Your Neck

Doctor…”That was the best sleep I’ve had in 20 years”, “My head feels 20 pounds lighter”, “My migraine is gone”. These are some of our patient’s comments after having an upper neck correction last week.

There is a very small bone in the top of your neck that can cause a BIG problem for your nervous system. The ATLAS VERTEBRA is the name of the first bone of your neck (cervical spine). It is also known as C1 (Cervical Vertebra #1). We refer to the Atlas or C1, along with the C2 vertebra (the axis) as the UPPER CERVICAL SPINE. The Atlas is the foundation of your head and the center of balance of your body. It weighs only 2 ounces, yet it supports your head, which is the weight of a bowling ball!

No big secret there; the anatomy of the atlas bone has been long-known. However the principles of its effects on the body if this little bone shifts out of normal position, were discovered and researched by Dr. B.J. Palmer (1881-1961) of Davenport, Iowa beginning around the late 1920’s. The ATLAS surrounds and protects the upper spinal cord and brain stem region. It sits at the opening of your skull where your brain ends and your body begins. Experts agree that the ATLAS is actually the most important bone in the entire human body. Yet still, so few doctors actually pay any attention to it… unless it’s gets broken!

If your atlas becomes tilted or rotated away from level, your head shifts away from its vertical position, causing the rest of your neck and even lower spine to become out of balance. This can cause multiple areas of the body to experience pain and dysfunction. For example, many people who are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, or suffer chronic headaches—even migraines, have a structural imbalance of their neck as the underlying cause.

If the ATLAS Vertebra Shifts Out of Normal Position… It Can Cause Total Body Imbalance… and Abnormal Nerve Function!

This is why patients in our office have such dramatic results immediately following an Atlas (upper-cervical) spinal adjustment.