Question
QUESTION: Hi Dr. Blom.

I recently read a question from a man from India who is 25
years old.  His situation is quite similar to mine.  I have
always used computers since I was young.  Back in 2002 I
noticed that I had some strange neurological symptoms.  The
skin on my body felt as if it had lost some sensation.  This
condition is known as "paresthesia".  I also noticed that
I had problems sweating in some parts of my body, and tingling
in my lower back and legs.  Anyway, I went to a doctor at the
time trying to figure out what was going on and he never gave
me any help or advice.  Now, I am 23 and over the past few
months have noticed more problems.  TMJ, ringing in the ears
and pain in different areas of the body.  At first, I didn't
know what to do so I decided to visit a chiropractor.  He
practiced traditional manipulation techniques.  He worked on
my neck and back a lot.  On the third time I saw him he cracked
my neck, also working on my jaw and later that day I felt some strange things.  My nervous system felt normal again! I could feel my skin better and my ear ringing went away and even smell better.  However, I kept going to him and things started to
get worse again.  Whatever he did he only helped me for one visit and it made me realize that my problem was physical.  Since then I have not given up on chiropractic, I started to see an atlas orthogonal chiro.  He assessed that I had a leg length imbalance and misalignment of my atlas bone.  I finally went and
had several MRI done to show my spine, it showed a bit of a
cervical scoliosis and some curvature in the upper and lower
back.  However, the most intriguing thing is it shows a disc bulge at C5/C6 that contacts the thecal sac but not the cord.
As you can see I have a lot going on.  My question is :

Do you think the atlas orthogonal chiropractor can give me
the results that I got from the traditional chiro?

What should I do about trying to correct the rounded upper
back that I have from postural problems? I have started to
correct it on my own and noticed that the hump is less
prominent after starting with the new chiropractor.

Do you suggest I keep going to the atlas chiro, and hope
that I get better or try going to a traditional chiro?
I don't want to have to get surgery, but I don't want
to get injured either I know there are some bad chiros
out there and I wanna steer clear of em.

Thanks!


ANSWER: You bring up some interesting points. The general Chiropractor was over adjusting you. A good Upper Cervical Dr. does not go by SYMPTOMS rather they use objective testing to determine when to adjust you and when to leave you alone. The only way you will get well is from holding the adjustment. Your story is a great example of why instrumentation is essential for knowing when to adjust the patient and when to leave the patient alone.

So to answer your question, YES, you can achieve those results that you had before if the work is done CORRECTLY!! If you over adjust, the patient will often times get worse. As I mentioned above it is not the adjustment that will get you well, it is you holding the adjustment that gets you well.   

With the problems you have described I would stick with Upper Cervical care. The Atlas Orthogonal Dr. can help you if the work is done CORRECTLY. If you feel he is not helping you then look for another Upper Cervical Dr., there are other techniques. I prefer an adjustment done by hand with a small amount of force. So, I prefer Knee Chest, Toggle Recoil, and Blair. You can google these techniques and learn more. Also you can visit www.uppercervicalcare.com this is a great website to find Upper Cervical Dr.'s.

With the information given your postural compensations will begin to correct as your body heals. Again assuming work is done CORRECTLY.

Thank you for your question.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again.

There is a high chance that I am getting my adjustments done
correctly.  When I first started, I went and visited Dr. Matt
Sweat, who is the son of Dr. Roy Sweat who pioneered this
technique.  He took the x-rays and made the measurements.
Is it the goal of any upper cervical doctor to try and get the
atlas bone to become level again with the head? Will this also
correct the axis bone and the other bones in the neck over time,
or should I think about getting those adjusted separately?  

Answer
It sounds like you are in good hands. The goal of Upper Cervical care is to keep the opening where the brainstem exits the skull as open as possible, which means the atlas will not always be level due to asymmetries of the upper cervical spine. Many times the axis will move back into position when the atlas is set, but not always, some cases axis will need correction and some cases the axis it the major misalignment. You should not need to be adjusted below axis if work is done correctly.