NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN & NUCCA CHIROPRACTIC
Neck and shoulder pain can be debilitating and lead to surgery if left untreated. Fortunately, neck and shoulder pain are two of the most popular problems we help people with at Elite Upper Cervical.
There’s the brain, then there’s the neck and shoulders, and the door between the two is the atlas vertebrae.
When the atlas misaligns, the muscles that control the neck and shoulders will also go into spasm, and it will usually be one-sided. Either the right side or the left.
The muscles at the top of your neck are the most sensitive muscles in your entire body.
What that means is that if they stretch and go into spasm, your entire neck and upper back between the shoulder blades will go into lockdown mode as a protective mechanism. This can cause the shoulders to tilt.
If you neglect this misalignment for too long, your neck and shoulders will start developing arthritis as a protective mechanism, again, to strengthen the area.
If you still wait and do nothing about the pain and arthritis, neck surgery or a shoulder replacement is often recommended.
Don’t let it get that bad, the pain is a sign that something is wrong, prompting you to do something about it. Listen to your pain.
Unfortunately, most doctors want to hit the snooze button and throw out the body’s internal fire alarm by prescribing medication, which is not a long-term solution.
Why? Because it’s not possible to fix a structural problem with a chemical solution. It’s important to get to the root cause of the problem and secure that structural solution! This is where we specialize.
As a NUCCA upper cervical chiropractic clinic, the first thing we do is take specific x-rays of the atlas vertebrae to see if it’s misaligned.
We have advanced software that allows Dr. Burt to measure the atlas down to 1/100th of a degree, which is critical when it’s time to realign it. The upper cervical x-rays are the most important thing we can do for you as a NUCCA doctor.
When doctors work on the upper neck without taking x-rays, they risk making someone worse.
After the exact position of the atlas has been measured, then Dr. Burt can correct it.
The realignment is so gentle that anyone would feel comfortable with the amount of pressure used. Gentle, slow pressure is all you feel, right below the ear lobe, which is also where the atlas is located.
There is no twisting, popping or cracking of the neck with the NUCCA realignment.
Afterward, we will have to retrain the neck muscles for a few months, realigning the atlas as needed.
If you are curious to see if your atlas is misaligned and is causing your migraines, make sure to schedule your NUCCA assessment below, as soon as possible, to see if you are a good fit for treatment.