The Cervical Spine

There are four distinct parts of the human spine – cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and the sacrum/coccyx. Each of these parts contains the nerves responsible for specific functions of the body. For the sake of this blog post, the focus will be on the cervical spine, or neck region, of the body, and the possible symptoms indicating a potential problem.

There are seven vertebrae in the cervical spine. Each of these vertebrae are labeled with the letter C and a number between one and seven. For example, C1 is called the Axis and contains the nerves that provide the blood supply to the head, controls the pituitary gland, scalp, the bones of the face, brain, inner and middle ear, and sympathetic nervous system. When there is a misalignment of the vertebrae and disc in the C1, irritation can occur. This irritation can cause a multitude of symptoms such as:

• headaches
• nervousness
• insomnia
• head colds
• high blood pressure
• migraine headaches
• nervous breakdowns
• amnesia
• chronic fatigue
• dizziness

Remember, there are 7 vertebrae in the cervical spine and the symptoms listed above are only for the first vertebrae. You can see how the spine is like the main thoroughfare, where everything in the body is connected. Can you see how if you simply treat the symptom, like taking aspirin for a headache, how it is only a temporary fix if the vertebrae are not in alignment? Yes, the aspirin makes the pain go away, but the problem still exists. Yes, the sleep aids help you to control your chronic tiredness, but the true problem has not been addressed. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. If you knew that you could prevent your headaches from happening in the first place, or lower your blood pressure without the aid of prescription medications, or sleep better at night naturally, would you pursue that means?

Chiropractic adjustments realign the spine so the vertebrae are not putting pressure on the nerves that control the various parts of our body. Chiropractic adjustments correct the spine from the wear and tear we put our body through each day. It allows our body to function as it was intended to. It allows us to improve our quality of life and live pain-free. It gives our body the maintenance it deserves.