The Importance of High Quality Imaging in Glen Carbon

At Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care, each person who walks through our door is unique with different experiences that have influenced their spinal health. Posture, injuries, and genetics all affect the joints and alignment of the spine. The biggest variable is that no one has a perfectly symmetrical spine. In fact, spinal asymmetry is normal.

State-of-the-Art Advanced Technology comes to Glen Carbon and Edwardsville Area Practice. Imagine having a broken bone set without an x-ray, or major surgery performed without some sort of prior imaging (CT, MRI, etc.). What if the doctor just palpated (touched) the area and said: “Okay, I know what to do.” Sounds ludicrous, right? How would a doctor possibly have the proper information about your unique situation without seeing the problem they were attempting to correct?

According to Dr. William Blair, the developer of the Blair Upper Cervical Procedure, asymmetry in the spine is “the rule rather than the exception” therefore palpation alone cannot be accurate. Visual inspection and palpation of the spine by a chiropractic doctor are helpful diagnostic tools, but they will never reveal enough information about the condition of the actual joints and alignment of the spine that advanced imaging will show.

Imaging with 3D CBCT in Glen Carbon

High quality upper cervical chiropractic care has relied on x-ray technology since the early 1900s. Our Upper Cervical Chiropractic office in the Glen Carbon and Edwardsville area has used high-quality x-rays for 25 years. We were the first in the area to offer digital x-rays.

Now, as technology has improved, we are excited to be the first Upper Cervical Office in IL and MO to own a 3D cone beam CT scan (CBCT). CBCT is a technology that was originally developed by oral surgeons to better image the jaw structure for implants. This technology greatly improved the success rate of this procedure over the previous use of digital x-rays (2-dimensional technology).

We are excited about this new technology as it allows our doctors to analyze images that give much better detail, resolution, and 3-D clarity that simply isn’t possible with 2-D digital x-rays. While digital x-ray is still an amazing tool, CBCT is the imaging technology of the future. As doctors, we can honestly say this the greatest advancement in our profession in the 25 years we have been in practice.

Spinal subluxation or misalignments are seen at the joints of the spine. CBCT imaging allows your upper cervical chiropractor to see the spinal misalignment, precisely measure it, and then accurately correct the problem with higher success rates than with outdated diagnostic technology. Most patients improve with upper cervical care because imaging is not only observed but rigorously studied.

At Upper Cervical Health Center in the Glen Carbon/Edwardsville we take our patients' health seriously. Most of the patients we see are chronic and have seen many different doctors over the years. They are desperate for a health solution. While we do not have all the answers, we look at health from a comprehensive perspective using the most up to date diagnostic tools.