able to get off their medications through Upper Cervical chiropractic, but are advised to work with their medical doctors to find the best way to do so.

No, we do not force our patients to wear masks in the office. We respect your freedom to make that decision for yourself, and are always here to support whatever decision you make for your health, whether it is concerning chiropractic or something else.

Only a few chiropractic schools in the world teach Upper Cervical chiropractic. Out of these schools, there are only a few classes taught about Upper Cervical. Therefore, to be a highly effective Upper Cervical chiropractor, he or she must train extensively outside of school. Our doctors have spent 100s of hours outside of school to become experts in Upper Cervical chiropractic. They also participate in continuing education of at least 20 hours per year, solely focused on how to help those in need with Upper Cervical care.

No, we do not prescribe any drugs or surgery. As chiropractors, this is not within our scope of practice. Please consult your medical doctor for more information about drugs and surgery.

No, the correction does not hurt. There is no twisting, turning, or jerking of the neck with Upper Cervical chiropractic adjustments. If your spine is really “locked up,” there may be some discomfort, but the adjustment does not cause any pain.

Yes! Upper Cervical chiropractic has one goal: to release pressure from the nervous system. This allows the impulses from your brain to be unimpeded as they travel throughout your body, promoting proper functioning and healing. With a fully functioning nervous system, your body will maintain health at an optimal level.

Great question! By aligning the upper cervical spine, we allow the rest of the spine to align itself. How does this work? When the upper cervical spine misaligns, the head becomes off-balance, resulting in the brain being off-balance, too. The brain does not like this, so something called the Righting Reflex kicks in. What this reflex does is contort the rest of the spine in order to balance the brain. The spine will bend, twist, turn, and rotate all just to balance the brain. These abnormal bends in the spine below the upper cervical bones we call compensations. These compensations over time turn into weak spots, which eventually turn into pain. By realigning the upper cervical spine through Upper Cervical chiropractic, the brain rebalances. Now, the body does not need these compensations anymore. The body decompensates, allowing the weak areas in your spine to heal, including the back.

We are happy to help you find an Upper Cervical chiropractor as close to you as possible. Please give our office a call and we will do our best to find you or your loved one the right doctor.

Many patients in our office have an upper cervical misalignment, yet have no neck pain. A misalignment at the top of the neck does not reveal what symptoms you will have. Upper Cervical chiropractic helps to take care of the whole person. The misalignment puts pressure on the brainstem, causing dysfunction throughout the body and a myriad of symptoms to occur. Even if you do not have neck pain, it is important to check for an upper cervical problem to make sure your body is functioning as it should.

Without being a chiropractor, it is difficult to tell if someone has an upper cervical problem. The best way to figure out if you have this problem is to schedule a consultation in our office. We NEVER charge for a consultation, so it will be worth your time to sit down with our doctor to figure our if you may have an upper cervical problem. If our chiropractor feels you may have an upper cervical problem, he or she will suggest proceeding through and examination and taking of X-rays to determine if there is a misalignment putting pressure on your brainstem.

When it comes to getting better, everyone is different. Your body and nervous system are unique to you, so getting better is a matter of how your body responds to Upper Cervical chiropractic. Typically, we start to see symptoms improve within the first few weeks of care. Deeper healing of the nervous system continues as the body starts to “hold” the correction. When the upper cervical spine stays aligned, we know that the nervous system is doing its absolute best to help your body function and heal. The longer you hold your correction, the more your body heals from its ailments.

Since everyone’s nervous systems and spines are unique to them, there is no definitive answer on how long you will have to come in to see your Upper Cervical chiropractor. X-rays are a very important part of determining how long the process will take. When our doctors analyze X-rays, they can see if there is any degeneration in the spine, and how much there is. This helps determine how long a patient will need care. Typically, the more degeneration there is in the spine, the longer the process will take to correct the problem.

The first visit takes about 45 minutes. You will start with a consultation where the doctor will sit down and listen to what you have going on. It is very important that you are heard and understood, so the doctor can serve you as best as he or she can. Following the consultation, you will have a thorough examination of your spine and nervous system. If the doctor detects an upper cervical misalignment, then a series of chiropractic X-rays will be taken to determine exactly how the bones are misaligned.

Since everyone’s nervous systems and spines are unique to them, there is no definitive answer on how many visits are necessary to correct your upper cervical problem. X-rays are a very important part of determining the amount of visits. When our chiropractors analyze X-rays, they can see if there is any degeneration in the spine, and how much there is. This helps determine how many visits a patient will need. Typically, the more degeneration there is in the spine, the more visits will be necessary to correct the problem.

Frequency of visits really just depends on how severe the upper cervical misalignment is. The goal of Upper Cervical chiropractic is to remove pressure from the brainstem utilizing very specific, gentle corrections to align the upper cervical spine. In the beginning, this alignment does not stay for very long, warranting more visits to keep everything aligned. Over time, you will start to “hold” the correction and not need to be seen as often, since your body is in a constant state of healing. Holding your correction means the upper cervical spine stays aligned and you are healing the best you can.

You can be any age to receive Upper Cervical chiropractic care. From newborns to our most elderly – everyone has a nervous system. Trauma to the head or neck can cause a misalignment at the top of the neck, causing interference between the brain and the body. Sometimes, the first trauma happens during the birthing process. As we age, the likelihood of head or neck trauma increases all the way into old age. This warrants the necessity to get checked for an upper cervical problem regardless of how old you are.

Receiving Upper Cervical chiropractic is the best thing you can do for lower back pain. Lower back pain is almost always caused by a compensation in the spine. These compensations form for a reason – the brain puts them there in order to balance the head and brain. The head becomes unbalanced due to a misalignment in the upper cervical spine. So, like a chain reaction, when we align the upper cervical spine, it helps align everything below, including the lower back. Our chiropractors also work on the lower back by locating pressure points and contacting them to relax the pelvis. This helps the pelvis balance, facilitating the healing process.

Having your neck adjusted is very safe, especially wth the technique we use. You may know someone who has been hurt by a chiropractor. Most likely, this is because the chiropractor used a twisting motion for the neck. We do not do that here. We use a very specific, low-force correction to align the top of the neck – no twisting, turning, or jerking required. We also take very specific chiropractic X-rays to determine exactly how the upper cervical spine is misaligned, which helps us know exactly how to correct it. This provides the utmost safety for your neck.

Yes! There are countless research papers showing the benefits of Upper Cervical chiropractic for many different conditions. Here is a good place to start: https://vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/the-journal-of-upper-cervical-chiropractic-research/ & Chiropractic Clininical Controlled Research by BJ Palmer

Upper Cervical chiropractic, although scarce amongst the chiropractic profession, is actually not new at all. This specialty in chiropractic has been around since 1934. Upper Cervical chiropractic is what the developer of chiropractic, BJ Palmer, envisioned the profession to practice, with the objective of helping the greatest number of people with as few adjustments as possible.

Definitely! It is vital for a pregnant mom to be checked for an upper cervical problem, especially since she is taking care of TWO lives! Upper Cervical chiropractic helps pregnant moms function better as their bodies change and nourish their baby. We have helped pregnant moms achieve easier pregnancies and labors by helping to realign the spine.

No you do not. Chiropractors are Primary Care and Portal of Entry Physicians. This means that you do not need a referral to be seen at our office.

It is a great idea to get checked for an upper cervical problem, even if you do not have symptoms. Many times, the nervous system can be compromised for years without the person having any symptoms. Sometimes, once symptoms pop up, it is too late. Seeing an Upper Cervical chiropractor can check to see if there is a problem before it starts causing symptoms. Prevention is the key to health!

The first visit takes about 45 minutes. You will start with a consultation where the doctor will sit down and listen to what you have going on. It is very important that you are heard and understood, so the doctor can serve you as best as he or she can. Following the consultation, you will have a thorough examination of your spine and nervous system. If the doctor detects an upper cervical misalignment, then a series of chiropractic X-rays will be taken to determine exactly how the bones are misaligned.

We accept many forms of payment, including Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Care Credit, HSA, FSA, check, and cash.

If you have spinal X-rays that have been taken in the last 6 months, we will be able to use them, as long as they are on a disc. Since we take very specific chiropractic X-rays of the neck, there is a good chance that we will still need to take one or two X-rays in the office to get everything we need to discover if you have an upper cervical problem we can help you with.

Holding the correction means that the upper cervical spine is staying in alignment. We use state-of-the-art technology to determine when a patient needs adjusted. In other terms, it tells us if there is pressure on the brainstem. If we do not see any pressure on the brainstem, that means the patient is holding his or her correction from the previous visit.

A subluxation is the misalignment of one of the top two bones in the neck, the atlas and axis, that put pressure on the brainstem. This pressure interferes with the impulses sent from the brain to the rest of the body, causing dysfunction a lack of healing. It is our job as upper cervical chiropractors to detect and correct the subluxation.

An Upper Cervical correction is a gentle force given to a misaligned bone at the top of the neck. The goal of the correction is to realign the upper cervical spine to take pressure off the brainstem, allowing your body to function and heal properly. Our chiropractors are highly trained at providing this very specific correction.

Corrective care is a style of chiropractic that focuses on correcting the problem, rather than just treating symptoms. Most chiropractors work in relief care, meaning they find areas in the spine that may be painful, and manipulate that area in hopes that the pain goes away. This does not fully serve the patient because the problem is not corrected, even if the patient feels relief. What we have found with corrective care chiropractic is that you will get relief as we work toward correcting the problem, so the problem never comes back.

Retracing means going over ground which has already been covered until the individual reaches the point from which he or she started. When going through cycles of repair or retracing, it is common to feel symptoms that you have not felt for months or years. You could feel symptoms from an old injury or illness. You may even experience past emotional distress. These symptoms may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Retracing is all part of the healing process while under Upper Cervical chiropractic care. It is a way for your body to fully heal from past illness and trauma that has been dormant for some time.

The brainstem is the area directly under your brain that is surrounded by the top two bones in your neck, the atlas and axis, also known as the upper cervical spine. Every single nerve to your body originates at the brainstem, which is why this area is so important. With Upper Cervical chiropractic, we locate pressure on the brainstem that may be interfering with your brain’s ability to communicate to the rest of your body.

The words adjustment and correction are synonyms. They basically mean the same thing. An Upper Cervical chiropractor adjusts, or corrects, a misalignment to remove pressure from the brainstem.

Corrective care is a style of chiropractic that focuses on correcting the problem, rather than just treating symptoms. Most chiropractors work in acute care, meaning they find areas in the spine that may be painful, and manipulate that area in hopes that the pain goes away. This does not fully serve the patient because the problem is not corrected, even if the patient feels relief. What we have found with corrective care chiropractic is that you will get relief as we work toward correcting the problem, so the problem never comes back.

Upper Cervical chiropractic focuses on the CAUSE of your problem. The cause can almost always be traced back to the upper cervical spine because this area is where your brainstem is located. The brainstem is the most vital part of your body and where every nerve to your body originates. Regular chiropractic focuses on the entire spine, finding misalignments throughout the spine that are EFFECTS of an upper cervical misalignment. Treating the effects will never solve the problem. Upper Cervical chiropractors recognize this, which is why we focus on the upper cervical spine to address the cause of the effects.

The nervous system is your body’s information highway. Nothing works without your nervous system! The nervous system tells your heart to beat, lungs to breathe, muscles to contract, kidneys to filter, etc. The nervous system is comprised of the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, and all the nerves going out to every part of your body. Chiropractic’s objective is to remove interference to the nervous system, allowing your body to function and heal as it is designed.

A typical office visit with an Upper Cervical chiropractor starts with a quick analysis of the nervous system to determine if there is any interference caused by the upper cervical spine. If interference is detected, an adjustment is given. Then, the patient rests for 10-15 minutes to allow the adjustment to settle in. After resting, the nervous system is assessed again to confirm that the interference has been removed. A typical office visits takes about 20 minutes.

The upper cervical spine consists of the top two bones in the neck, the atlas and axis. These bones surround your brainstem, the most vital part of your body.

Upper Cervical chiropractic focuses on the intimate relationship between the first two bones in the neck, called the upper cervical spine, and a vital portion of the nervous system, known as the brainstem. This relationship is essential to the body’s ability to preserve and restore health. Every nerve impulse between the brain and body must pass through the brainstem. The top two vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis, are especially vulnerable to injury or misalignment because they are the most mobile segments of the spine. A misalignment here can produce nerve irritation/pressure to the brainstem that can affect nearly all vital functions and systems in the body.

Many conditions have responded well to Upper Cervical chiropractic care. The list is too long to include in a simple FAQ. For more information, check out our Health Conditions and Blog sections to learn more about how Upper Cervical care can help you.

Every human has an upper cervical spine and brainstem. Every human deals with stress that could be physical, chemical, or emotional in nature, which has the potential to misalign the upper cervical spine. Therefore, Upper Cervical chiropractic is for everyone, from babies to our most elderly! Checking for an upper cervical problem is an important part of your life to obtain optimal health.

X-rays are a vital component for an Upper Cervical chiropractor to serve the patient with the best possible care. The X-rays show exactly how the upper cervical spine is misaligned, as well as how the misalignment has affected the rest of the skeletal system. We use very specific digital X-rays to determine exactly how to correct a misalignment. There are 274 possible misalignments of the upper cervical spine! We NEED X-rays to figure out which 1 out of the 274 are causing pressure on your brainstem that may be affecting your body’s ability to function and heal.

Misalignments in the spine are all EFFECTS of the misalignment in the upper cervical spine, which is the CAUSE. These effects, or compensations, form for a reason – the brain puts them there in order to balance the head and brain. The head becomes unbalanced due to a misalignment in the upper cervical spine. So, like a chain reaction, when the upper cervical spine is misaligned, other segments in the rest of the spine also misalign. We honor the body’s innate wisdom to place compensations throughout the spine. If we can address the cause of these compensations, then there is no need to adjust the rest of the spine.

At the Upper Cervical Spine Center, we take care of families of all ages with specific, gentle Upper Cervical chiropractic care. We LOVE helping others and giving hope back to the hopeless. Our staff is warm and friendly, focused on helping you heal and making your day a little brighter! Our chiropractors are highly trained to take care of the worst of the worst cases. At the Upper Cervical Spine Center, we love being your home away from home!

Sometimes, the nervous system is working exactly as it should be, meaning there is no upper cervical problem. Therefore, and upper cervical chiropractic adjustment would not be warranted.

No! Our goal is not to adjust you every visit. Rather, we want to see your body heal on its own, which means that the correction from the previous visit is holding in place. When there is no pressure on your brainstem, then there is no need for an adjustment. Upper cervical chiropractic works to help your spine stay aligned, so you need adjustments less and less as your body heals.