Dr. Thuraia Owais (Dr. O) at San Jose Chiropractic specializes in Upper Cervical Orthospinology, which is a very specific and unique chiropractic technique. Unlike traditional chiropractic, which examines and adjusts misaligned segments anywhere in the spine, upper cervical care exclusively addresses the first two vertebrae in your neck.
Only approximately 1% of all chiropractors in the United States are certified in upper cervical work. Dr. O is the only chiropractor in Mandarin who offers this technique.
These two bones, called the Atlas (C1) and the Axis (C2), are situated directly below your brain stem. They are different from all other vertebrae in your spine. Because messages from your brain to your entire body must pass through this area first, misalignments here can cause dysfunction or illness anywhere in your body.
Therefore, when we correct the alignment of the Atlas and the Axis, the realignment of the rest of the spine generally occurs on its own. This allows the entire body to function as it should. In this way, we can help patients heal naturally from a wide range of conditions, including:
Digestive issues
Ear infections
Fibromyalgia
Headaches
Low back pain
Migraines
Neck pain
Neuropathies
Sinus issues
TMJ
Vertigo
If the first bone of your neck is out of alignment, your skull will not sit correctly on your spine. This situation can lead to your body overcompensating, which in turn leads to misalignments elsewhere in your spine.
Traditional chiropractic care looks at and corrects these other spinal misalignments. But since they don’t address the C1 vertebra (Atlas), the body will continue to overcompensate. That means misalignments and other dysfunction will continue to reappear.
On the other hand, upper cervical care offers a more top-down approach. By looking at the Atlas first and correcting any issues here, the body’s need to overcompensate is removed, so the rest of the spine can then realign itself. With the entire spine in proper alignment, messages from the brain can be delivered effectively to the body, and your body can heal itself.
Before we begin with upper cervical care, we will do complete neurological, orthopedic and postural examinations. Then we’ll take X-rays of your neck. This will give us the information we need to deliver precisely targeted adjustments. After your adjustment, we will do post-X-rays to ensure the correction was made.
The adjustment itself is very gentle, using about the same pressure that you would use to check a tomato for ripeness. In fact, it’s so gentle that many patients don’t even feel it. Your X-rays show us where the adjustment needs to be made, and the angle required for correction. We use the KH-2 Laney adjusting instrument to deliver these precisely targeted adjustments.
Because patients often don’t feel anything, they sometimes wonder if the adjustment moved the segment. We can confirm that the adjustment corrected the position of the bone by taking post-adjustment X-rays.
Dr. O was planning to become a pharmacist when she began suffering chronic ear infections and migraines. Her blood pressure had also increased dramatically. She went to an upper cervical chiropractor and, after one adjustment, her ear infections, migraines, and blood pressure all resolved on their own. She was inspired to change career paths and become an upper cervical chiropractor, so she could help others in the same way.
