"What is Orthospinology?"

Orthospinology is a sub-specialty of the chiropractic profession, focusing on aligning the upper cervical spine. The word Orthospinology is based on the clinical scientific model of correcting the alignment of the head and neck to as straight as possible position. It derives it’s meaning from the words “ortho” “spine” and “ology”. Ortho, means “straight”; spine refers to your “vertebrae”; and ology means “study of”.



A misalignment in the upper cervical region of your neck has many related consequences due to the functions of this area of the spine. The anatomy of this region of the spine is very unique when compared to the rest of your spine. The top 2 bones of the vertebra are known as the atlas and the axis (or C1 & C2), which unlike the rest of your vertebra, they do not interlock, instead they are held together by muscles, ligaments and the weight of your head. Because your brainstem rests on the atlas and passes through the axis, any misalignment can cause unintended conditions throughout your body. This is due to pressure placed on your brainstem when your head is not balanced correct, directly affecting your nervous system by pressure on your nerves.



The Orthospinology procedure corrects these misalignments of your spine, relieving the pressure off your spine, allowing your nervous system to work as intended. In most cases, people are unaware when their atlas is not aligned, but often suffer back pain, headaches and many other conditions, not realizing the cause is actually a misalignment of their head on the Atlas. Orthospinology can often correct the misalignment in the first appointment, but continued maintenance is needed until your muscles and ligaments begin to allow the corrected position of your head to remain in place.