Professional treatment of craniovertebral dysfunction

For a long time, manual therapists have tried to restore the correct position of the atlas using various techniques, often in vain or with a low percentage of lasting results. The methods known today practically do not produce a stable change in the position of the first cervical vertebra, as evidenced by the fact that these techniques have to be repeated over and over again. This is the sore spot of many treatment methods.

With atlas correction at Body Balance Clinic, positive changes in the state of health usually last for a long time.

Why is this so? In order to permanently correct the position of the first vertebra, it is first necessary to properly relax the deep muscles that hold it in place, which is difficult to achieve with classic manual massage. Any experienced therapist working with the upper cervical spine can confirm this difficulty. Manual massage cannot reach the deep muscles with sufficient intensity to adequately relax the structures, no matter how hard the practitioner tries. For this reason, Body Balance Clinic uses a specially developed vibro-resonance device.

To understand the advantages of the Body Balance Clinic technique, it is necessary to analyze the anatomy of the atlanto-occipital joint.

This joint is unique and is firmly held in the correct position by several layers of particularly short and strong muscles, by the joint capsule and by several ligaments. This gives the joint considerable stability.

Stiff and inelastic ligaments, combined with the almost always highly tense suboccipital muscles, give the atlanto-occipital joint extremely limited freedom of rotation relative to the occiput. In practice, the atlas tends to firmly hold the orientation it is in, whether correct or incorrect. As for flexion and extension of the head, these already limited movements are performed chronically asymmetrically and dysfunctionally. Only an external force of a certain intensity can permanently change this alignment. After the correction, the reduced elasticity of the ligaments works in our favor, as it maintains the correct position of the vertebra in the same position in which it was before the treatment.

It is easy to understand why the suboccipital structures are so inclined to hold the position of the atlas relative to the occiput by observing what happens when the suboccipital ligaments are no longer able to do so. In the case of ligamentous hyperlaxity, or when the ligaments have been damaged as a result of a whiplash injury, the atlas constantly and uncontrollably changes its position, regularly causing vagal disorders, dizziness and other symptoms well known to patients.

Since these ligaments have little elasticity (to understand this better, imagine bending a pencil eraser), once they are stretched, as can happen during an accident, they usually remain loose and can no longer provide the stability the joint needs, unless they are completely torn. In this state, the projections of the first cervical vertebra are no longer restrained as nature intended, so the atlas ends up intruding into the space anatomically intended for the surrounding vascular and nerve tissues, with all the ensuing consequences, which are described in detail on the Body Balance Clinic website.

After an accident, it may take up to several years for the ligaments to regain their natural stiffness and be able to adequately stabilize the joint again.

Body Balance Clinic treatment does NOT involve risks; it is a completely different treatment from cervical manipulation!

The Body Balance Clinic technique, instead of using the frightening sharp thrust typical of manual manipulations, involves mechanical vibro-pressure on specific, very precise points in the suboccipital region. This targeted pressure of sufficient intensity gradually lengthens (stretches) the muscles that hold the atlas and counteracts the tension of the ligaments that hold it in place, allowing the vertebra to gradually return to its ideal position.

It goes without saying that even insufficient force, too short a time or the application of force in the wrong places will not lead to the desired result.

Body Balance Clinic applies the same principle to atlas correction: to return the first cervical vertebra to the correct position, it is not enough to “hit and run”; it is necessary to apply progressive force, at precise points and in a precise direction, to counteract the tension of the muscles and ligaments, so that at the end of the traction the atlas stabilizes in the correct position.

If for chiropractic cervical manipulation displacement is the rule, for Body Balance Clinic it is the exception. This reality is easily verified radiographically, before and after the operation. Body Balance Clinic is simply a unique and revolutionary method. Nevertheless, many people are under the illusion that they can get a similar treatment from their therapist.

Try again to imagine an eraser, and then suppose that you strike it a single blow, a hammer blow, an impulse simulating the blow that the ligaments of the atlas may receive during manipulation of the cervical spine: do you think your eraser will remain bent after this single impulse? Or would it be more reasonable to expect everything to return to its original state as soon as the impulse stops? If this splint were holding something in a certain position, do you think a single blow would be enough to change the situation? It is like trying to drive a nail into reinforced concrete with a single blow, using a pencil as a hammer.

You may be wondering whether the treatment could lead to excessive stretching or perhaps damage to the ligaments. You will be reassured by the fact that the correction is carried out absolutely gradually and carefully, and that in hundreds of thousands of procedures performed, not a single such problem has been recorded. The slightest stretching of the ligaments recovers within a few weeks, fixing the displacement of the vertebra in its new correct position. That is why we recommend not hitting your head during the first few weeks and avoiding strain for some time. The situation is different if the ligaments are damaged or hyperlax. In this regard, see the “Whiplash injury” page.

The position of the atlas is determined by a careful manual examination of the cervical spine; this requires a special technique and specially trained fingers (a Body Balance Clinic specialist), since the atlas is surrounded by several layers of muscles of different tone and consistency, which can completely distort the results of the examination.

That is why only a few therapists and even fewer doctors are able to correctly assess the position of the atlas. Even fewer are able to proceed to an effective and long-lasting correction. Without the appropriate technique, such as Body Balance Clinic, and without the right tools, one has already lost every chance. This statement may seem arrogant or presumptuous to many, and they will think: “Who do these people think they are?” It is proven by FACTS, not words.

Below you will find 5000 irrefutable facts, which do not diminish the dedication and skill of other therapists. To make room for the new, the old must first be cleared away, and the first thing to get rid of is false beliefs, for example, the belief that cervical manipulation can correct the Atlas. Someone has to perform this unpleasant task, and, as always happens, the old person stubbornly resists the idea of being replaced. It is not about producing a car with a more efficient internal combustion engine, but about replacing it with an electric car based on a completely different operating principle. This requires replacing the entire factory and the people working in it, or at least retraining them.

Do not send reports, MRIs or X-rays, as they are useless for the correction, unless you are specifically asked to do so in the case of contraindications.

Do not expose yourself unnecessarily to harmful radiation for new examinations without first consulting a Body Balance Clinic specialist, unless there are contraindications or the therapist specifically asks you to do so.

If you have already had a computed tomography scan in the past, send it or bring the CD with you to your appointment, as it may contain data useful to the therapist (learn the difference between CT and MRI).

To give you an idea of the power of the method: perhaps you know someone who can claim to have permanently got rid of 20-year-long headaches after chiropractic/osteopathic manipulations or after taking medication? For Body Balance Clinic, this is the norm (see the reviews at the bottom of the page). Do you think they would keep repeating to you, like a memorized litany, that migraine is incurable if they had been able to solve the problem permanently with their manipulations or pills? With Body Balance Clinic, complete remission occurs! Not in all cases, but it happens often. Nevertheless, the only ones who suffer are the patients. Nothing comes from above. This shows how little interested insiders are in solutions that REALLY help patients. That is why we ask you to share.

Real atlas correction requires a high level of skill and experience on the part of the practitioner. Relying on therapists who may be very good in their field but do not specialize in this particular technique can be harmful or may not give the desired results.