What Actually Happens When You Come in for Upper Cervical Care
By Dr. Chris Brown
If you’ve never been to an upper cervical chiropractor—or if you’ve mostly experienced full spine care—you might be wondering:
“What’s the process? What actually happens when I come in?”
Fair question. Because upper cervical care is different - very different - from full spine chiropractic. It’s more specific, more data-driven, and focused entirely on the top of the spine where the brain and body connect.
Here’s how it works, step by step.
Step 1: Nervous System Testing
Each visit starts with Computerized Infrared Thermography.
This is a non-invasive scan that gives me real-time insight into how your nervous system is functioning. It shows how well your brain is communicating with your body through the spinal cord and nerves—and whether that communication is disrupted.
This is what determines if care is needed that day.
If your scan shows your nervous system is functioning well?
We don’t adjust.
The goal is not to adjust as often as possible. It’s to adjust only when necessary, and let the body take care of the rest.
Step 2: Biomechanical Digital X-Rays
If your scan tells us there’s interference in your nervous system, the next step is taking a closer look—literally.
We take biomechanical digital X-rays of the upper cervical spine, focusing specifically on the C1 (atlas) and C2 (axis) bones. These are the top two bones in the spine, and they sit directly under the brainstem.
This precise imaging allows me to see:
Exactly how your vertebrae are misaligned
What direction and degree the misalignment occurred
How your head is positioned in relation to your neck
How this could be affecting your brainstem and spinal cord function
This isn’t just about posture or pain—it’s about precision. These X-rays act like a blueprint that guides every adjustment.
Step 3: The First Adjustment
Once we’ve identified the misalignment, we use that blueprint to deliver your first correction.
There’s no twisting or cracking. The adjustment is gentle, specific, and performed on a knee-chest table designed for this work.
What makes upper cervical care unique is how small the input is—yet how far-reaching the results can be. Because when the communication between your brain and body is restored, your system can begin healing as it was designed to.
I still remember my very first upper cervical adjustment outside of school. I adjusted a man who had been quadriplegic for two years. Within 15 minutes, he began regaining sensation in all four limbs. That moment will stick with me forever.
Step 4: Monitor and Re-Test
Healing takes time, but the body is wise. After your first adjustment, our job is to protect that correction and monitor your progress.
Each visit begins with another nervous system scan to see how well your body is holding the adjustment.
If the scan is clear? We don’t adjust.
If the scan shows interference? We evaluate and adjust using the same precise vectors based on your original imaging.
It’s a test-and-check system every single time.
How Often Do You Adjust People?
Not often.
Most people under upper cervical care only need 1-3 adjustments per month—because the aim is for the body to hold the correction, not rely on constant re-adjustments.
In fact, holding is healing. And our scans confirm when you’re doing just that.
A Complementary Lens in Chiropractic
There are many approaches in chiropractic care, and each has its value.
Upper cervical care just takes a different path—one that focuses specifically on the head-neck-brainstem connection, where the nervous system is most dense, most delicate, and most influential.
Whether someone starts here after trying other approaches or simply prefers a precise, nervous-system-led path—it’s our job to meet them where they are, and help their body do what it was built to do.
Next up is: Why the Top of the Neck Is So Powerful?
I’ll share how the upper neck affects everything from migraines and dizziness to digestion and chronic fatigue—and why the nervous system should always be part of the conversation.
Thanks for reading. If this post helped connect the dots for you, feel free to share it with someone who’s still looking for answers.
Until next time,
—Dr. Chris Brown
drchrisbrown.co