Upper Cervical Adjusting
Dr. Dan Murphy strikes again! From the library of Life West Chiropractic College comes a plethora of articles on the Neurological influence of the Cervical Spine on body function and the benefits of Chiropractic adjusting.
A compilation of current research. Lot’s of technical terminology, but I have put summary comments at the end of some of the references.
Biedermann H. Kinematic imbalances due to suboccipital strain in newborns. J. Manual Med (1992) 6:151-156.
Dr. Biedermann states that a wide range of pediatric problems may result from suboccipital strain. The disorders reported include fever of unknown origin, loss of appetite, sleeping disorders, asymmetric motor patterns, and alterations of posture.
Review this article in more detail on the Chiropractic for Kids page.
Vertigo in patients with cervical spine dysfunction
Eur Spine J. 1998;7(1):55-8
People can have dizziness due to a spinal neck problem that will be resolved by corrective adjusting.
Influences of neck afferents on sympathetic and respiratory nerve activity
Brain Res Bull. 1998 Nov 15;47(5):413-9.
Responses were recorded from the splanchnic (sympathetic), hypoglossal (inspiratory) and abdominal (expiratory) nerves during stimulation of the C2 dorsal root ganglion or C2 or C3 nerve branches.
Upper Cervical influences “fight or flight” and breathing!
Little known sequelae of sprains of the cervical spine
Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax. 1999 Dec 2;88(49):2021-4
After cervical sprain not only pain and neuropsychological disturbances may occur, but also the following sequelae: torticollis, dizziness, hearing loss for low frequencies, dysphonia and globus. Symptoms often respond to manipulation …between occiput and atlas or axis and the third cervical vertebra.
Auton Neurosci. 2001 Aug 13;91(1-2):96-9.
Cervical spinal manipulation has a significant effect on both heart rate and heart-rate variability
Forensic Sci Int. 2002 Aug 28;128(3):168-76
Irritation of the high-cervical region serves as a trigger that may be involved in sudden infant death (SID).
Since the safety of Adjusting newborns is well established, we can’t help but wonder how many cases of SID could be prevented. It’s very hard to do research of that type!
A preliminary study of neck-stomach syndrome
World J Gastroenterol. 2007 May 14;13(18):2575-80
Gastrointestinal function may be affected by cervical spondylosis.
Many chiropractors report fixing “tummyaches” with adjusting. Go figure.
Atlas vertebra realignment and achievement of arterial pressure goal in hypertensive patients: a pilot study.
J Hum Hypertens. 2007 May;21(5):347-52. Epub 2007 Mar 2
We conclude that restoration of Atlas alignment is associated with marked and sustained reductions in Blood Pressure.
No adverse effects were recorded.
Pretty cool, don’t you think?
The Journal of Neuroscience, August 1, 2007, 27(31):8324-8333
Sensory afferent signals from neck muscles have been postulated to influence central cardiorespiratory control as components of postural reflexes. Neck musculature, with stimulation of nerves arising cause a reflex increase in splanchnic, hypoglossal, and abdominal nerve activity (Bolton et al., 1998). Stimulus would activate muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ afferents. Because the cervico-sympathetic reflex appears to originate from muscle spindles in the dorsal neck musculature, it is very likely that the suboccipital muscle group is involved in the reflex because these muscles have an extremely high muscle spindle content (Richmond and Abrahams, 1975; Kulkarni et al., 2001 ). Additional evidence for the involvement of the suboccipital muscle group in the cervico-sympathetic reflex comes from changes in blood pressure associated with chiropractic manipulations of the C1 vertebrae.
Did you follow all that? A much fancier way of saying the same thing as the previous study. Adjusting may help blood pressure.
Int Tinnitus J. 2007;13(2):132-7.Links
Reflex pathway irritation of facet joints can first lead to an activated anterior cervical sympathetic system via an independent pathway in the mediolateral cell column; it can simultaneously lead to an axon reflex involving nociceptive neurons, resulting in neurogenic inflammation and the prospect of a eustachian tube dysfunction. The eustachian tube dysfunction is responsible for a disturbed middle ear-inner ear pressure relationship, circumstances that have the potential to develop into secondary Ménière's disease
If you are diagnosed with secondary Menieres, adjusting may fix it. Won’t work on primary Menieres though. Oh well.
This is the same mechanism that allows Chiropractic adjusting to relieve middle ear pain (otitis media).
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