How long does the effect last and can the dysfunction return?

Correction at Body Balance Clinic is today the most advanced method of treating craniovertebral dysfunction. Many patients undergoing treatment ask: how long will the effect last, and can the dysfunction come back?

There are objective factors that can provoke partial or even complete blocking of the head joints, with the first and second cervical vertebrae shifting back into their pre-treatment position or moving into an intermediate position. The observed cases in which the dysfunction partially returned had the following characteristics:

? The patient had only one correction session – trivial as it may sound, this is the most important factor. As mentioned above, successful treatment of head joints dysfunction may require up to three correction sessions, because your health depends first and foremost on the condition of your neck muscles, which, however hard one tries, cannot be brought into ideal condition the first time. Even if the patient feels perfect after the first session, a recurrence of discomfort (usually partial) is only a matter of time.

? The patients had a pronounced asymmetric development of the craniovertebral junction: developmental anomalies of the vertebrae, vertebral deformities, deformity of the skull condyles or of the articular surfaces of the Atlas and Axis as a result of a difficult delivery and birth trauma in which the entire skull and cervical spine were deformed (a small percentage of people).

? A high-impact whiplash injury of the neck, a very severe blow with the head or to the head, a diving injury, or a fracture of the cervical vertebrae. These situations lead to a protective tightening of the deep muscles, which significantly worsens microcirculation and leads to calcifications and ossifications that are also irreversible and reduce the joints’ ability to balance the head’s center of gravity.

? Potentially injurious thrust manipulations of the cervical spine. Manual therapy, bone-setting, chiropractic and osteopathy, as well as any self-performed neck cracking, can cause significant harm, because the flip side of such manipulations is a protective contraction of the muscles in response to a sharp pull or rotation of the head. The body’s muscles react to stress roughly the same way a car seat belt does when it is jerked sharply. Frequent performance of such manipulations leads to a severe deterioration of microcirculation and subsequent degenerative changes in the joints of the head and neck.

? Dysfunction of the jaw joints (TMJ), asymmetric position of the lower jaw and malocclusion can have a significant influence on the development of one-sided tension in the cervical spine. The situation can be stabilized by combining correction with orthodontic treatment.  

? Insufficient height of the back teeth (molars and premolars) due to their absence or wear can lead to uncontrolled strengthening of the central occipital muscles of the head joints due to the process of “facial collapse” and a change in the tilt angle of the skull. After correction, the patient’s symptoms usually disappear, but after some time a partial relapse is quite likely to occur, rarely a complete one. Again, the situation can be stabilized by combining correction at Body Balance Clinic with treatment by an orthodontist.

? Hypermobility of the atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial joints due to ligamentous hyperlaxity combined with muscle atrophy allows the vertebrae to constantly assume an incorrect position and leads to the manifestation of symptoms. Strengthening the neck muscles with physical exercise can help increase muscle mass and partially compensate for the hypermobility.

? Excessive stress. Experience shows that prolonged and very severe stress (for example, as a result of an illness or the death of a relative) can cause partial blocking of the head joints in some people, so in such situations it is recommended to seek help from a Body Balance Clinic specialist. 

? Constant anxiety, hypochondria, a caustic state of mind and the presence of mental disorders – this is perhaps one of the most significant factors. Constant stress causes a shift in the hormonal balance, which provokes mobilization of the neck muscles and suppression of microcirculation in the muscles. These phenomena lead to impaired function of the head joints, constant relapses and the impossibility of correcting the situation in the long term.

? Excessive loads on the cervical spine – headstands, sports injuries, professional martial arts, carrying heavy loads on the head, falls, whiplash injuries of the neck. Such situations can also cause partial blocking of the head joints.

Some anxious patients behave overly cautiously after treatment, believing that their vertebrae could slip out of place with almost ordinary head movements. The attending doctor constantly receives questions like: “can I do yoga?”, “won’t hanging from a pull-up bar harm me?” 

After correction at Body Balance Clinic, repeated displacements of the vertebrae are possible only as a result of whiplash injuries, accidents and excessive loads on the cervical spine. Yes, there is a narrow category of people leading a hyperactive and extreme lifestyle who are at risk. But do you belong to it? Even if you do, just remember that any deviations are easily resolved with another correction.

Remember that after treatment a temporary phase begins in which the body readjusts to the renewed center of gravity of the head. During this regeneration phase, temporary reactions may occur, both good and unpleasant ones, well known to you, ones you have already suffered from, or, in rare cases, even some new ones. This is an absolutely natural process of adaptation of the spine. Perceive it correctly and trust the treatment process. 

There are a number of situations that can lead to the mistaken belief, namely that the first vertebra, the Atlas, or the second vertebra, the Axis, has shifted again.

If before treatment at Body Balance Clinic people had no idea what the Atlas and the Axis are, after treatment they invariably search for them with their fingers, trying to feel something, which in 100% of cases leads to wrong conclusions about them (“it sticks out more here and less there”), and then to unfounded doubts and fears.

Another aspect that patients often misunderstand: treatment of head joints dysfunction at Body Balance Clinic will not make you an invulnerable person, immune to fibrosis and muscle contractures. Discomfort in the neck may reappear some time after treatment due to unresolved stress factors:

❌ daily long-term load on the cervical spine (for example, as a result of an incorrect “head forward” sitting posture at work),

❌ one-sided overload of the body due to heavy work,

❌ constant anxiety, fears and worries about the future, 

❌ abuse of your neck: headstands and similar practices,

❌ metabolic hyperacidosis as a result of impaired liver function,

❌ intestinal dysbacteriosis and dysbiosis, etc. 

1️⃣ Check the height of the back teeth and the bite as a whole (for this purpose, you can use the Balancer test device developed at Body Balance Clinic);

2️⃣ Minimize acidosis with the help of Body Balance Clinic dietary protocols;

3️⃣ Book an extended correction at Body Balance Clinic.

Body Balance Clinic specialists always strive to do their work conscientiously. However, sometimes one has to choose between thorough work and sparing the patient. It is no secret that working on muscle contractures and treating muscles for fibrosis is an unpleasant process accompanied by painful sensations. Therefore, the author of the method initially developed the option of a standard gentle correction, acceptable for all patients, including young children.

However, sometimes there are patients whose initial condition is so neglected that the standard treatment protocol has only a partial effect on muscle overstrain in the body. Muscle fibrosis caused by many years of imbalance may have spread to other areas of the body: the cervicothoracic junction, the thoracic and lumbar spine, and the gluteal region.

Extended correction at Body Balance Clinic is an extremely effective measure. If you feel that your condition has not normalized, it can help you cope with fibrosis and muscle tension once and for all, since it covers other areas of the body besides the neck. However, due to the particular intensity of the work, it may be unacceptable for especially sensitive patients.

In most cases, treatment at Body Balance Clinic goes successfully and without any problems. However, 10-20% of procedures do not bring the desired results. Sometimes no improvement is observed after correction, and some patients may even get the impression that they have become worse.

We would like patients to understand that treatment of head joints dysfunction at Body Balance Clinic is an excellent preventive treatment, which is best undergone before the health situation worsens. 

If, by the time you came to us, the situation had already seriously deteriorated, after a life spent abusing your body, with the most harmful habits, after many years of poisoning it with constant medication in search of relief, then no treatment, whatever it may be, will solve all the problems. 

It is necessary to set out on a path on which head joints correction is only the first step. The fact that you have read testimonials from other people who were healed after two sessions does not at all mean that the same will happen to you. Everyone’s starting point is different, as are the results that can be achieved with treatment. It is very important that you understand this, so that you do not get angry or disappointed if your path takes longer than you had hoped. 

Your therapist will certainly draw up a recovery program for you. During treatment you need to show persistence! Because the worst thing you can do is to drop everything and give up, or to start blaming everyone around you for your failures. 

The body has to correct problems that have persisted throughout a lifetime, and many people expect everything to be resolved in a few days. We see people complaining that after a week what they wanted still has not happened, and asking how much longer they have to wait. That is why everything is described in such detail on this website, so that everything is clear. Unfortunately, people do not read and do not understand, but... they complain. All too often people come to us in a truly catastrophic condition and consider themselves entitled to take offense and shout if they are not cured immediately. And this is even without the second scheduled session! This attitude stems from the bad habit of delegating one’s health to the doctor without bothering to inform oneself and without taking even minimal responsibility for understanding how the human body works. Not to mention those who, after some time, say they are disappointed with the treatment because the positive effect lasted “only” 1-2 years, although before we met they had tried only pills with an effect lasting a few hours, or physiotherapy and osteopathic procedures with an effect lasting a few days.

There can be many reasons for failure: first of all, the Atlas was not the cause; the body is at too deep a stage of degeneration to recover; there are other negative causes, more influential than the Atlas. 

If the therapist confirms correct alignment but the symptoms do not disappear, the cause is most likely not the atlas, and in this case the search should continue elsewhere. In order to rule out with complete certainty the Atlas as the source of discomfort or a possible error by the therapist (they can make mistakes too), we recommend an examination using computed tomography (spiral CT / cone beam CT).

This gives a clear picture of what could not be accurately determined by manual palpation and makes it possible to dispel any doubts. At the same time, it is completely unreasonable to skip the correct path in an attempt to play it safe or save time. Radiation from computed tomography is harmful to health and should be avoided except in cases of extreme necessity. You should know that ionizing radiation shortens life expectancy! It is not very smart to think about having a CT scan right away, without any indications and without extreme necessity, and then risk living a shorter life, is it?

On the other hand, if the atlas is in place but the symptoms persist, this begins to indicate that there are other causes that need to be looked for and which, unfortunately, you are unlikely to discover by going to a doctor whose usual practice is to suppress the symptom without looking for the cause. Before moving on, it is important to calmly take the necessary steps to rule out the atlas with certainty as the cause of the disorder.

 Treatment brings the vertebrae into the best possible position determined by the specific anatomical conformation, but it will not necessarily be perfectly symmetrical. We hope that we have managed to give a complete picture of the possibilities.