Just last week . . . 3 people came into the office as new patients seeking answers they thought they had found. Each of their necks looked just like the one over there ----> Take a quick peek at the film on the right. Do you see all those screws and the rods? There are 10 screws and 2 five inch rods bolted into her neck. The surgery was done over 10 years ago with the promise that it would end the pain in Linda's neck and head. That was 10 years ago.
A few days ago, Linda came in seeking, once again, the resolution to her problems. Now, however, she had more problems. Pain that radiated into her arms, loss of strength, trouble sleeping, eye movement disorders, and absolutely no ability to turn her head left and right. She was almost a shut-in due to the pain.
Linda asked me the same question I hear almost every month, "Can you help me? I've already had surgery. . now what?" In order to understand the root of the problem, any problem in fact, you have to first get to the root of the cause. In over 90% of the cases like this I have seen, the root of the problem was never addressed. Linda's pain issue wasn't that she lacked hardware in her neck, her problem was that her neck was injured 20 years before her neck surgery and was never corrected. After 20 years of degenerating, the pain became unbearable. So she sought the advice of a surgeon. He did his best work. 5 of the 7 bones in her neck will never move again. No movement = no pain, right? Not so quick. No movement = no life.
Life is motion. Don't believe me? Go to a funeral. Who's the only one not moving? Ok. Sorry. That was a rough example. You get my point. The human body is designed and created to move. No doubt, you've heard the phrase, "Use it, or lose it?" It couldn't be more true in this case. Spinal joints that lack movement will inevitably become fused solid. It's a process known as progressive spinal degeneration. It is also called osteoarthritis. It leads to degenerative joint/disc disease and will always lead to . . (gasp). . spinal stenosis.
On the other hand, if the joints can be properly aligned, they can heal! Normal motion will return, vital nerve information will travel freely throughout the body and the innate healing of the body will resume. Linda had 2 bones left that moved somewhat freely. Her problem was the 2nd bone in her neck, the axis, was completely misaligned after a motor vehicle accident over 3 decades ago!
One tiny upper cervical subluxation, caused her entire spine to shift and become unstable. It was a half-second fix. It took an hour to find it. But correcting it took less than 0.5 seconds. She had instant pain relief and immediate return of motion to her neck. Her grip strength was even normalized. Even after 30 years.
SO. . . .the take home point: even if you've already been bolted together, there may still be hope for you! Find yourself a specific, upper cervical doctor (www.upcspine.com) or contact me. I'd be happy to help you in a few different ways. I'd be honored to have a consult with you, or do my best to find someone closer to your neck of the woods.
Let's do something great together.
