Dr. Krieger's Health Tip of the Month

If it's good for my business it is bad for your health. The word doctor means teacher and it is a part of my job as your doctor to educate you about good health. As a chiropractic student the major emphasis of our approach to health was on finding abnormal spinal movements causing the nervous system to malfunction. There are 3 main types of nerves in the body; 1.) Motor nerves which tell muscles to contract. 2.) Sensory nerves which tell the brain or a part of the nervous system what the body is doing compared to the external environment ( smelling, seeing, hearing, feeling cold) 3.) Trophic nerves which turn organs on and off including blood flow. The malfunction of the nervous system can present as pain, muscle weakness, spasm, or maybe trophic dysfunction. All of these types of nerves are contained in a nerve exiting your spine. The nerve roots are like cables in that they are filled with many nerves(wires). Last week a patient and I discussed the areas of the body controlled directly or indirectly by the second cervical nerve in your neck. After this conversation I decided I should tell everyone else.

The second cervical nerve exits the spine between C1 and C2 near the base of the skull. There is a right and left nerve root. Change in the normal motion patterns of first cervical or second cervical vertabrae can affect the C2 nerve root. In addition the superior cervical ganglion is a bilateral trophic nerve located next to the front of C2. In addition fibers from the ganglion go back into the spinal cord thru the openings where the nerves exit the spine. A ganglion acts like a junction box in your house where wires come together. The muscles controlled by the C2 nerves include the Sternocleidomastoid muscle, rectus capitis, longus capitis, longus coli and communicating nerve branches with the Trapezius muscle( sensory branches). C2 provides allows you to feel sensation in the top and the back of your head. The C2 superior cervical ganglion goes into the brain stem and the heart providing the nervous system control of circulation and sweat glands in the head and face. The C2 nerve root has communicating branches with the vagus nerve which controls many of the organs in the chest and abdomen except for the lower colon. Each of the nerves in the body has similar connections.

The nervous system has incoming and outgoing messages to the brain and spinal cord. These incoming messages tell the brain the current state of the body. The outgoing messages help the body adapt to the environment. What happens if the outgoing or incoming messages are disrupted? The body begins to loose it's ability to take care of itself. Joe Montana had a cervical disc operation, afterwards he used chiropractic care to help his body work properly. He stated on one occasion that when his neck needed an adjustment he knew because his passes were not as accurate. He would get adjusted and his accuracy would return. In this case it sounds like he lost sensory input to his brain and it was restored with an adjustment. Many patients with a C2 problem present with headaches in the back of their head. If you suffer with this type of headache chiropractic may help.

What is the largest organ in the body? A. skin B. liver C. lungs D. kidneys E. heart (see below)

IN PAIN Contact Dr. Krieger at 633-6044 or docbillchiro@juno.com

Exercise balls and wobble boards work on building your stabilizing muscles. Stabilizing muscles are those that support the rest of the body so you can make movements and maintain your normal posture and adjustments. We are used to walking on flat surfaces which demand less use of stabilizing muscles where our bodies our designed for uneven surfaces which keep stabilizers strong. These muscles also go weak when we grow older and cause us to loose our balance. We have these products available for your purchase so try one out today.

William L. Krieger DC

5225 Sheridan Dr.

Williamsville, NY 14221

Website: Kriegerchiropracticofwny.topchiro.com

IN PAIN CALL Dr. Krieger at 633-6044

The correct answer is the skin.