When the upper cervical spine (the top vertebrae in the neck area) is misaligned, it can negatively affect the function of the central nervous system. Without clear communication through the brainstem, which is housed by the C1 and C2 vertebrae, the brain is not able to receive clear messages from the body, and vice versa. This can result in an array of health conditions that develop over time. The Knee Chest technique is used by upper cervical chiropractors to gently and accurately realign the top two vertebrae of the spine. Patients experience pain relief, increased energy, and alleviation of their symptoms after receiving upper chiropractic care.

Your upper cervical chiropractor will ask you to kneel on a comfortable cushion next to a chiropractic adjustment table that was designed for the Knee Chest technique. Prior to the adjustment, your chiropractor will have fully assessed your symptoms, structural imbalances, and the exact angle of your upper cervical misalignment. As you kneel next to the padded table and lean forward to rest your chest and head on the table, the chiropractor will carefully turn your head to one side and place it at a specific angle. Then, using his or her hands, the chiropractor will adjust your vertebrae by pressing on your neck near the base of your skull. The hands are placed at a precise angle to shift the vertebrae back to their correct positions.

 Immediate relief is frequently felt by patients, even if they did not feel the vertebrae move as they shifted back in to place. The patient is usually allowed to rest on the adjustment table for a short period of time to make sure the adjustment stays in place.

Adults, teens, and even children can benefit from a properly aligned spine. Without the hindrance of spinal misalignment, the body can engage in the natural self-healing process by which many serious health conditions can be avoided. Upper cervical care is being used by many people as preventative care, and it has also been used to find relief from a variety of health conditions, including the following:

When you call Midwest Upper Cervical, you will be speaking with a patient care specialist. They can help you with questions about care, assist with scheduling, explain our insurance policy, and much more. We are here to serve you and help you be successful in your care.

We work with the relationship between your spinal bones, nerves and the many problems which can be connected.

A doctor will sit with you listening to your concerns and create a health history.

The doctor will do an examination to determine if you have a spinal misalignment to determine if we can help you.

On your first appointment the doctor will review the findings of your exam and X-rays with you, make an initial spinal correction and Post X-rays will be taken immediately to verify the correction.

You will be scheduled in three days to make sure your correction is still OK and to review your need for future care.

Pain and suffering is a motivator for people to seek help. In many cases, pain is usually the last thing to occur, even after months or years following an injury to the spine. That is why it is important to seek care whether pain is present or not.

Correction of a spinal misalignment depends on its size and complexity. Misalignments can be small & simple, big & simple, small and complex, big and complex or very complicated.

Making your initial spinal correction will usually provide some immediate relief for spinal and spine related conditions. Some other conditions may require some recovery time before you have relief.

Bottom line – Time is the key here. Healing takes time. Muscles take 72 hours, ligaments take up to 18 months, and nerves take 3-4 months to heal. We will be monitoring your recovery to make sure your body heals properly.

Once misaligned a weakness remains for the spine to misalign again especially in the early stages of care. It is very important to monitor the stability of your correction for several months.

This does not mean that we will be adjusting your spine every time we see you, but that as long as your correction is stable or “holding” nothing needs to be done on that visit.

It takes one month to recover for each year your spine has been misaligned. You will continue to recover as long as your spine is not misaligned longer than a month at a time During your recovery the spinal degeneration begins to reverse. You need to keep your spine corrected to achieve maximum recovery.

As you go through recovery process there may be things you can do to enhance your recovery that will be discussed.

We will be monitoring your quality of life with health assessment measures to insure you find the best possible health and wellness as a result of your care here. The doctor will give you a realistic view of what you can achieve and our team is here to guide you in this process.