What is Craniocervical Syndrome?
Craniocervical syndrome is a complex pattern of symptoms that seem unrelated. However, this pattern of symptoms is well understood by upper cervical chiropractors. People experiencing craniocervical syndrome often have more than one of these symptoms:
- Headaches
- Dizziness or Vertigo
- Pain in the back of the skull
- Balance Issues
- Neck Pain
- Brain Fog (difficulty thinking, remembering, or focusing)
Pressure in the head or behind the eyes. People who have craniocervical syndrome are often treated for individual symptoms instead of investigating and addressing the root of the symptoms. This leaves many people suffering and confused. Some individuals are even told that the problem is “just in their head”. However, with proper understanding and a clear solution, there is still hope for healing.
Complimentary Craniocervical Syndrome Consultation
We’d love to meet you for a 15-20 minute session with a doctor to get your story, conduct any preliminary tests, and see if we can help you. If so, great, if not, we’ll help you find the place that can.
What causes Craniocervical Syndrome?
The symptoms of craniocervical syndrome are often rooted In misalignment or malformation of the craniocervical junction, which is the joint structure between the skull and the spine. The bottom of the skull is attached to the top two bones of the neck called the atlas (C1) and the axis (C2). These bones and joints, as well as ligaments, and nerves, are what comprise the craniocervical junction.
These upper cervical bones are supposed to be aligned a specific way, but can become misaligned by things such as car accidents, whiplash injuries, concussions, or long-term or poor posture. Some babies can also become misaligned during birth. If the baby’s misalignment is not corrected, the baby can continue to experience craniocervical syndrome symptoms through development and into adulthood.
When this craniocervical junction misaligns, it can also cause ligament tears that last for years, leading to neck pain. It can irritate the nerves at the back of the head and inside the brainstem causing headaches, neck pain, and facial pain. The misalignment may also cause blood flow problems through the vertebral arteries going to the brain, which can limit blood flow to the brain. It can also compress the internal jugular veins that help drain the brain, causing a backup of blood that is trying to flow out of the brain. These blood flow problems can cause headaches, brain fog, and pressure in the head. When the joints are not aligned properly, it also sends incorrect information to the balance center of the brain. This can cause dizziness, balance issues, and sometimes vertigo.
A single misalignment in the upper neck can cause a complex pattern of symptoms that seriously affect your ability to function normally.
Why have my doctors not diagnosed me?
Doctors and neurologists often label craniocervical syndrome symptoms as being separate conditions. Without extensive training in the craniocervical junction, many doctors overlook the root cause of this pattern of complex neurological symptoms. This leaves the patient and the doctors attempting to manage the symptoms without addressing the symptom’s origin.
What is the Solution?
Upper cervical chiropractors are specifically trained to identify and correct the most common root cause of this problem: the misaligned bones at the top of the neck. A careful examination is performed to evaluate the patient for nerve irritation and interference. Special imaging is used to measure and analyze the alignment of the upper neck. Once analyzed, the upper cervical chiropractor uses those measurements to correct the alignment of the upper neck with a gentle and precise upper cervical technique. This removes irritation on the nerves, improves blood flow to and from the brain, and eases tension on the joints. Patients under upper cervical care have reported tremendous improvements in craniocervical syndrome symptoms.
How Our Craniocervical Syndrome Care Plan Works
1. Real Answers
You have a story and we want to hear it. We want to understand you. If we feel we can help, we’ll complete a very detailed exam–unlike anything you’ve done anywhere else to get to the root of the problem.
2. Real Solutions
Once we’ve gotten to the bottom of things–the root cause–we’ll tailor-make a program of care first to stop the damage and turn things around, then continue to move your health and function in a constructive direction.
3. Real Life
At the end of the day, you want your quality of life back. Better. Stronger. Healthier. We desire to help you achieve the life that God has called you to–getting you back to your sense of purpose and joy.
How We Treat Craniocervical Syndrome in Mount Dora, FL
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
The doctor and team will first do a consultation and preliminary craniocervical syndrome headache evaluation (complimentary) to ensure you’re in the right place and that we believe we can help you. If we can, we’ll dive much deeper into your craniocervical syndrome headache condition and how it’s affecting your life. Once we understand you clearly, we’ll thoroughly examine your spine and nervous system utilizing chiropractic, functional, and neurologic testing to find the root cause of the problem(s).
CBCT (3D Panoramic X-ray) and Motion Study X-rays
Once we’ve determined that you are a good candidate for care and can help you, we will likely need to take very specific forms of imaging to pinpoint the problem (unless you are pregnant). We want to get a good look at the curve of the spine, the alignment (or lack thereof), any degenerative changes, and contraindications to care, and ultimately find out EXACTLY what we need to do for you to get better.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
Our family-oriented practice in Mount Dora provides a unique form of Chiropractic care that is precise, extremely effective, and very gentle. In fact, there is no twisting or “cracking” of your neck. We utilize a form of care known as Blair Upper Cervical, which focuses on the top two bones in the neck, where your head and neck come together, and tends to yield uncommon results due to the neurological influence of this critical area of your spine. We add a supportive type of adjusting for the rest of your spine known as TRT (Torque Release Technique). TRT is a precise, effective, gentle instrument-based technique that produces fantastic results.
When the joints of your spine are misaligned, it puts undue pressure on your joints and, more importantly, on your nervous system—known as a subluxation—which may cause pain and affect your global health. The goal of your specific adjustments is to reduce the subluxations, taking pressure off your spine and nervous system so that your body can self-heal the way it was created.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Depending on your particular case, we will design a custom rehab/exercise plan (Vestibular Rehab) to help you recover quicker and attain lasting results. Your unique exercise plan aims to help restore global spinal and vestibular imbalances, address muscle weakness, increase range of motion, improve your posture and reduce your craniocervical syndrome symptoms. We also aim to keep it simple—so you can do it at home in very little time. If you are a severe case, we may refer you for physical therapy aimed at a more tailored and monitored exercise rehab to complement your upper cervical chiropractic care.
