The Upper Cervical Chiropractor's work focuses on the correction of the atlas (C1) and sometimes the axis, (C2) the 2-oz. bones that surrounds your brain stem at the base of your skull. In the initial consultation, the doctor will explain why correcting the position of the atlas is the cornerstone to the health of your entire body. The UC doctor may adjust other parts of your spine, but that is the exception rather than the rule. If he or she does adjust different parts of the spine, it is done gently. He or she is careful not to jeopardize the atlas correction. The doctor knows that putting the atlas, the top vertebrae of the spine, back into its proper position can enable the entire spine and pelvis to correct on their own. Body balance is restored and cord irritation removed. This enables healing to begin flowing from head to toe.

The Upper Cervical chiropractor will NEVER adjust you unless he knows exactly how to correct the atlas based upon information gathered from x-rays. He or she will check the length of your legs to determine body balance, do a manual spinal exam and heat readings for signs of cord irritation. Upon determining that the atlas is misaligned, she or he will take a set of pre x-rays of your neck. (Some UC doctors also take x-rays of the full spine.) The Upper Cervical Chiropractor will make an intensive analysis of the position of the atlas, how it has shifted, tilted or rotated out of its proper position. This is the key to his work and must be done prior to the initial correction. The UC chiropractor is not interested in just moving bone. His/her goal is to place the bone back into its correct position or as close to it as possible. You will be shown your x-rays so that you can see for yourself how far out of the proper position your atlas has moved. When you see your x-rays, you will begin to understand why a misaligned atlas could be a major reason why you have hurt for so long. This is true, even in areas that are as far removed from your neck as your feet, or in parts of your body you wouldn't think would be helped at all by having your atlas corrected.

Once the x-ray analysis is complete, the Upper Cervical chiropractor corrects the atlas using a precise, directed, quick procedure that is done by hand or by instrument. If done by instrument, it feels like a light tap just below the ear lobe. If performed by hand, it feels like a light massage or a brisk thrust to the side of the neck. There is no twisting of the neck. You will honestly think the doctor has done nothing because of how quick it is. Yet, it requires extensive training to master because Upper Cervical specific procedures are some of the most complex chiropractic techniques to learn.

The Upper Cervical Chiropractor always takes a post x-ray or a heat reading and manual exam of the atlas immediately after the first adjustment to determine how well he has made the correction. The post x-ray and/ or heat reading is a cornerstone of Upper Cervical work. It enables the doctor to know that the correction he calculated from the x-ray analysis is the right one for future adjustments. The post x-ray is generally necessary only once. You will be shown the post x-ray so that you can actually see the difference between the pre and post. The moment the atlas is corrected, healing begins, though you may not feel it immediately.

The Upper Cervical Chiropractor is NOT interested in having you in his/her office 3 times a week for the rest of your life. However, he must stabilize the position of your atlas/axis if healing is to take place. Many people require multiple corrections before that is possible. Louella, for example, was so ill, her atlas had to be corrected 2 times a week for several months. She still has to be corrected about once a month to maintain the level of health she now enjoys. Her husband Richard, on the other hand, holds his correction for 15 months at a time. Even though the Upper Cervical doctor is committed to moving you from crisis care into recovery with as few adjustments as possible, the number of corrections you will need will depend upon how long you've had the condition and how serious it is. Even after you stabilize, it is a must to get checked regularly. Pain is often the last symptom to occur when the atlas moves out of position; but once it moves, degeneration of nerve tissue begins again. To avoid this, it is cost-effective to adopt a life-time maintenance program that helps your body stay balanced.

These are the marks of a good Upper Cervical Chiropractor. Look for them when you get under care.