Single Atlas Professional Realignment with Vibro-Resonance

For a long time manual therapists have tried to restore the correct position of the Atlas with various techniques, often in vain or with a low percentage of lasting results. The methods known so far hardly produce a stable change in the position of the first cervical vertebra, as is shown by the fact that these techniques have to be repeated again and again. This is the sore point of many therapies.
The benefits obtained with the Atlantomed treatment usually last for a long time.

Why is this so? In order to permanently correct the position of the first vertebra, the deep muscles that hold it in place must first be properly relaxed, which is difficult to achieve with a classic manual massage. This difficulty can be confirmed by any experienced therapist dealing with the high cervical spine. A manual massage cannot reach the deep muscles with sufficient intensity to adequately relax the structures, no matter how hard the operator tries. For this reason, Atlantomed uses a specially designed vibro-resonance device.

The innovation of the Atlantomed method

To understand the advantages of the Atlantomed technique, the anatomy of the atlanto-occipital joint must be analysed.

This joint is unique and is held firmly in its correct position by several layers of particularly short and strong muscles, with the help of the joint capsule and several ligaments. This gives the joint considerable stability.

Stiff and inelastic ligaments, in combination with the almost always highly tense suboccipital muscles, give the Atlas-occipital joint extremely limited freedom of rotation in relation to the occiput. In practice, the Atlas tends to firmly maintain the orientation in which it finds itself, right or wrong. As far as flexion and extension of the head are concerned, the already limited movement is performed in a chronically asymmetrical and dysfunctional manner. Only an external force of a certain intensity can permanently change this alignment. After correction, the reduced ligamentous elasticity works in our favour, as it keeps the vertebra correctly aligned, in the same way that it was misaligned before the treatment.

It is easy to understand why the suboccipital structures are so inclined to hold the position of the Atlas firmly in relation to the occiput, by observing what happens when the suboccipital ligaments are no longer able to do so. In the case of ligamentous hyperlaxity, or when the ligaments have been injured in a whiplash accident, the Atlas continually changes its alignment in an uncontrolled manner, regularly triggering vagal disturbances, vertigo and other symptoms that are very familiar to sufferers.

Since these ligaments are poorly elastic (to understand this better, imagine bending a pencil eraser), once they are stretched out of proportion, as can happen during an accident, they tend to remain loose and can no longer provide the stability required by the joint, unless they have been completely torn. In this state, the excursions of the first cervical vertebra are no longer extremely limited as nature intended, so that the Atlas ends up invading the space that would anatomically be reserved for the surrounding vascular and nervous tissue, with all the consequences that are described in detail on the Atlantomed site.

After an accident, it can take up to years for the ligaments involved to regain their natural rigidity and be able to adequately stabilise the joint again.
The Atlantomed treatment does NOT involve risks, it is a completely different treatment from cervical manipulations!

The Atlantomed technique, instead of using the dreaded abrupt impulse, typical of chiropractic manoeuvres, involves mechanical vibro pressure applied to certain very precise points in the suboccipital area. This targeted pressure of sufficient intensity gradually lengthens the muscles (stretching) that harness the Atlas and counteracts the tension of the ligaments that hold it in place, allowing the vertebra to gradually return to its ideal position.

In order to better understand why a single sudden impulse, such as that of chiropractic manipulation, is not sufficient to effectively correct the Atlas, we can make a similarity with the "plastic effect" well known in mechanics: to bend an aluminium plate to 90°, it is not enough to give a single hammer blow, hoping that the plate will bend, but instead a force of the right intensity and duration is needed, impressed by a special machine. In order to achieve the desired bending angle, overcorrection must also be carried out to compensate for the elastic effect of the material.

It goes without saying that even an insufficient force, too short a time or the application of force in the wrong places would not lead to the desired result.

Atlantomed applies the same principle to the correction of the Atlas: in order to bring the first cervical vertebrae back into the correct position, it is not enough to "hit and run", but it is necessary to apply a progressive force, on the exact points and in the exact direction, in order to counteract the tension of the muscles and ligaments, so that when the thrust ends, the Atlas stabilises in the correct position.
While misalignment is the rule for chiropractic cervical manipulation, it is the exception for Atlantomed. A reality easily verifiable radiologically, before and after surgery. Atlantomed is quite simply a unique and revolutionary method. Nevertheless, many people are under the illusion that they can receive similar treatment at their own therapist.

Try to imagine the eraser again and then suppose that you give it a single blow, a hammer blow, a pulse that simulates the impact that the ligaments of the Atlas might suffer when manipulating the cervical spine: do you think that your eraser will remain bent after this single impulse? Or would it be more reasonable to expect everything to return to exactly its initial state as soon as the impulse ceases? If this tyre was holding something in a certain position, do you think a single blow would be enough to change the situation? That's like trying to drive a nail into reinforced concrete with a single blow, using a pencil as a hammer.

You may be wondering whether the treatment will overstretch or perhaps damage your ligaments. You will be reassured to know that the correction is carried out in an absolutely progressive and careful manner and that in hundreds of thousands of treatments carried out, no such problems have been recorded. The slightest stretching suffered by the ligaments is restored within a few weeks, fixing the excursion of the vertebra in its new correct alignment. This is also why we recommend that you do not hit your head during the first few weeks and take it easy for a while. The situation changes if the ligaments are damaged or hyperlaxed. In this connection, study the whiplash page.

How is the alignment of the Atlas determined?

Esame della posizione dell'Atlante per mano di uno specialista dell'Atlante
The position of the Atlas is determined by means of a careful manual examination of the cervical area concerned; this requires a special technique and specially trained fingers (Atlantomed specialist), as the Atlas is surrounded by several layers of muscles of different tone and consistency, which can completely distort the examination.

This is why only a few therapists, and even fewer doctors, are able to correctly assess the position of the Atlas. Even fewer are able to proceed with any kind of correction that is effective and lasting. Without mastering a suitable technique such as Atlantomed and without possessing the right instruments, one has already lost any chance. This statement may seem arrogant or presumptuous to many, leading them to think "who do these people think they are". It is FACTS and not words that prove it.

Below you will find more than 9000 irrefutable facts, without detracting from the commitment and skill of other therapists. In order to make room for the new, the old must first be cleared away and the first thing to get rid of are false beliefs, such as the belief that cervical manipulation can correct the Atlas. Someone has the unpleasant task of having to do this, and as is always the case, the old man tenaciously opposes the idea of being replaced. It is not a question of producing a car with a more efficient combustion engine, but of replacing it with an electric car based on a completely different operating principle. In order to do this, the entire factory and the people working in it have to be replaced, or at least retrained.

Do not send reports, MRIs and X-rays because they are useless for correction, unless you are specifically asked to do so in the event of contraindications.
Do not unnecessarily subject yourself to harmful radiation for new examinations without first consulting the Atlantomed specialist, unless there are contraindications or the therapist specifically asks you to do so.
If you have already had a CT scan in the past, send it or bring the CD with you to your appointment, as it may provide useful data for the therapist (find out the difference between CT and MRI).

Results outside the norm

To give you an idea of the power of the method: do you perhaps know someone who can claim to have definitively freed themselves from 20-year headaches after chiropractic/osteopathic manipulation or after taking medication? For Atlantomed, this is the norm (see the testimonials at the bottom of the page). Do you think they would continue to tell you like a litany that migraine is incurable, if with their manipulations or pills they were able to resolve the problem definitively? With Atlantomed, complete remission occurs! Not in all cases, but it happens frequently. Nevertheless, the only ones affected are the patients. Nothing comes from the top. This shows how little interest insiders have in solutions that REALLY help patients. This is why we ask you to share.

True Atlas correction requires a high level of skill and experience on the part of the operator. Relying on therapists who may be very good in their field, but are not specialised in this particular technique, may be detrimental or may not produce the desired results.

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