Four signs from your atlas you shouldn't ignore

Our body is designed to work optimally when all its parts are connected. Often we can experience many symptoms of not feeling our best, lack of vitality and sensations where we know we are not firing on all four cylinders. We’re surviving and not thriving. Sometimes this occurs in our lives when we’re going through a difficult time or we know we haven’t been taking the best care of ourselves. However, prolonged symptoms and not feeling our best and true vitality is not normal. 

I refer to our upper cervical spine as the gateway into the base of the brain. It allows neurological communication channels between our brain and body, as well as vascular blood supply to the brain. The nerves and blood vessels travel in and around the upper cervical spine, up into the brain and back down to the body. The upper cervical spine is made up of the Atlas bone (C1) and the Axis bone (C2). These vertebrae are balanced on top of each other and connected to one another by soft tissue, ligaments, muscles and tendons. They also support and hold up our head on top of our neck. 

Over time our body can experience a lot of physical force. It might be in the form of a major trauma like a car accident (whiplash injury) or just a knock or fall. This can change the precise alignment of our upper neck. If this alignment is lost and remains like this for a long time, our nervous system and body can start to respond in a less than optimal way. 

The most common representations of this I see regularly in practice are the following… 

1. A head tilt 

From a Chiropractors eyes, this can be really obvious and sometimes I notice it just walking past people in the street. However you can often see this yourself when looking at photos. One ear might be higher than the other, or your head is always leaning to one side. The head should sit directly on top of the shoulder, balanced and symmetrical. If the head is off to one side, this is a first possible sign the Atlas is not situated correctly. 

2. Headaches 

One of the most common reasons someone may seek out a Chiropractor is for headaches and in particular what we call Cervicogenic headaches. This simply means headaches and pain that are coming from the cervical spine (neck). This is because injury to the upper cervical spine can cause pain-related mechanisms that lead to headaches. The upper cervical spine has signals that fire into the trigeminocervical nucleus which is a bundle of nerves just above the atlas; these nerves create a mechanism for cranio-facial pain. 

3. Dizziness 

The majority of new patient enquiries I experience these days are those asking if upper cervical care can help with dizziness/vertigo. There is a considerable amount of research showing the benefits of upper cervical chiropractic care and dizziness. It’s very common that an upper cervical misalignment can cause either constant or frequent dizziness or more extreme vertigo. This is because there are special fibers called Proprioceptors that pick up information of where your body parts are in space and they exist in the joints of the cervical spine. 

Research suggests that changes to the amount of signal receptors that we call proprioceptive structures within the upper cervical region can have an influence on a person's perception of balance. Further research suggests that dysfunction and injury to these structures in the upper cervical spine can influence and affect vestibular reflexes, resulting in a sensation of dizziness.

4. Neck tension 

This being the most obvious one but often is overlooked. Lots of people say “Is it because of muscle tension why I have this neck pain?” Because the muscles do feel tight and are tight, so it must be the muscles! However all of the muscles around the front of your neck and back connect and attach onto the upper cervical spine. When there is rotation, restrictions or tension in the movement of the upper cervical spine, this will directly impact the muscles. It will sometimes make one side a lot tighter than the other. Or a sensation that your shoulders are always scrunched up towards your ears and a feeling that your shoulders can’t just relax. 

If you relate to any of these symptoms or signs above, please reach out and arrange a consultation where you can have your spine and nervous system checked. Alternatively I can connect you with an upper cervical Chiropractor in your area. 

References 

1. Marshall CM, Vernon H, Leddy JJ, Baldwin BA. The role of the cervical spine in post-concussion syndrome. Phys Sportsmed. 2015 Jul; 43(3): 274-284. 

2. Improvement in Post-Concussion Syndrome in Two Females Using Low-Force Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care: A Case Series & Review of the Literature Jonathan Chung D.C.1 

3. Haavik H, Kumari N, Holt K, Niazi IK, Amjad I, Pujari AN, Türker KS, Murphy B. The contemporary model of vertebral column joint dysfunction and impact of high-velocity, low-amplitude controlled vertebral thrusts on neuromuscular function. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2021 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s00421-02