Why Is the Upper Cervical Spine Important? - Atlas Specific Chiropractic

Blog

What is the Upper Cervical Spine?

The cranio-cervical junction is a complex region where the skull and two first vertebrae of your spine (Atlas and Axis) connect. Nearly every pathway that the brain and body use to communicate with each other to control our lives, passes through the narrow foramen of the Atlas. The foramen of the Atlas is a large hole ,within the spinal bone, within which your nervous system flows through.

Due to the complexity of this junction and the important structures surrounding it, any misalignment in the upper cervical spine can have a detrimental effect on the entire body. Our Chiropractor, Dr Luke (Doctor of Chiropractic is trained to locate and correct these misalignments that are the root cause of the nervous system dysfunction underlying your health struggles.

The brainstem:

Misalignments in the Upper Cervical Spine can cause pressure on the lower brain stem, as it descends through the foramen Magnum. The brain stem controls: posture and body balance, blood pressure, breathing and heart rate.

The Vagus Nerve (CN X):

Cranial nerve X passes very closely in front of the Atlas (C1). A misaligned Atlas (C1) can affect the way the V’agus Nerve’ helps regulate many critical aspects of your human physiology, including: digestion, sweating, the ‘Fight and Flight’ sympathetic stress response, the ‘Rest and Digest’ parasympathetic stress response.

The blood supply to the brain:

The vertebral artery, that supplies your brain with blood containing oxygen and nutrients for your brain to function, runs through the Atlas (C1). This is very important for normal brain function, and may be compromised by rotation of the Atlas (C1) when it becomes misaligned. This has been associated with brain fog, headaches, tinnitus, peri-orbital pain and dizziness.

Suboccipital muscles:

When the Atlas becomes misaligned, the important muscles at the back of your head become unevenly stretched causing a postural imbalance as it distorts normal communication of your heads location between the brain and the body. Long term postural dysfunction causes pain, degeneration and reduced spinal function.

Spinal nerves:

Misalignment at any part of the spine can distort and tension the spinal cord, or stress the exiting spinal nerves that go to numerous parts of your body like your fingers. As a result any part of the body that is connected to brain through these altered structures, will not be able to function properly.

Struggling with?:

Need Advice?

I am here to help, let's talk

Click the button to get in touch with me