What is Tourette’s Syndrome?
Tourette’s Syndrome, or TS, is a neurological disorder that causes irregular, involuntary movements or vocalizations in a patient. Generally arising in children between ages 3 and 9, TS is a life-long condition that currently has no known cause or cure. That being said, recent research has identified links between the symptoms of Tourette’s and the upper cervical spine, providing a potential treatment option for improving symptoms of TS.
Signs and Symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome
Every individual with TS will experience a different variation of involuntary tics. Tics can be either motor-based or vocalizations.
Vocal tics include uncontrollable grunting, frequent throat clearing, stuttering, blurting out offensive words, repeated yelping, or repeated sniffing. Some common motor-based tics include stomping, eye blinking, grimacing, head jerking, or other involuntary movements in the body.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Tourette’s Syndrome
Given the complicated nature of TS, there is currently no cure available. Despite this, you can manage the symptoms associated with TS using upper cervical chiropractic management techniques.
The link between the upper cervical spine and TS can be found in the central nervous system (CNS). When there is a misalignment in the upper cervical spine, the vertebrae can impede the nerves surrounding the spinal cord. This disruption, if not addressed, can impede, or even prevent electrical signals from traveling through nerves to other parts of the body, exacerbating the occurrence and severity of tics in a TS patient.
How Our Tourette’s Syndrome Treatment Works
If you’re struggling to manage your TS symptoms, there are natural and effective treatment options available through our upper cervical chiropractic specialist, Dr. Bello. Upper cervical chiropractic care is a non-traditional form of chiropractic care that focuses on using gentle and precise correction techniques to improve the health and function of the upper cervical spine.
When you visit our office for an upper cervical consultation, Dr. Bello will perform a thorough examination of your upper cervical spine. If there is a misalignment that could be triggering or worsening your TS symptoms, we’ll perform several specialized scans, using non-invasive X-rays and cone-beam computed tomography scans, to identify the exact angle and location of the misalignments.
Once the precise location of your spinal misalignment is determined, Dr. Bello will perform a series of gentle upper cervical corrections to the affected area. By restoring proper nerve flow and alleviating inflammation along the spine, this process can significantly decrease the severity and frequency of your TS tics.
If Tourette’s is stopping you from living a fulfilling life, Dr. Bello is here to help. Dr. Bello services patients in Brentwood, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Westwood, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, West Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas.