Question
Ok I am 32 150lbs Hispanic Non-Smoker Drinks Occassionally. I have been having headaches for a few years now.  Almost daily they come.  The chiropractor says my c1 and c2 and c's are out of place and he fixes me up then my headaches are gone for like 3-4 days then they are back slowly.  In the morning they are usually gone and if I take excederin they are gone but I am soooooo tired of these darn headaches.  I've done a lot of research and come to think my neck lots its curve.  Do you recommend a clinic in Houston that is good for this type of treatment or rehabilitation? What should I do?

Answer
Dear Sonny,

I understand what you are going through, as I see these issues in my patients frequently.  The fact that you get relief from spinal adjustments is a good sign though, and indicates that the headaches are indeed musculoskeletal/mechanical in nature.

If you have lost the neck curve, then I would agree that this can be the cause of the recurrent nature of the problem.  I also agree that it is something that you should address because as the neck curve loses its shape, the head will come forward and this places increase stress on the musculature of the back of the neck as well as the associated nerve roots.  Specifically the greater and lesser occipital nerves can become inflamed and initiate headaches. I would suggest that your chiropractic physician asses the integrity of the c1/occiput articulation and that you may need to have the occiput adjusted rather than the C1 vertebra.  I have found this to be very effective with resistant headaches.

Now concerning the loss of the curve, this needs to be addressed with postural exercises and specific traction techniques to restore the proper configuration...and yes this can be accomplished with diligent treatment. Check out these quotes:

For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.?Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol 3.

揕oss of the cervical curve stretches the spinal cord 5-7 cm and causes Disease.? Dr. Alf Breig, Neurosurgeon (Nobel Prize Recipient)

揊orward head posture leads to long term muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis and pinched nerves.? The Mayo Clinic, Nov. 3rd, 2000

?0% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain is generated by the movement of the spine?Dr. Roger Sperry, (Nobel Prize Recipient for Brain Research)

Additionally, Dr. Sperry demonstrated that 90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body to gravity.  Only 10% has to do with thinking, metabolism, and healing, so when you have forward head posture your brain will rob energy from your thinking, metabolism, and immune function to deal with abnormal gravity/posture relationships and processing.

I would recommend that you check out two specific techniques for curve restoration:  Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP), and Pettibon technique. They are similar techniques but differ on the specific applications...but both programs will be similar.  Check out their respective websites below for more information on the techniques, the research, case studies, pre- and post x-ray results.

www.idealspine.com
www.pettibonsystem.com

Concerning the Houston area, Check out these doctors...they have been through advanced training in structural rehab.

Dr. Suhyun An       ...832-358-2225
Dr. Howard Stringer ...713-783-1181

Hope this helps Sonny.  Good Luck!

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net