General Types of Upper Cervical Subluxations



General Types of Upper Cervical Subluxations


Roderic P. Rochester




In the upper cervical region, the patterns and magnitudes of relative segmental alignments are as varied as each individual. The Orthospinology procedure provides a method of measuring alignment and recognizing characteristics that will identify four basic types of misalignments, allowing the doctor to create a tailor-made Adjustment for each individual patient. Some in the chiropractic profession believe that the neutral posture vertebral alignment in the upper cervical spine is constantly changing. This is thought to be due to relatively large “Neutral zones” or zones of easy movement and high degrees of mobility. A constantly changing alignment dictates that an X-ray is just a snapshot in time of that configuration, if this theory is accurate. The fact that patterns exist indicates organization (as opposed to randomness) and stability in a subluxated condition. Recognizing the basic types of upper cervical alignment patterns is valuable to the doctor of chiropractic.


Categorization with Minimization of Variables

Validation of chiropractic models and theories will be the prime Thrust of chiropractic research in the 21st century. The Reliability and Validity of chiropractic procedures may be improved by minimizing variables. To preserve Validity, a careful balance must be maintained between details, biomechanics, and measurements of the osseous components of the upper cervical Subluxation. In the Orthospinology procedure, categories of misalignments are derived from the positional relationship of the skull, atlas, axis, and the lower cervical spine. It is not based on the skull’s relationship to a Gravity line or vertical axis passing through the lowest cervical or first thoracic vertebra. Atlas and axis laterality/rotation and lower-angle laterality are thought to be due to a phenomenon local to the upper cervical segments.

The position of the skull relative to the vertical axis may be an effort of the central nervous system to balance the visual gaze to the horizon by altering spinal curves and pelvic balance below the neck. Said another way, the position of the skull compared with the vertical axis of the thorax may be a neurological adaptation that is due to deviated alignment within the occipito-atlanto-axial complex, which is the proposed etiology. The Orthospinology concept is to make an Adjustment to the alignment of the upper cervical spine, restoring neurological integrity, resulting in the return of the skull and cervical spine to a vertical axis relative to the thorax. Remembering that a valid procedure must measure what it says it measures, the Orthospinology patterns of misalignment are just that: patterns of direct measurements of vertebral segments relative to each other. This method does not propose to measure alignment in three-dimensional space nor does it provide a direct measurement of neurological function.

There are two general categories of misalignment patterns: “opposite angles” and “into the kinks.” The opposite
angle arrangement is when the Atlas laterality and the Lower angle laterality are on opposite sides. This category can be divided into two types based on the position of the axis spinous process: those cases with the spinous process on the same side as Atlas laterality or an “inferior spinous” (type I) (Fig. 11-1) and those with the axis spinous opposite Atlas laterality or a “superior spinous” (type II) (Fig. 11-2). The axis spinous is named for the direction of Torque during the hand Adjustment and coincides with the direction the axis spinous process must move during the Adjustment when the patient is laying on his or her side on the adjusting table with the Atlas laterality up. An inferior spinous must move away from the doctor or toward the floor during the Adjustment. An example is a right Atlas laterality and a right axis spinous rotational misalignment. A superior spinous is one that must move toward the adjustor or the ceiling during the Adjustment. An example is right Atlas laterality and a left axis spinous misalignment.

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Jul 24, 2016 | Posted by in ORTHOPEDIC | Comments Off on General Types of Upper Cervical Subluxations

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