We're at it again! Clearly we love research studies and finding case reports about Upper Cervical Care. As medical professionals it's so important to stay informed, which helps us be better chiropractors and healthcare providers for you! Today we're looking at an article titled "Management of Cervical Disc Herniation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care" that was published in 1998 in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics by Dr. Krik Eriksen.
This case report follows a 34-year-old male with severe neck and lower back pain due to a cervical disc herniation. Up to this point this was the first paper that tracked the progression of a patient with a Cervical Disc Herniation of the Nucleus Pulposus and chiropractic care. The diagnosis was confirmed with use of both an MRI and a Needle EMG.
When the patient began care with an upper cervical chiropractor, his pain was as bad as it gets. It was rated a 10 out of 10 (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst). The pain was also rated at 76% on the Neck Pain Disability Index Questionnaire. The scale is designed to show how the neck pain has affected the patient's ability to manage their everyday activities, 0% being no issues with daily function and 100% being complete inability to function. The patient had been under medical care for one year, including Physical Therapy.
After the first upper cervical correction, his pain was substantially lower. After one month of care, he reported only a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale as well as a 26% on the neck pain disability index questionnaire, which was a significant improvement. Also he had a needle EMG that reported his neurologic findings had resolved. One year later, he had only needed to be adjusted two times and his symptoms were still all clear and confirmed from another Needle EMG by the medical doctor.
This may only be one case report, given that his results were so statistically significant and that his neck and lower back pain were drastically reduced through Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care, this shows that there may be some link between upper cervical spinal instability and lower cervical spine instability and that this relationship should be investigated further.
You can watch the Facebook live video Dr. Evans posted on the subject here:
https://www.facebook.com/areteUC/videos/327630557808529/
Are you interested in research like us? You can read the case study here:
