I found this video of Dr. John Hilpisch explaining Upper Cervical Chiropractic very quickly and effectively. Take a look!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
The only drawback I see to his presentation is that upper cervical misalignments are never to the level that you actually get “pressure on the cord”, and any health professional with training in upper cervical anatomy is going to know that. This leads to those people we need MOST to get informed on what we do and how it can affect the body writing us off based on that one statement.
The catch-22 is that this explanation is easily accessible for prospective patients, with many of the more accurate explanations being above their comprehension level.
What I tend to do which I think covers all the bases is explain that once an upper cervical misalignment happens, the body responds strongly because it wants to PREVENT actual pressure on the cord/brainstem which would likely result in death. It neatly explains why we are so concerned over relatively small measurable misalignments without tripping ourselves up with other health providers who might be more informed (including our own colleagues!).
However, I’d love to hear how other docs present it for comparison and improvement.
I present the UC spine as a contained pressure system. Take a way a little bit of space, pressure rises, according to physics. Blood vessels close, add time, and you’ve got local tissue pressure system (hydrostatics) affecting neurology. Just depends on which “wire” is effected. That can involve cartilage, fat, CSF, venous drainage from the dural venous system, and direct tissue attachments from sub-occipital musculature into dura around the cord. The mis-alignment is a bug in the system that’s allowed in order to protect the brain stem. The innate intelligence of the body will allow the mis-alingment in response to concussive forces. Good temporary fix with long term consequences. But if the alternative is paralysis or death, I’d choose the misalignment.
Dr. Ben,
I am intrigued. Great comment! Several of my good Upper Cervical buddies and I have been having this type conversation for a long time. Good patient education for a simple explanation but understanding and knowing more about what fully takes place with an Upper Cervical subluxation is what we all need to continue to look for. I hear thru the grape vine about a lot of exciting research taking place in the Upper Cervical groups and with UCHC Italy.
I always look for better ways to understand and explain the work we do. Thanks for sharing. Love it!
~DrJ