Recently the Swiss Academy AtlasPROfilax published a new scientific study and of course I couldn't help but share it with you!
The atlas, the first cervical vertebra is located just below the skull, in fact, it is responsible for carrying all the weight of the skull and head, about 4-6 kg. It is for carrying all this weight that it received the name of Atlas, a titan condemned by Zeus in Greek Mythology to carry the weight of the world on his back.
This vertebra itself manages to perform some small movements below the skull but does not perform rotational movements. However, when there is a severe impact on the cervical spine, such as birth by forceps, falls, hitting the head or chin on the floor or accidents with the whiplash effect, this vertebra can accidentally rotate below the skull, a situation we call subluxation of the atlas. This subluxation can lead to mechanical and metabolic alterations in the musculature and local fascia, and may be associated with symptoms such as torticollis, headaches or tension migraines, TMJ disorders, fibromyalgia and by changing the position of the head in relation to the body axis it is possible be related to lumbar pain and herniated discs.
This subluxation can be evaluated and corrected through this therapy, called AtlasProfilax, which consists of controlled vibropressure, with specific frequency and angle, applied ONE TIME on the short muscles of the neck.
The article in question refers to a case study carried out in a 30-year-old patient with chronic pain in the shoulder, cervicobrachial syndrome (clinical condition that affects the cervical spine, between the C1 and C7 vertebrae, which can cause pain and stiffness in the neck, also radiating to the arms and shoulder girdle) with paresthesia (tingling sensation or numbness in the hands), carpal tunnel syndrome, tension headache and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, who underwent computed tomography ( 2D and 3D) to evaluate a possible high subluxation before and after the application of the AtlasProfilax technique and to observe whether the therapy would impact on a clinical improvement of the mentioned symptoms, in addition to promoting joint alignment and symmetry. Images of the dental midline were also performed to assess its evolution.
After applying the technique, the patient in the present article presented normalization of the subluxation as shown in the images below:
The dental midline deviation of approximately 1 mm was completely normalized immediately after the application of the therapy, as well as the improvement in mouth opening, which presented an even greater range of motion after 1 month of application. According to the clinical evolution, there was an improvement in the symptoms associated with TMJ complaints, joint crepitus, joint locking and a decrease in local pain.
After the therapy, the patient reported improvement in shoulder pain, as well as paresthesia and pain in the carpal tunnel as well, as shown in the table below:
Symptom | EVA Before Procedure | EVA 1 month after procedure | EVA 8 months after procedure |
Headache | 8 | 2 | 2 |
Pain in the right upper limb associated with cervicobrachial syndrome | 9 | 2 | 2 |
Jaw pain associated with TMJ disorders | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Present before the procedure | Present 1 month after procedure | Present 8 months after procedure |
Upper limb paresthesia | Yes | No | No |
Motor loss in upper limb | Yes | No | No |
Table 1: Evolution of symptoms before and after application of AtlasProfilax therapy. (In this table, the visual analogue scale (VAS) was used, whose classification is 0-10, where 0 is classified as non-existent pain and 10 is unbearable pain).
According to the clinical findings, the patient in question showed a significant improvement in her initial symptoms after the application of AtlasProfilax (see table 1) and, in addition to being observed a significant difference in the positioning of the atlas in relation to the base of the skull and C2, a better alignment of the spinous process of the C3 and C4 vertebrae was also observed. Thus, it can be concluded that the method in question was able to achieve normalization of the suboccipital muscles, local fascia, TMJ, and was effective in aligning the atlas subluxation.
The great demand for AtlasProfilax treatment in the office routine has been mainly due to tension headaches, migraine, temporomandibular joint disorders, limitations in cervical movement mainly in rotation and Fibromyalgia.
To learn more about the full study (in English), click below and download the PDF file
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Dra Ana Paula Grilo Salmaso
Physiotherapist
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