When we think about foot pain, the obvious first step is to look at the foot itself. Our shoes, arches, walking gait, and a host of other culprits may be to blame. But, sometimes foot problems can be caused by a misalignment in the structure of your neck.
Let's take a look at the relationship between your Atlas bone (the 1st cervical vertebra of the spine) and your feet.
The atlas bone (C1) and is located in your neck just below your skull. It got its name because it supports the head, much like the Greek god Atlas supports the heavens.
Because it forms the joint connecting the skull to the spine, it has evolved in humans to allow for more range of motion than the rest of the vertebra. This range allows for nodding and rotation of the skull. The spinal cord, vertebral arteries, and the nerves that control the head run through it.
Because the atlas floats freely and has no hard connection to any other vertebra, it can be forced out of place and misaligned as the result of an injury, accident, repetitive trauma, or strain. A car accident can cause a misalignment, but so can sitting at a desk everyday. Atlas misalignment in newborns can also be caused by childbirth.
Atlas misalignment (also called Subluxation) can affect your body in a number of ways. Think of a misaligned Atlas as a "crimped garden hose." If the blood and nerve signal hoses that run through your Atlas are crimped, then nerve signals and blood flow to our body are restricted, leading to a host of symptoms.
Here are a few symptoms of a misaligned Atlas:
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Jaw, neck, back, and general muscle soreness
- Tinnitus, hearing loss, inner ear problems
- Limited range of motion in the neck and head
- Shoulder pain
- Dizziness and Balance problems
- Secondary spinal misalignment
- Certain types of Neuralgia
- Chronic pain and Stiffness
- Hip and Pelvis misalignment
- Newborns may have symptoms such as colic, failure to thrive, lack of bowl movements, failure to latch on with nursing, and torticollis (fixation of the head to one side)
Now let's focus on the chain reaction of misalignment down our spine to our feet.
Atlas misalignment sometimes makes the body work harder on one side than the other. Disruptions to the natural balance of the spine and torso can have a domino effect throughout the rest of the body:
- Muscle Compensation - Your body will try to compensate for misalignments by tightening certain muscles and loosening others, resulting in affected gait and balance.
- Pelvic Tilt and Perceived Leg Length Discrepancies - A tilt in your pelvis, particularly side-to-side, can make one leg seem shorter than the other.
- Uneven Weight distribution - If one side of your body is working to compensate for a weakness in the other, you may be unknowingly walking or standing in a way that puts extra stress on one foot.
- Limited Nerve Signaling - There may be a interference with nerve signals from the brain to the central nervous system affecting how your feet feel and function.
Specific foot related symptoms you may notice:
- One-sided foot pain or numbness
- Plantar fasciitis that doesn’t respond to typical treatments
- Uneven shoe wear
- Hip or knee pain
- Balance issues or feeling "off-center"
- Chronic tension in the neck, shoulders, or lower back
What you can do:
- Have someone look at your shoulders to see if one is lower than the other. Then lay down on your back and ask the same person to see if one leg looks longer than the other. Both of these simple visual examinations can indicate a possible Atlas misalignment.
- Go see a chiropractor. But, be careful. Not all chiropractors will treat symptoms in the same way. Look for and ask about "Atlas Orthagonal" or "Upper Cervical" specialties. Treatment by these specialists involves X-ray imaging and gentle adjustment of the Atlas at a location behind the ear with a small percussive instrument.
The takeaway is that your should view any problems with your feet holistically. Widen your search for the cause of unexplained foot issues to the rest of your body.
Add comment
Comments