What Does NUCCA Mean?
NUCCA stands for the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association is an advanced upper cervical chiropractic system of analysis and upper cervical corrective adjustments.I’m very proud to say I am now NUCCA Level 1 certified and I’m working on my Level 2 candidacy as I write this. This puts me in an esteemed and elite category of chiropractors, making me one of only a few Certified N.U.C.C.A. Doctors in Colorado, and one of only a few hundred chiropractors who are Certified NUCCA practitioners in the whole world!
So what is NUCCA and what makes a certified NUCCA Doctor different from the average chiropractor?
“The NUCCA procedures work to reduce interference to the nervous system caused by injury to the craniocervical junction using a precise, non-invasive spinal adjusting technique. The NUCCA procedure brings several generations of clinical research to correcting the serious problem of the Atlas Subluxation Complex. By using precise and objective X-ray views of the head and neck, mathematical measurement and analysis are made of the misalignment. Once the misalignment is understood by the doctor, there is no need for further x-rays because correlating the relationship between posture and upper cervical misalignment allows posture to then be used thereafter to judge alignment. There is also often less need for repeated corrections because returning the bones of the neck to a normal position also normalizes function in the body.”
So in a nutshell, we use a very specific type of X-ray analysis, then do a very gentle adjustment to the top bone in your neck, which actually helps to realign the whole spine and improves your posture instantly, which is just one measurement of better neurological functions, on top of several others I do before and after adjustments. The process is quite simple, but the results are amazing and often produce miracle results in people who have “seen everyone, and tried everything!”
Since I recently got certified I’d like to share some in-depth information about the certification process to highlight the standards we practice as NUCCA Doctors and how that makes us very different from the average chiropractor.
How Do X-Rays Work With NUCCA?
Above is a picture of the laser alignment we do of the x-ray frame and machine to make sure the images are crystal clear without image distortion. X-rays are a lot like light and shadow animals, if you angle the light differently the shadow looks very different. If the x-ray is not aligned properly, you are looking at a distorted image of the spine which simply can not actually be analyzed for misalignments, especially in the Craniocervical Junction (where your head connects to your neck) where a misalignment of just a couple MILLIMETERS can cause severe neurological symptoms.
After you pass that stage you are ready to submit 5 consecutive cases of “before” x-rays to measure your consistency in quality. After that is approved you submit 2 “before & after” cases which have to be identical mirror images even though the “after x-rays are often times taken days or even weeks later! Above is a good example of the types of x-ray views we use, but you might be surprised to know these would NOT have passed the test! Very tough, but that’s what creates such great clinical standards and therefore great results, which are very reproducible from doctor to doctor, which most other chiropractic techniques cannot say.
Oh and before I could even start this process I had to pass a very rigorous exam, in the midst of COVID stress!
I also took the level 2 exam and passed so now I’m working on submitting 5 perfect “before & after” pre/post adjustment x-rays to be reviewed. I’m excited to further my career and be able to make an even greater clinical impact in my community! #resultsdriven
I have to thank Dr. Thomas Groover of Boulder Chiropractic Clinic who is now officially using my facility to run his practice independently. Dr. Groover is one of the original NUCCA doctors in Colorado and the 1st in the Boulder/Denver area. His decades of clinical expertise and life experiences have proven to be a great mentorship and friendship to me and I am grateful for his presence in my life.
Dr. groover honored me with this NUCCA plaque that is out of production but he got it himself when he passed certification.