ixneuroSource: Imagine X Functional Neurology
Recently, I had a new patient come into the office whose story really got me excited. She’s 47 years old, and about 3 years ago her neck started to hurt. At first, she brushed it off assuming it was a problem with her pillow and it would just go away. However, the pain continued to worsen over time until it became a nearly constant companion.
When I met her, she said the pain was never below a 5/10, she had to take Tylenol to sleep, and every morning when waking up her left arm would be numb. She’s tried massage, chiropractic, physical therapy, medications, and nothing seemed to work. Next up on the table was surgery, which she was trying to avoid.
Arm numbness can have a variety of causes from a disc problem in the neck, to a stroke in the brain, to a pinched nerve lower in the arm (think carpal tunnel surgery). A brief exam showed that her arm would go numb whenever her arm was behind her and lifted. This is a positive orthopedic test to identify a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. In this scenario, the arm numbness is due to a pinching of the brachial artery under different muscles in the neck/shoulder.
That first day, we adjusted the shoulder, reset some of the muscles around the pinch and told her to get a bone scan of her neck so we could get a closer look. Two days later, she came back. When I asked her how she did, she told me her arm did not go numb once since that first treatment- not a bad start. However, she was still dealing with significant neck pain.
I reviewed the scan of her neck with her and discovered that the top vertebra in her neck was rotated 5.5 degrees forward on the right, while her C2 had rotated 2 degrees in the opposite direction! This is considered a large counter rotation and was putting considerable torque on her spinal cord.
We decided to treat her with the Atlas Orthogonal method, a table-mounted instrument that does a single precise impulse into the C1 vertebra. The adjustment itself is extremely gentle and she left my office feeling confused how such a small edit would make a difference.
Four days later, she came back and I asked how she did. Immediately she burst into tears telling me how she’s had no pain since the AO treatment. Just when she was about to give up hope of ever feeling normal again, she couldn’t believe how much better she felt after just two treatments!
Several follow ups later and she’s still feeling so good that she cancelled her consultation with the neurosurgeon.
These are the moments I live for as a doctor and I’ve been reveling in that feeling ever since.
If you or someone you know is suffering from neck pain, please let them know that we’re here to help.
In health,
Dr. Josh Silver, DC, DACNB
Imagine X Functional Neurology
804 Anacapa St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Find the Root Cause. Correct it Drug-Free.
Specializing in Migraines, Post-Concussion Syndrome and Dizziness/Vertigo.
Ask how our cutting-edge, drug-free treatments could change your life!
T – 805.962.1988
ixneuro.com
