What's different about Arise?

Upper cervical specific chiropractic focuses primarily on the top two bones of the neck. These two bones plus the bottom of the skull (the occiput) form what is called the craniocervical junction, or where the head meets the neck. Most neck movements, especially nodding up and down or turning side to side rely on this junction and the specially shaped bones found there. This area is critical for the function of the neck

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The top two bones known as C1 (Atlas) and C2 (axis) are shaped completely differently from every other bone in the spine, and it is these unique shapes that allow for our incredible neck mobility. However, high mobility comes at the cost of lowered stability. This makes the area highly susceptible to misalignment (chiropractic "subluxation") from injury or trauma. These injuries can be sudden, as in an accident or fall, or over long periods of time, due to posture or repetitive activities. Either scenario can cause the head to become imbalanced, and increase the strain on the tiny muscles that balance the head. Over time, these tiny muscles become tired and sore, and the body will recruit larger muscles to help, often involving the shoulders first and eventually large back muscles, even into the hips and lower extremity. This leads to postural changes that involve the entire spine, and contribute to issues like headaches, back and neck pain, and even pain in the hips, knees, and feet.

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Even more importantly, the C1 and C2 vertebrae hug the transition from brain stem to spinal cord, which are critical players in almost every body function. When these two bones are out of alignment, they increase tension on this area, which increases tension on the many structures and fluid paths (dura mater, spinal nerves, blood flow, cerebrospinal fluid flow) found here. This imbalance can lead to things such as headaches and migraines, dizziness, vertigo, restless leg syndrome, brain fog, nerve pain in the arms and legs, and many other symptoms.

In our office,we only use very gentle, specific adjustments to address these misalignments, and we use a series of tests to ensure you are only adjusted when absolutely needed. This is what allows the body to balance the head as it was designed to do, and begin to restore blood flow, reduce nerve tension, and heal the muscles and tissues that had previously been tired and damaged.