Bethesda Chiropractors May Help Anterior Head Syndrome

In ancient Greek mythology, the titan Atlas was condemned to hold the celestial sphere of the heavens upon his back for all eternity. While it doesn't have to support anything quite that large, the very top bone in our cervical spine(neck) is tasked with supporting the entirety of our head upon it. It has been appropriately named the Atlas, and is considered our C1 vertebra. Bethesda chiropractors will help to shed some light on the problem in this article.

Vertebrae Functions

Our vertebrae, including the Atlas, are part of a dynamic skeletal system that serves several functions:

• protect our nervous system
• protect our internal organs, including arteries
• serve as lever arms and attachments for muscles to move
• storage for minerals
• produce all of our blood cells
• produce and secrete certain hormones

Our spine contains distinct and separate regions(cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, coccygeal) all of which have an optimum structure, alignment and curvature.

Our cervical spine is comprised of seven vertebrae, starting with the Atlas(C1), directly underneath is the Axis(C2), followed by five more vertebrae(C3-7). This region of our spine(and the skull) not only protects the brain and supports the weight of the head, it also protects the brain stem, spinal cord and serves as a lever for our muscles to move our head, neck, shoulders, aid in respiration(breathing) and allows us to keep our eyes on the horizon (look ahead).

Decrease In Spine Functions

When our spine deviates from the optimum structure, alignment and/or curvature, the result is a decrease in one or more of the functions of the spine, with the possibility of negative consequences to the structures associated with the spine(nervous system, organs, muscles). The first symptoms of these deviations are usually pain and stiffness.

A common deviation of the cervical spine causes what is known as Anterior Head Syndrome, which is a cluster of predictable negative consequences when our head is positioned abnormally forward (anterior deformity) in relation to our upper back and shoulders.

This syndrome and the causes for it can be classified into two categories: flexible and fixed.

flexible: this is the most common, is usually the result of poor posture and/or weak muscles and can be improved with conservative treatments and therapies

fixed: this is the result of either a congenital or traumatic condition (deformed bone, etc), failed surgical intervention or severe degenerative changes(arthritis).

Curious as to if you have anterior head syndrome?

The best way to know is to have an evaluation of your spine. Take a look at the list of common secondary conditions associated with Anterior Head Syndrome. If you have one or more, it is important to be examined to determine if Anterior Head Syndrome is present.