What To Expect In Our Office
Welcome to the office of Upper Cervical Chiropractic of Las Vegas! We take pride in delivering scientific and precise care with the goal to remove interference from your body’s natural innate healing capacity. We recognize that symptoms, syndromes, and most diseases are the end result of a body that is not functioning properly. While most forms of conventional treatment focus on going after the effects, Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care is designed to treat the cause by removing nerve pressure in the upper neck and spine while at the same time increasing the healing potential of the body to the best of its ability. We are here as a partner in your healing process and look forward to helping you achieve your health goals.
The basic premise of upper cervical chiropractic is that your body is a self-healing and self-regulating system as long as the neurological system is FREE. Upper cervical recognizes that true health is an inside out process. Therefore to get well or stay well is a matter of innate intelligence (the body fixes itself from within without you consciously doing anything) and an internal process. This basic premise contradicts the mainstream health care system which is an outside in paradigm. For whatever ails you there is a pill from the OUTSIDE in that can bring back balance. Medications can be lifesaving, but diseases and symptoms are not the results of drug deficiencies they are the effect of the abnormal function. The main purpose of upper cervical care is to remove interference to the nervous system so the inborn intelligence in the body can restore balance and health to the best of its ability.
Your First Visit (Approximately 2 Hours From Start To Finish)
At your initial consultation, the Doctor will take a history of your current health status, go over past traumas that may be associated with your health problems and answer any questions you may have. Next, you will be brought to an examination room where a battery of tests will be performed to determine if you have a spinal misalignment that is causing your body to function improperly. Finally, we will provide you with a detailed explanation of what Blair Upper Cervical Care is and the process that you will go through if you decide to become a patient in our office.
Objective Testing
Various tests will be used to determine presence or absence of nervous system interference. The objective of Upper Cervical Care is to only make spinal corrections when necessary.
Leg Length Balance Test
The leg balance test is an objective measure of functional leg length. This test observes whether your legs are even, or whether one is relatively shorter than the other. If your leg balance test reveals one leg shorter than the other, it indicates that the spinal muscle tone is imbalanced. Imbalanced muscles are an indicator that the nerve system is irritated and causing one side of your body to be tighter than the other. When an upper cervical misalignment is present the leg balance test is imbalanced. Balanced legs indicate there is NO need for an upper cervical correction.
Infra-red Thermography Test
Infra-red thermography is an objective measure of nervous system control. Your body responds to outside air temperature because it is always trying to maintain a core temperature of 98 degrees. When someone suffers from upper cervical nerve irritation and subluxation the surface skin temperature becomes warmer on one side compared to the other. The infra-red test can measure an imbalance and the pattern of heat distribution is unique to each person’s interference pattern. This test is performed each test to objectify changes that are occurring in the nervous system and also are an indicator that is used to determine whether an adjustment is needed or not.
Your doctor uses this test in combination with other tests to determine several things.
- Do you need an adjustment?
- Are you making progress?
- How severe is your problem?
Precision 3-D Imaging | Shows Doctor Your Unique Anatomy And Direction Of Misalignment
In our office we take a CBCT (Cone Beam Cat Scan) of your neck to determine what direction your vertebrae have misaligned, how far it has misaligned, and the angle of your joint which has misaligned.
In the middle of the screen you can see a joint that is angled diagonally to the horizontal. Joint anatomy is different from person to person. The joint angle is measured and used in the correction which is unique to each individual. If you look closely you can see that this joint does NOT line up and is misaligned.
These three factors are different for each individual. Knowing this precise information allows your doctor to deliver a precise gentle correction to restore the vertebrae to its normal position. The Blair Upper Cervical X-ray series is unique and is the blue print that your doctor needs to correct you properly.
What Problems Are Associated With An Upper Cervical Subluxation And How Do They Occur?
We have discussed what Blair Upper Cervical Care is, what tests your doctor will use to determine where your problem is, and how 3-D Imaging (Cone Beam Cat Scan) is utilized to know how to correct it. We would like to briefly describe why it is important not only to correct the upper neck misalignment, but to continue to keep it checked over the long haul. Your central nervous system which includes the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord, is responsible for monitoring and controlling every function in your body. Every movement you make, every taste, every sight you observe is controlled and coordinated in your central nervous system. It is the basis for every single function in your body.
Patients often ask what caused this misalignment? You would be hard pressed to find a human being that has not been involved in a Whiplash Injury, sports injury, or slip and fall injury. These injuries often can be cast aside as non-injurious. However, just because blood wasn’t drawn doesn’t mean damage wasn’t done. Your head weighs approximately 10-12 lbs and rests on the top bone in your neck called the atlas weighing only about 2 ounces. This important junction is supported by only ligaments and muscles. Fast jarring motions such as minor car accidents and other traumas may cause the atlas to dislodge from its normal position. This whiplash effect sometimes tears the supporting soft tissue resulting in a spinal misalignment. If not corrected, the vertebrae (usually the atlas) remains locked out of its normal range of motion and negatively effects the central nervous system. If left unchecked, this problem can weaken your body’s ability to function properly resulting in a multiple of conditions. Your doctor’s (upper cervical chiropractors) chief concern is with correcting the upper neck injury and monitoring it over time so that the integrity of the soft tissue can repair and stability in the joint can be restored. This correction and subsequent healing improves the bodies functions despite a vast array of health challenges. This is the objective of Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care.
Spinal correction
Once your doctor (chiropractor) has taken your Cone Beam Cat Scan, they will have the information to correct your spinal misalignment. Great care is taken in positioning the patient as well as the doctor to accomplish a correction with the proper forces to produce and unlock the misaligned vertebrae.
The correction is made based off of angles found on the 3-D imaging to gently and precisely move the vertebrae back into motion from a locked position. This allows for better joint mobilization and a decrease or removal of nerve irritation.
Post-Correction Relaxation Suite
Our relaxation suite is legendary! Resting after an adjustment allows the body an advantage to heal. After your correction, you will be escorted into our relaxation room where you will lie down for about 20 minutes. The post rest is necessary to allow yourself the best chance to hold the correction(s) just given. The goal of your care is to hold the first correction as long as you can. Holding is healing! By holding your correction(s), you give yourself the best chance to create the healing and repair cycle necessary to optimize your health.
Healing Is A Process
For chronic and severe conditions the healing process follows a path known as “retracing.” Just as it took time for your problems to develop, it takes time as your body’s path of restoration retraces its steps back to health. The healing process usually involves two phases: the “retracing” or “repairing” phase and the “resting” phase.
Depending on the damage to your spine and nerve system, the cycles of healing and resting generally repeat themselves every three months from the date of your original correction and can continue until the damage is gone.
The “Retracing” Phase
During periods of retracing you may temporarily feel and be reminded of some of your old injuries and problems. Symptoms similar to what brought you to Precision Chiropractic in the first place may manifest. This is all your body’s way of repairing injuries that were not able to heal properly while your subluxation (nervous system interference caused by body misalignment) was present. Now that your brain and body have full communication, your body will constantly seek to improve its overall health status, working on the areas that need improvement.
The “Resting” Phase
After you have been holding your adjustment for about six weeks your body will go into the “resting” phase of the healing cycle. During this time you can experience less expression of symptoms and an overall feeling of well-being.
The Importance Of Follow-up Appointments
While your body is healing it is important to get your spine checked on a regular basis through follow-up appointments, to ensure that you are maintaining your correction. This will reassure that, while you are retracing, the symptoms you may feel are due to a healing process rather than a degeneration process caused by subluxation.