A combination of research between my illness, trigeminal neuralgia, and how to be a more effective massage therapist brought me to some revolutionary findings. There is so much research leading to the conclusion of the atlas/axis (C1 & C2/ uppermost vertebrae of the neck) as a potential root cause of much of the physical pain we experience. It would take time, but I encourage anyone to find the information- it is out there. See The Spine Hospital at the Neurological Institute of New York for more info that C1 misalignment is a real thing.
But most sufferers and therapists know nothing of the science behind misalignment. The line of thinking is to give me a pill or surgery to ease my problems. The problem is, if the C-1 is misaligned, then a pill or surgery will not permanently fix the issue, if misalignment is the root cause of the issue.
Early in my journey I discovered misalignment as a potential root cause. There is research within neurosurgery, physical therapy, and of course chiropractic circles that document this. I learned about upper cervical care and began telling my clients about it. One day, a client who is a pediatric dentist informed me that research is showing this as a probable cause of autism! He initiated the conversation, and it was synchronistic since I had just discovered upper cervical care. He began by talking about a C1/pain connection. I was already several months into researching this connection when I met him, so naturally I was enthusiastic about what he had to say. I shared with him the limited knowledge that I had acquired through my own web research. He confirmed much of what I had already learned, so I was even more excited to understand about this ‘problem’ area of the body.
I encourage you to take in all of the sites and videos that I am sharing. My eyes were truly opened when I came across a site for a migraine clinic ran by a physical therapist. After thoroughly perusing his site, I was anxious to visit and be rid of my own pain. Unfortunately time, distance, and money were huge setbacks towards my healing, but these setbacks are common problems when it comes to physical well-being. I was close enough to see freedom, yet too far away to experience it.
After some time of folks not really hearing what I was saying, I decided to test this out on myself. At least in this way, if it didn't work, I wouldn't have to wonder about it anymore. So in 2012 I visited Houston Spinal Care and invested in upper cervical care treatment for myself.
I was having to see him twice a week for a couple of months according to his initial assessment. It was a real challenge financially and with my busy schedule working three jobs, homeschooling my three children, going to college full time, still recovering from my divorce in 2010, and dealing with TN, I knew something had to change. So my line of thinking was that I HAD to do this for myself no matter the cost. And I did.
I felt progress within the first two weeks! The pain subsided a tad. Eventually, the visits were decreased to once a month, and it seemed like I would be able to beat this monster. But on January 1, 2013 the pain came back full force and ignited a year and a half of hell. I was in constant pain every single day of that year and a half and every single minute of each of those days, except for one month from February to March of 2013. What I did to stop the pain that one month will pretty much blow upper cervical care and structural issues out the water, but I will write about that at another time.
In a nutshell, by realigning the top of the spine, the nervous system is free to run more effectively. Sometimes we may experience more pain because the effect is likened to a kinked water hose. When it is unkinked, the initial pressure will be forceful until it is evenly flowing. FLOW is a key word to my journey, so keep that in mind if you are following along.
Upper cervical care works. It is a soft manipulation to the top vertebra. There is no jerking or cracking involved. This is not a typical chiropractic experience. Your nervous system is how the data is exchanged within your body. It is imperative to consider how to improve the function of this vital system.
Through meeting many clients with chronic pain, I am finding that many people, who do not have chronic pain, choose not to sympathize and assist those who suffer. This causes a depressed state and the sufferer feels alone in the world. This stress causes the sufferer to clench into positions that worsen or agitate their problems. Also, as the world turns, he or she is simply unable to meet the demands of daily life they were once able to participate in. It is a vicious cycle. When the C-1 ,atlas, becomes misaligned, it can potentially touch any part of the brainstem. When this happens, a misfire of the nerve or nerves touching the top vertebrae do not communicate the proper signals to the brain. The body part controlled by those nerves then does not function properly, and usually pain is inevitable. By correcting the C-1, the nerve has nothing interrupting the signals. Many, who have had TN, have been ‘healed’ by having their C-1 corrected. Usually, misalignment presents a host of problems, so even if a TN sufferer undergoes surgery, the other problems remain and they, nor their doctor, realize a connection.
Side Note: As seen through the shared links, C-1 correction is confirmed by a PT and Neurosurgeon as a cause for many disorders. Upper cervical is a chiropractic specialty in which a soft manipulation to the C-1 is applied. The focus is strictly on the neck. Herniated discs may be corrected by C-1 correction. The body is out of alignment because the top bone is out of alignment. Manipulating the lower vertebrae is temporary, and the problem continues to come back because the rest of the spine is misaligned. Fix the top, and the rest falls into place- it’s what holding you together.
It took me a while to correct the problem because I have been in this state for a long period of time. Muscle memory, poor eating, and a boat load of stress wreak havoc. So the body stays in the state it’s most familiar with. It takes time, dedication, and working with a diligent and empathetic health team, even if you are the only one on that team currently, to get yourself healthy again.
My hope is you will be open-minded to this, because there is a definite point in time when the body stopped working correctly. It takes time to understand your body if you haven't been paying attention to the many ways that it talks to you. Pain is one way that it talks to you. Depending on how far down you are in your health hell or how far along you are in your walk of knowing yourself, it will take a while to bounce back. But it is not too late. Please consider upper cervical care, or least consider taking better care of your nervous system.
On a final note, the reason I am not disclosing what I did to free myself of pain in February 2013 is because it is not as simple as, "Here, do this." Saying this and responding to this is mechanical in nature. In order for you to transcend the convention of, "Here do this," one must consider every way in which he has arrived at his dilemma- every way. In order for you to understand where I am coming from, I need you to trust what I am saying. To take wisdom from the Netflix Original Series, The OA, I need you to, "pretend to trust me until you actually do.” In the meantime, check out upper cervical care or at least C-1 misalignment as a viable option to nerve care.
Bonus:
This video has nothing to do with migraine or Trigeminal Neuralgia, but it explains away a misconception that people have about frozen shoulder- it’s not a muscular issue, but a nerve issue! So any nerve within the brain stem may be affected by incorrect positioning of the upper cervical. This means that ALL nerves have the potential of a communication breakdown with their associated part of the body. And this of course means malfunction and/or PAIN! Frozen Shoulder
This is a short introduction to Upper Cervical Care. This is a chiropractic service that shares Jeff Turner’s (of Texas Migraine Clinic) view that the atlas is the root cause of much of the pain folks feel. For more info on this specialty chiropractic: http://www.nucca.org/index.php and http://uppercervicalcare.com/What-is-UC-Care/A-New-Health-Care-Approach
This page gives a brief overview on the three types of nerves. I feel this is important because the reader will gain a broader understanding of what exactly has the potential to be affected by an interruption in nerve signals. 3 Types of Nerves
These pages reference Dr. Janetta, the top neurosurgeon and expert on trigeminal neuralgia. The guy (referenced) who had TN for 12 years, James Tomasi is friends with my upper cervical specialist. This man wrote a book, 'What Time Tuesday,' which I have read. It was difficult to get through at times because he described the extreme extent of challenges he faced, which of course I can relate to 100%. He mentioned how someone once asked him what sin he did to cause this pain. This has happened to me too. He received ostracism from the church, so the combination of that forced shame and the pain from TN determined his withdrawal from church activities.
While the previous link is just a snippet. I don't want to make this easy. I don't want to be taken for granted. Like I said earlier, the research is there. Start with a search of 'Grostic + Dr. Janetta'. Grostic is the method similar to upper cervical care.
James Tomasi-https://whattimetuesday.com/
Basilar Invagination- https://www.columbiaspine.org/condition/basilar-invagination/
Texas Migraine Clinic- Physical Therapy- Remote Treatment Available- texasmigraineclinic.com
Houston Spinal Care- https://www.hspinalcare.com/
“Homecoming.” The OA, season 1, episode 1, 16 Dec. 2016. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/watch/80103819?
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