Can one part of the spine improve while another gets worse?

Yes, and it is common. In this case the patient's Atlas position and head rotation corrected while her cervical curve measured worse over the same period. The spine is one structure adapting as a whole, and the parts do not always move at the same rate or in the same direction.

What is anterior head carriage?

Anterior head carriage means the head sits forward of where it should balance, over the shoulders. It is measured on a lateral (side view) cervical X-ray, and it develops in people who spend long hours looking down at a laptop, phone or tablet. The further forward the head sits, the more load the neck and shoulders carry.

Why does the Atlas (C1) matter so much?

C1 is the gatekeeper to both spinal correction and neurological function. It sits at the top of the spine where the nerve flow between brain and body passes through, so a subluxation there has effects well beyond the neck itself.

Can chiropractic care resolve chronic headaches?

Headaches are feedback, not the thing being treated. We correct the subluxations the films reveal and the body responds. This patient had constant chronic headaches alongside a severe Atlas subluxation and left head rotation, and her headaches resolved as those subluxations were corrected.

Does an X-ray measurement that worsens mean care failed?

Films are corroboration, not the point. The measure that matters is Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living. This patient's curve measured worse while her headaches and back pain resolved and she returned to full work capacity, and her care continues from what the films show now.

Atlas (C1) Subluxation, Head Rotation, and Chronic Headaches

How She Arrived

In this month's Spinal Correction Spotlight I am featuring the comparison X-rays of a 27-year-old woman. She sought out corrective care because she had severe neck and low back pain along with constant chronic headaches.

Her health issues were affecting her work ability and quality, which creates real problems when your profession requires you to be on a computer for hours each day. Her original care plan was for a 6-month program, which she completed with the recommended frequency. Her follow up care plan was for a 3-month term, but life happened, as life often does. The post X-rays are almost one year past the original.

What Her Films Showed

Her initial films, taken March 9, 2022, showed a severe left head rotation and significant Atlas (C1) subluxation, as well as anterior head carriage with a loss of her cervical lordosis. Think about what position your head is in while working on a laptop for up to eight hours a day.

Subluxations create significant interference and stress to the nervous system, resulting in systemic malfunction, as the nerve flow between brain and body gets further reduced.

Clinical Findings — Initial Examination

Patient: 27-year-old female, computer-based profession

Presenting complaints: Severe neck and low back pain, constant chronic headaches, work ability and quality affected

X-ray type: AP cervical and lateral cervical

Initial X-ray: March 9, 2022 — severe left head rotation, significant Atlas (C1) subluxation, anterior head carriage with loss of cervical lordosis

Re-evaluation X-ray: April 14, 2023 — Atlas position and head rotation corrected; cervical lordosis measured worse

Care span: 6-month plan completed at recommended frequency, then a 3-month follow up plan; post films at almost 1 year

Outcome: Headaches resolved, back pain resolved, working long hours with no discomfort

Cervical AP — Before & After

March 9, 2022 initial AP cervical X-ray showing severe left head rotation and significant Atlas C1 subluxation in a 27-year-old female, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Mar 9, 2022 Initial X-Ray

April 14, 2023 re-evaluation AP cervical X-ray showing the Atlas position and head rotation corrected, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Apr 14, 2023 Re-Evaluation

Cervical Lateral — Before & After

March 9, 2022 initial lateral cervical X-ray showing anterior head carriage and loss of cervical lordosis from long hours at a computer, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

Before — Mar 9, 2022 Initial X-Ray

April 14, 2023 re-evaluation lateral cervical X-ray showing the cervical curve measured worse while Atlas position corrected, Rochet Family Chiropractic Royal Palm Beach

After — Apr 14, 2023 Re-Evaluation

What the Follow-Up Films Showed

Her follow up X-rays, taken April 14, 2023, showed that her cervical lordosis actually got worse, even as her Atlas position and head rotation corrected beautifully. It is common for one aspect of the spine to get worse even as another improves.

Although the curve moved the wrong way, her physiology and her Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living improved dramatically. Her ability to work those grueling hours with no discomfort, along with the resolution of her headaches and back pain, are direct reflections of how small changes to the spine can have big impacts on health and well-being.

What This Case Shows

C1 is the gatekeeper to both spinal correction and neurological function. Correcting it changed how her body functioned, and that showed up in her days before it showed up evenly across every measurement on her films.

I am not the healer. I move the bone; God does the healing. You are a self-healing organism, and when you are subluxation free, not only does your spine heal, but your body expresses life the way you were created to.

Eight Hours a Day Looking Down Adds Up

If your work keeps your head forward all day, a structural evaluation shows what that posture has cost your neck. Come in for an X-ray analysis and find out what your own films show.

Have Your Spine Checked for Subluxation

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