Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex: A Review of the Chiropractic and Medical Literature

by Kirk Eriksen

Overview

This landmark text is the most comprehensive book ever published on the vertebral subluxation complex. This textbook is the culmination of several years of detailed research and review of chiropractic and medical literature on the topic of the cervical spine, the occipito-atlanto-axial subluxation, and upper cervical chiropractic care. Written by an expert renowned for his lucid, well-illustrated explanations of complex issues related to subluxation-based care. Dr. Eriksen reviews the anatomy and kinematics of the upper cervical spine and explains how impaired biomechanics causes neurological dysfunction and physiological concomitants. This reference is not intended to be about chiropractic technique; rather, Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex provides the "why" as opposed to the "how" of upper cervical chiropractic care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780781741989
Publisher:	LWW
Publication date:	11/29/2003
Pages:	504
Sales rank:	899,385
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.88(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

	Dedication	v
	Foreword	vii
	Preface	ix
	Acknowledgments	xi
	Reviewers	xiii
	Reviewed Journals and Texts	xv
	How to Use This Text	xxi
Chapter 1	Upper Cervical Anatomy/Biomechanics	1
	Introduction	1
	Osteology	1
	Ligaments	3
	Muscles	5
	Coupled Motion	8
	Functions of the Spine	8
	Occipito-Atlanto-Axial Range of Motion	10
	Joint Friction	22
	Spinal Alignment	23
	Occipito-Atlanto-Axial Asymmetry	25
	Cervical Disc	28
	Neural Canal Capacity	29
	Occipito-Atlanto-Axial Alignment and the Cervical Curve	29
	Sagittal Cervical Correction	33
	Subluxation Etiology	36
	Cervical Acceleration-Deceleration Trauma	38
Chapter 2	Vertebral Arteries	45
	Introduction	45
	Medical Iatrogenesis	45
	Anatomy and Hemodynamics	49
	Cervical Biomechanics and Vertebral Artery Dysfunction	50
	Sudden Infant Death Syndrome	53
	Ponticulus Posterior	56
Chapter 3	Upper Cervical Neurology	59
	Introduction	59
	Spinal Cord Anatomy	59
	Spinal Cord Tension	60
	Mechanoreceptive Dysafferentation	61
	Somatosensory Receptors	61
	Muscle Receptors	63
	Sensory Pathways	64
	Spinocerebellar Tracts	65
	Pain Pathways	66
	Efferent Outflow	69
	Nerve Root Irritation	72
	Dentate Ligament Cord Distortion Hypothesis	75
	Dentatotomy	78
	Spinal Cord Degeneration	80
	Dentate Ligament Strength	81
	Stress Patterns with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy	81
	Spinal Cord Ischemia	83
	Spinal Cord Circulation	85
	Tethering of the Central Nervous System	86
	Upper Cervical Attachment to the Spinal Cord	88
	Atrophy of Suboccipital Muscles	93
	Innervation of Spinal Dura	95
	Central Nervous System Histodynamics	97
	Spinothalamic Tract	107
	Mechanoreceptors of the Spine	108
	Cervical Muscle Spindles	111
	Cerebellar Dysfunction	113
	Cervical Afferents' Connection to Neuroaxis	114
	CNS Lesions/Dysfunction and Spinal Distortion	124
	Tonic Neck Reflexes	126
	Nerve Root Irritation	128
Chapter 4	Leg Length Inequality: Functional and Structural Aspects	131
	Introduction	131
	Biomechanics of Leg Length Inequality	134
	Leg Length Inequality and Scoliosis	139
	Pelvic Obliquity	144
	Scoliotic Reduction	145
	Leg Length Inequality and Physiology	146
	Leg Length Inequality and Low Back Pain	150
	X-ray Distortion of Femur Head Height	155
	Leg Check Reliability	158
	Functional Leg Check and Spinal Stress Testing	161
Chapter 5	Subluxation X-ray Analysis	163
	Introduction	163
	Reliability of X-ray Analysis	165
	Plane Line and Condylar/Axial Analysis Factors	172
	X-ray Geometry	175
	Computer-Aided Digitization	179
	Pre and Post X-ray Assessment	182
	X-ray and Nonradiographic Analyses	183
	Pre and Post X-ray Validity Studies	185
	Osseous Listing Stability	188
	Subluxation Pattern Population Study	189
	X-ray Safety and Quality	190
	Medical Case Studies	192
	Atlanto-Axial Rotatory Fixation	199
	Anterior Subluxation	202
Chapter 6	Chiropractic Assessments and Instrumentation	205
	Introduction	205
	Paraspinal Thermal Symmetry	206
	Thermography and Pain	208
	Thermocouple and Infrared Thermal Scanning	212
	Electromyography	215
	Somatosensory Evoked Potentials	220
	Palpation	223
	Reliability of Postural Analysis	225
	Postural Dysfunction	228
	Anterior Head Carriage	231
	Postural Stability	233
	Bilateral Weight Differential and the Anatometer	235
	Research Terminology and Methodology	238
Chapter 7	Low Back Pain/Dysfunction	243
	Introduction	243
	Upper Cervical Care	246
	Cervical-Back Connection	249
	Disc Dysfunction and Compression	253
Chapter 8	Subluxation, Headaches, and Cervicogenic Vertigo	257
	Introduction	257
	Headache Neurology	258
	Cervical Joint Dysfunction and Headaches	263
	Cervicogenic Headache	268
	Controlled and Uncontrolled Clinical Trials	272
	Prevalence of Headache	277
	Cervicogenic Vertigo	279
	Spinal Care and Cervicogenic Vertigo	284
Chapter 9	Subluxation and Pathophysiology	287
	Introduction	287
	Chiropractic Pediatric Care	288
	Hyperactivity: Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder	291
	Infantile Colic and Breast-feeding	296
	Birth Trauma	300
	Otitis Media	303
	Quality of Life Enhancement	307
	Nervous System and Immune Function	310
	Spinal Afferentation and Sympathetic Stimulation	315
	Brain Function	318
	Neurological Disorders	319
	Trigeminal Neuralgia	327
	Posture and Health	330
	Athletic Performance	331
	Fibromyalgia	334
	Iatrogenesis	338
	Visual Disturbance	339
	Auditory Dysfunction	345
	Alimentary Dysfunction	346
	Cardiac Function and the Spine	349
	Pulmonary Function	351
	Autonomic Nervous System	359
Chapter 10	Upper Cervical Case Reports	361
	Introduction	361
	Cervical Disc Herniation	362
	Torticollis	364
	Shoulder and Arm Pain	367
	Lateral Cervical Curve Correction	371
	Headaches	373
	Low Back Pain	376
	Scoliosis	386
	Knee Pain	388
	Brain Function	389
	Neurological Disorders	391
	Hyperactivity	404
	Skin Disorders	404
	Asthma	405
	Digestive Disorders	407
	Other Conditions	409
	Literature Review	415
	Validity of Case Reports	416
	Appendices
	Introduction	417
A	Specific Upper Cervical Adjusting	419
	Subluxation Listing Conversion	419
	Mastoid Support and Biomechanics of the Adjustment	422
	Adjustive Forces	424
	Table-Mounted Adjusting Instruments	429
B	Nasium and Vertex X-ray Corrections	435
C	Lateral Cervical X-ray Corrections	445
D	Thoraco-Lumbar Radiographic Corrections	453
E	Postural Corrections	461
F	Functional Pelvic Distortion Corrections	467
G	Surface Electromyographic and Thermographic Changes	473
	Figure and Table Credits	479
	Index of Lead Authors and Presenting Doctors	483
	Subject Index	489

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Dana J Lawrence, DC, MMedEd, MA (Parker University)
Description: This is a compendium of research papers from many different discipline areas, all of which are purported in some way to refer to or give support to the idea of upper cervical subluxation complex. The book presents each paper by citing its reference or some words from the text, and by providing an editorial comment as well. This approach is similar to the Year Book series published by Mosby, only here it is directed at a single, specific topic.
Purpose: The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive synopsis of the literature regarding the upper cervical subluxation complex and its relationship to neurological integrity and the health of patients. Certainly, the concept is a good one, but given that such a synopsis does not exist for the general concept of subluxation at all, it seems a bit odd to choose this one area while leaving others out or not investigating the overall framework of subluxation/fixation. However, that said, the book presents well over 1,000 articles, and in that sense has met the author's goal.
Audience: The author notes that the book is directed toward students, practitioners, and researchers of chiropractic. I believe that this is the correct audience, though osteopaths may find this information useful as well. Dr. Eriksen has expertise in upper cervical chiropractic and has published papers on the topic.
Features: For each of the 10 chapters, which cover areas such as anatomy, neurology, diagnostic topics, and even case reports, there are many papers discussed which in some way relate to the general chapter topic. For each, the abstract is presented, or a selection of text, and then an editorial comment follows. Each chapter has subsections which cover specific issues related to the chapter. All of these relate in some way to the upper cervical spinal complex, even the chapter on low back pain. There are several appendixes. Some do nothing more than present x-ray corrections or surface EMG changes. These are taken somewhat out of context, and the figure legends help only so much. Many are before/after illustrations, but the case is not presented to go along with the image.
Assessment: While I appreciate the idea here and the effort put into collecting the papers and commenting upon them, the problem I have is that there seems to be no critical analysis regarding the selection of the papers. They were chosen for one reason only, to support the concept of the upper cervical subluxation complex. Thus, the quality of the chosen material ranges from good to poor, but all are treated equally, and limitations or qualifications are never presented. With upper cervical chiropractic, a somewhat lesser known discipline within chiropractic, this may provide an way around the fact that there is virtually no clinical research directly studying upper cervical chiropractic. Many, many of the papers relate to the topic only tangentially at best, though again, the scope of the coverage is very good. This book will be of interest to practitioners of this discipline, but may see little use elsewhere.

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Dana J Lawrence, DC, MMedEd, MA(Palmer College of Chiropractic)
Description: This is a compendium of research papers from many different discipline areas, all of which are purported in some way to refer to or give support to the idea of upper cervical subluxation complex. The book presents each paper by citing its reference or some words from the text, and by providing an editorial comment as well. This approach is similar to the Year Book series published by Mosby, only here it is directed at a single, specific topic.
Purpose: The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive synopsis of the literature regarding the upper cervical subluxation complex and its relationship to neurological integrity and the health of patients. Certainly, the concept is a good one, but given that such a synopsis does not exist for the general concept of subluxation at all, it seems a bit odd to choose this one area while leaving others out or not investigating the overall framework of subluxation/fixation. However, that said, the book presents well over 1,000 articles, and in that sense has met the author's goal.
Audience: The author notes that the book is directed toward students, practitioners, and researchers of chiropractic. I believe that this is the correct audience, though osteopaths may find this information useful as well. Dr. Eriksen has expertise in upper cervical chiropractic and has published papers on the topic.
Features: For each of the 10 chapters, which cover areas such as anatomy, neurology, diagnostic topics, and even case reports, there are many papers discussed which in some way relate to the general chapter topic. For each, the abstract is presented, or a selection of text, and then an editorial comment follows. Each chapter has subsections which cover specific issues related to the chapter. All of these relate in some way to the upper cervical spinal complex, even the chapter on low back pain. There are several appendixes. Some do nothing more than present x-ray corrections or surface EMG changes. These are taken somewhat out of context, and the figure legends help only so much. Many are before/after illustrations, but the case is not presented to go along with the image.
Assessment: While I appreciate the idea here and the effort put into collecting the papers and commenting upon them, the problem I have is that there seems to be no critical analysis regarding the selection of the papers. They were chosen for one reason only, to support the concept of the upper cervical subluxation complex. Thus, the quality of the chosen material ranges from good to poor, but all are treated equally, and limitations or qualifications are never presented. With upper cervical chiropractic, a somewhat lesser known discipline within chiropractic, this may provide an way around the fact that there is virtually no clinical research directly studying upper cervical chiropractic. Many, many of the papers relate to the topic only tangentially at best, though again, the scope of the coverage is very good. This book will be of interest to practitioners of this discipline, but may see little use elsewhere.