To understand how the upper cervical spine affects the lower back, you must first understand some anatomy and physiology. When the atlas misaligns, it causes the head to tilt one way or the other. <br /> <br /> The brain doesn’t like to be on a tilt so the righting reflex kicks in. This forces the rest of the spine to compensate, many times causing nerve compression in the lower back, and puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.
With an estimated 80% of the US population experiencing back pain at some point in their lives, and the prevalence of disability due to low back pain increasing 54% between 1990 and 2015, it is no wonder that many people are looking for a solution to their back pain. Unfortunately, many are told the only solution is a lifetime of medications, or even worse, surgery.
If you have been unsuccessful with alleviating your low back pain, it may be due to an upper cervical misalignment. Schedule your complimentary consultation today to see if upper cervical chiropractic treatment plans might be right for you.
The vast majority of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their life, and Sciatica is frequently seen occurring alongside. Ironically enough, the top two bones of your neck, called the atlas vertebrae, have a major part to play in the health and wellbeing of the lower back.
The average human neck weighs about 10-15 pounds, and the neck is constantly working to keep the head upright and level. Factors like a desk job, injury, improper posture, and a variety of other causes can lead to your body working in overtime to keep your head neutral.
Over time, parts of the body will shift to accommodate the head- a shoulder will lower slightly, a hip will raise up, the spine will shift. Even the smallest misalignment in the neck can cause serious pain, and because the sciatic nerve causes pain along the buttocks and legs, the neck is frequently overlooked as the source of the issue.
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Eventually, the shifts that your body makes to keep the head level will cause pain, frequently manifesting in lower back pain, leg pain, and sciatica symptoms. When the sciatic nerve gets irritated, it can cause back pain, buttock pain, muscle spasms, and pain in one of both of the legs.
It can also lead to numbness and tingling, in one or both of the legs. Because the head is the main center of gravity, the body will do anything to keep the head neutral, and any uneven weight distribution caused as a result will eventually lead to chronic back pain.
Upper cervical chiropractic adjustments work by focusing on correcting the misalignment in the neck and atlas vertebrae, which allows your body to heal naturally, and move into proper posture position.
A traditional doctor of chiropractic may be able to treat sciatica by doing spinal manipulations and provide pain relief. However, until the upper cervical region (where the brain stem meets the spinal cord) is corrected into alignment, the pain will generally come back.
At Athens Upper Cervical Chiropractic, our team works by using x-rays and imaging technology to view the areas of the neck and spine that are experiencing misalignment, and using that data to perform precise, gentle adjustments.
Over time, patients have seen great reductions in pain levels, even after only a couple of visits. Because the nervous system has such an important role in the body, if the nerves are irritated, conditions like Sciatica will occur.
By easing the upper cervical spine and neck back into alignment, the nervous system is better able to communicate with the body, and the pain caused by nerve irritation can be eliminated. Our Watkinsville office is located off Mars Hill Road, and is just a few minutes past Athens, GA.
While there are other treatments for low back pain and sciatica, traditional doctors will prescribe pain medication and treatment plans for sciatic pain that are only temporary fixes and don’t lead to more consistent relief.
Visiting a chiropractor that specializes in upper cervical chiropractic treatments can help to reduce the amount of muscle tension and pain that you are experiencing. In addition, trigger point therapies and cold therapies can help to further reduce muscle inflammation and pain. If you have not had success with other treatment methods, chiropractic treatment may be the answer for you.
If you’re one of the approximately 5 million people in the U.S who suffers from this condition, receiving treatment from an upper cervical chiropractor could be a great way to take control of your health, look into the root cause of the issue, and find relief from your pain.
At our office, we take a different approach to pain relief. If you’ve been struggling with chronic pain, and you’ve tried everything from medication to surgery, we encourage you to come see us. We specialize in upper cervical chiropractic, which is a gentle and natural treatment for pain.
The goal of upper cervical chiropractic is to align the bones in the upper neck, which helps to take pressure off of the nerves. This can lead to pain relief throughout the body. If you’re tired of living in pain, we encourage you to come see us and find out if upper cervical chiropractic can help.