While we specialize in the upper cervical spine, many of our patients experience significant and lasting relief from mid-back and lower back pain—often without ever adjusting those regions directly.

How the Upper Neck Affects the Entire Spine

Your brain communicates with every part of your body through the spinal cord, and that cord passes through the bones of your upper neck before traveling down your back. Any dysfunction in the upper cervical spine can interfere with:

• Neurological signals traveling to your muscles, joints, and organs
• Postural balance, often causing your head and shoulders to shift forward
• Muscle tone regulation, leading to tightness, tension, or pain throughout the back

Because the upper neck helps control both nervous system communication and postural alignment, issues here often manifest as symptoms elsewhere—especially in the back.

Common Areas of Back Pain We Treat

We frequently see and help with:

• Upper back pain at the base of the neck or between the shoulder blades
• Mid-back tightness that worsens with poor posture or sitting for long periods
• Low back pain during movements like standing, bending, or lifting

These symptoms are often caused or worsened by postural dysfunction, which can develop gradually from desk work, screen time, or poor ergonomics—or suddenly from accidents or injuries.

What about sciatica?

Sciatica—pain, tingling, or numbness that radiates from the lower back down one or both legs—is usually caused by irritation or compression of nerves that exit the lower back or sacrum. While these nerves do not exit the upper neck, spinal misalignments in the upper cervical region can lead to global postural distortions, adding tension throughout the spinal column and worsening conditions like sciatica. By restoring alignment at the top of the spine, we help rebalance the entire spine and nervous system, which may improve symptoms even in lower-body nerve issues.

How We Help with Back Pain

Even if your pain is in the mid or lower back, we always start by addressing the upper cervical spine, because it's often the root cause of systemic imbalance. Here's how we do it:

1. Advanced Imaging
   We use cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) to take a 3D scan of your upper neck and skull. This gives us a precise view of your spinal alignment and neurological structures.
2. Targeted Adjustments
   Based on the imaging, we perform a gentle, image-guided adjustment that restores alignment and motion in the upper cervical spine—without twisting, cracking, or forcing the spine.
3. Postural Correction
   For many patients, we also prescribe custom postural exercises to support long-term improvements in structure and function.

Why Upper Cervical for Back Pain?

Because the posture and tension patterns of your entire body are influenced by what’s happening at the top of your spine. By improving balance and communication at the source, your back often begins to move better and hurt less—naturally.

If you're dealing with back pain, don’t just chase symptoms—treat the cause.

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