If you have ever experienced a significant impact to your body such as car accidents, sports injuries, falls, or bump to the head, the force on the upper neck may not have been avoidable. Even if the damage to the vehicle is minimal, the body cannot avoid absorbing the forces from the impact.

Whiplash injury is often dismissed and neglected as a minor soft tissue injury. However, the head and neck misalignment can lead to chronic health problems such as headache, dizziness, loss of balance, neck stiffness, tingling and numbness in the arm and legs, low back pain, digestive problems, poor posture, and more.

The upper neck is the weakest part of the human spine. An injury to the head and neck can cause tissue damage in a complex way. Trillions of nerve fibers from the brain travel through the small opening in the upper neck spine. Even the smallest degree of upper neck misalignment can cause brainstem compression. This results in interference in the neurological pathway that results in body imbalance. This nervous system dysfunction is called the Atlas Subluxation Complex. This limits the ability of the brain to communicate with the body.

Reprinted with permission from Daniel O. Clark, D.C. Copyright 2022 www.uppercervicalillustrations.com