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Neck examination with CT. The Body Balance Clinic method

To detect disorders in the cervical spine, in addition to biomechanical tests, Body Balance Clinic uses 3D computed tomography. The scan is taken right at the clinic before the “correction”. On a computer, the specialist recreates a virtual model of the neck and skull and demonstrates the existing deviations in the presence of the patient. The doctor accompanies their actions with detailed comments and answers any questions the patient may have.

It is not recommended to have images of the upper cervical vertebrae taken at other private clinics or hospitals, since there is a high probability that they will be taken incorrectly.

Expecting a third-party doctor or radiologist to tell you about the condition of your craniovertebral junction is like expecting an orthopedist to be up to date with the latest advances in neurosurgery.

This is because in a large number of medical textbooks head joints dysfunction still does not appear as a pathological condition.

In the training of doctors and radiologists, no emphasis is placed on the craniovertebral junction. Few people are aware of the consequences of the dysfunction, or even of the fact that it exists at all.

Even if you are lucky and have met a doctor who is interested in new approaches, the little that they can tell you will not necessarily correspond to reality, because acquiring the skills requires performing hundreds of examinations.

The inertia in introducing innovative solutions in medicine is great, so do not expect to find anything sensible in your radiology reports about displacement of the Atlas, the Axis and other cervical vertebrae.

As extensive work experience shows, in most cases patients reach a dead end when trying to examine the condition of their head joints. This concept should be perfectly clear to you.

Only recently, and only after the development of a method for correcting the first cervical vertebra, has it become possible to identify the Atlas as a possible cause of certain complaints.

Body Balance Clinic is, above all, vast experience in working with various dysfunctions of the cervical spine and a reliable guide when it comes to diagnostics.

Scans at other facilities are advisable only if you are far from Body Balance Clinic and need an initial remote consultation with a doctor. In that case, place an order in the shop, after which you will receive instructions on how to have a CT scan taken correctly at another facility.

Which CT scanners does Body Balance Clinic use?

CT scanners are divided into different classes. To determine whether there is a displacement of the cervical vertebrae at the base of the skull, it is best to use a cone beam computed tomography scanner (CBCT for short).

The correct settings, accuracy and resolution of the device are important. As a rule, cone beam scanners (CBCT) take an image in 10–20 seconds. And the radiation the patient receives is comparable to 1 flight of 1000 km and amounts to only 10–50 μSv (depending on how new the device is), while the recommended annual limit is up to 1000 μSv.

The modern cone beam scanners used by Body Balance Clinic are built with the latest technology and equipped with GREEN MODE, which makes it possible to take a scan in just 7 seconds. And the radiation the patient receives is only 9.8 μSv.

When undergoing CBCT at Body Balance Clinic the patient receives a high-quality image of the cervical spine and the base of the skull, taken according to all the rules, while receiving a radiation dose of only 9.8 μSv, which is dozens of times lower than with classic spiral computed tomography (SCT) and several times lower than with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) at other clinics.

CBCT costs an order of magnitude less than SCT. And in terms of value for money, the cost of CBCT at Body Balance Clinic is one of the most affordable today. In addition, the patient receives a professional consultation from the attending doctor in a highly specialized field of medicine. The CBCT procedure is absolutely safe; it can be performed on both adults and children.

CBCT at Body Balance Clinic is your best choice for neck diagnostics.

Is a scan mandatory?

A scan is a highly desirable element of treatment and is essentially a “navigator” for the attending doctor’s actions.

A scan increases the effectiveness of the correction because the doctor sees all the elements of the dysfunction. The doctor builds up a picture of the muscle spasms that cause it and understands where and how to act. A scan also has an evidential aspect. For the patient, it is better to see the existing pathologies in their cervical spine once than to read about someone else’s experience a hundred times. The doctor will reconstruct a 3D model, show the details right in front of you and summarize the result obtained.

If you want to get an adequate picture of the condition of your neck and head joints, free of speculation and prejudice, it is best to have CBCT at Body Balance Clinic.

Having a scan is the most sensible investment in your successful and, most importantly, predictable treatment!

Example of derotation of the Atlas and Axis

Image 1: Atlas C1 before and after treatment at Body Balance Clinic.

Image 2: Axis C2 before and after treatment at Body Balance Clinic.
Rotation of the Atlas C1 – before: 5.2 degrees, after: 0.2 degrees.

Rotation of the Axis C2 – before: 6.3 degrees, after: 0.4 degrees.

These images clearly show the change in position of the first cervical vertebra, the Atlas, and the second cervical vertebra, the Axis, relative to the palatal suture and the midline of the skull.

After several correction sessions, the vertebrae are centered.

The entire upper cervical spine area looks more symmetrical, and the skull is in a balanced position.

Patients often ask whether there are other types of examinations for detecting head joints dysfunction. We will talk about this below:

Spiral computed tomography

Spiral tomography (SCT for short) is also suitable for diagnosing displacements of the cervical vertebrae and, in general, it can be used. But it has its drawbacks: the patient’s head must additionally be fixed in a straight position, and the scan itself takes a long time, 20–40 minutes. Patients often feel anxious inside the machine.

In the view of Body Balance Clinic, using SCT to detect disorders in the upper cervical spine is also inadvisable because of the high radiation load. It amounts to 500 to 2000 μSv per 1 scan (versus 9.8 μSv from CBCT at Body Balance Clinic), while the recommended annual limit is up to 1000 μSv.

The use of spiral computed tomography is possible, but this approach has its drawbacks. Still, it is better to use cone beam computed tomography.

Other types of examination are not informative with respect to the craniovertebral region.

X-ray of the cervical spine

A classic X-ray, which we all know about, is absolutely unsuitable for detecting displacements of the upper cervical vertebrae, since it creates only one two-dimensional image of the objects displayed. Nothing can be determined from the resulting image, because the object of the examination is not visible.

If someone claims that they can assess the displacement of the Atlas and Axis relative to the condyles of the skull using a single two-dimensional X-ray image, they simply do not know the subject and do not understand what they are talking about.

A single conventional X-ray image CANNOT adequately show the picture of displacements of the Atlas C1 and Axis C2 at the base of the skull.

By comparison, CBCT, or cone beam computed tomography, is a combination of 100–150 two-dimensional images merged into a 3D model that allows the skull and neck to be examined from any side.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the neck

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is intended for other purposes. While X-rays or computed tomography (CBCT and SCT) give a good view of the bones, MRI is used mainly to examine soft tissues.

An MRI scan takes quite a long time, up to 30–40 minutes. Depending on how large the area to be scanned is.

MRI shows only a two-dimensional view of the scanned area, which is not sufficient for correct spatial 3D diagnosis of displacements of the cervical vertebrae Atlas C1 and Axis C2.

MRI does not provide a clear image of the vertebrae and skull bones, since it is not designed for this purpose.

MRI has a big advantage: it can be used to detect physical compression of the vessels supplying blood to the brain.

A major advantage of MRI is the ability to obtain images without exposing the patient to radioactive radiation.

My massage therapist said after palpation that my Atlas is displaced

Some amateur specialists who diagnose with their hands may assure you during palpation that your cervical vertebrae are displaced or aligned. The specialist justifies this by saying that they have been doing massage for many years and their palpation experience tells them so.

Body Balance Clinic states that the probability of error when determining the rotation of the cervical vertebrae by palpation alone is more than 50%. And the accuracy of determining the horizontal relationship of the neck vertebrae to the base of the skull is absolutely negligible, amounting to less than 20%.

This happens because palpation does not take into account possible asymmetry of the processes of the occipital bone of the skull, of the skull itself, or the structural features of the cervical vertebrae and jaw bones.

A massage therapist tells you that one of your vertebrae is rotated and shifted to the side, and you seem to feel it yourself, how it protrudes more on one side than on the other, but the reality is that the processus mastoideus (mastoid processes of the skull) may be located asymmetrically, may be of different sizes and may not be at the same height on both sides of the skull. This situation occurs every other time. As a result, the fingers clearly feel a displacement that does not exist. Or, conversely, when palpating a real displacement, you are told that “everything is fine with you”. And this is just one example.

Body Balance Clinic trainees with extensive experience in medical massage, using only their hands for diagnosis, make gross errors in this type of testing. In more than half of all attempts, they get the wrong result: they feel a rotation that does not exist or, conversely, a lateral displacement when the lateral masses of the vertebrae are developed differently, and so on.

Comparing palpation results with a CT scan almost always gives unexpected results. That is why you should only trust technology.

It does not make mistakes.

Detecting irreversible changes in the neck

3D CT reconstruction is also useful for detecting those rare cases where there are structural changes or damage to the vertebrae caused by severe whiplash injury or progressive degeneration (vertebral fusions, Kimmerle anomaly, fractures, ligament ruptures, non-fusion of the posterior arch of the atlas, etc.).

If such abnormalities are present, the doctor adjusts the treatment plan, which also helps to improve the final results.

Example of Kimmerle anomaly. A bony outgrowth is visualized on the posterior arch of the first vertebra, the Atlas; it formed over several years due to excessive muscle tension. The arch has undergone calcification due to impaired microcirculation.

Example of pronounced asymmetry in the development of the skull and dysfunction of the temporomandibular joints caused by birth trauma. One eye is lower than the other, with a shift towards the bridge of the nose. In this case, after the correction, treatment by an orthodontist-prosthodontist is recommended, with the wearing of orthodontic appliances to create a “lever” effect, or the use of the “Balancer” appliance to stabilize the joints and reduce the load on the articular discs. Pronounced skull asymmetry occurs in 5% of cases, moderate asymmetry in 20% of cases.

Image 1 shows an example of rotation of the first cervical vertebra by 7.3 degrees.

Image 2 shows an infection in the sinus that has penetrated through a poorly treated root canal.

If you are interested in undergoing the highest-quality diagnostics and the best treatment option for craniovertebral dysfunction of all those available on this planet, book an appointment at Body Balance Clinic.