The role of Chiropractic in Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury

The topic of concussion, traumatic brain injury and head injury, has been on the news a lot lately. If you watch the news, you may get the impression that the topic mostly relates to NFL football players and NHL hockey players. The fact of the matter is most head injuries happen to everyday people. Kids fall off their bikes, parents slip on ice and we could all be in in a car accident. In any of these scenarios the brain can slide inside of the skull, squeezing and bruising the brain tissue. The results can be life changing, although those changes can vary from being immediate, to showing up many years later. Dr. Fred Schofield at Atlas Chiropractic in Northwest Phoenix has helped hundreds of patients with head injuries regain their health.

How the Healthy Brain and Spine Communicate

In a healthy brain and nervous system, there is a loop of communication between the brain and the tissues of the body. These signals go through the spinal canal and out the spinal nerves. The brain is protected by the skull. CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid) is pumped up through the brain, via a natural pumping action of the tailbone or sacrum. Every time you walk or take a breath, sacral motion pumps the fluid up through your brain. As the pressure changes in your brain, joints in your skull (called sutures) slide, as a normal part of brain function and blood flow. The top bone in your neck, called the first cervical vertebrae or atlas, gives the brain 90% of the information it receives from your body.

Head Injury and Loss of Brain Function

The brain, as stated above, is dependent on the sutures moving, sacral CSF pump action, and atlas alignment. Head trauma not only bruises the brain, but stops these three key elements of a healthy brain. The healthy brain requires nervous system activation and fuel. After head trauma, the sutures of the skull are fixed and the sacrum is locked, thus disrupting normal CSF and blood flow in the brain. The atlas is fixated and misaligned, limiting the normal nerve activation of the brain.

The Role of the Chiropractic Adjustment in Concussion
Specific Sacral, Cranial and Atlas adjustments restore normal motion and position, thus restoring fuel, blood and nerve supply to the brain, allowing the brain to heal to its fullest potential. The sooner the Chiropractic Care begins the better. Remember, all healing takes time.

Call Atlas Chiropractic at 1-602-938-8868 for an evaluation today!

Sources:

Learn more about Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury at www.cdc.gov