Boring Chiropractic Atlas Orthogonal (BCAO) -
About The Board Certified Atlas Orthogonal technique
By Gary A. Boring, DC, BCAO, LCP (Hon.), is a board member of the Sweat Foundation, practiced for 42 years at Boring Chiropractic, and is the author of Driven Towards Excellence 2014. He has written for Chiropractic Economics and is an extension faculty member at Cleveland Chiropractic College.
ChiroEco.com
ChiroEco.com
Chiropractors have long recognized how a force trauma to the head and neck can change a person's neutral alignment and negatively affect the structural integrity of the entire skeletal system. The head and C1-C2 cervical vertebrae deviation mechanically compress the base of the skull, producing pressure to the brainstem and nerve roots. The body then compensates to maintain its center of gravity, but due to this spinal misalignment or slippage, the muscles contract, inflammation arises, and nerve pressure causes dysfunction to the regions affected.
An Atlas Orthogonal (AO) specialist utilizes a precise directed-sound vibration instrument to gently realign the atlas vertebra to its proper position. The sooner the atlas vertebra (the first link in an interlocking chain) reaches its neutral position, the sooner the interlocking segments of the entire spine can realign as the improper twist and tilt is removed.
Facilitating proper nerve transmission between the brain and body is an effective approach to renewed health and relief of discomfort without manipulation.
The AO approach to the cervical region focuses on having the "three rings" - the foramen magnum, the atlas, and the cervical spine - to be orthogonal and produce a "neurological zero."
According to Roy Sweat, DC, the inventor of the Atlas Orthogonal adjusting instrument and founder of the Stereotactic Cervical Alignment (SCALE) methods and the Sweat Foundation:
The AO specialist receives intense and recurring postgraduate studies of the cervical spine, but this investment equips the doctor with a wealth of knowledge and the capability to treat problems safely and effectively without the use of drugs or surgery.
I was the only AO doctor in the five-state area (Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois) for 25 years. I had patients come from all five states to receive the AO adjustment, many as a last-chance effort at relief. The AO adjustment worked for me and my patients both professionally and personally.
The AO adjustment convinced me of chiropractic's power to assist the body in healing. It delivered what it promised and, from that day, I have never wavered in accepting its value and the truths of its chiropractic principles. I feel my patients responded faster and were pleased that the adjustment didn't hurt.
An Atlas Orthogonal (AO) specialist utilizes a precise directed-sound vibration instrument to gently realign the atlas vertebra to its proper position. The sooner the atlas vertebra (the first link in an interlocking chain) reaches its neutral position, the sooner the interlocking segments of the entire spine can realign as the improper twist and tilt is removed.
Facilitating proper nerve transmission between the brain and body is an effective approach to renewed health and relief of discomfort without manipulation.
The AO approach to the cervical region focuses on having the "three rings" - the foramen magnum, the atlas, and the cervical spine - to be orthogonal and produce a "neurological zero."
According to Roy Sweat, DC, the inventor of the Atlas Orthogonal adjusting instrument and founder of the Stereotactic Cervical Alignment (SCALE) methods and the Sweat Foundation:
- The cervical spine must be vertical, or as close to vertical as possible, under the cranium and under the horizontal atlas to support and maintain the cranium and the atlas in the orthogonal position. Proper "orthogonal" alignment of the head, neck, and spine means the weight of the head is centered and balanced correctly over the supporting vertebrae. The spinal vertebrae are correctly positioned in relationship to each other, and the path of the spinal nerves is clear and unobstructed permitting natural function and health.
The AO specialist receives intense and recurring postgraduate studies of the cervical spine, but this investment equips the doctor with a wealth of knowledge and the capability to treat problems safely and effectively without the use of drugs or surgery.
I was the only AO doctor in the five-state area (Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois) for 25 years. I had patients come from all five states to receive the AO adjustment, many as a last-chance effort at relief. The AO adjustment worked for me and my patients both professionally and personally.
The AO adjustment convinced me of chiropractic's power to assist the body in healing. It delivered what it promised and, from that day, I have never wavered in accepting its value and the truths of its chiropractic principles. I feel my patients responded faster and were pleased that the adjustment didn't hurt.
Gary Boring's Four steps to better health
This modality of chiropractic does not begin until test results verify the type and length of treatment to be used and the exact location of the subluxation to be corrected.
Step 1:
Palpating and leg checking are all part of the checking are all part of the examination, including the patient's health history and symptoms. Palpating the cervical spine will detect the slightest external indication of spinal misalignment.
Measurements of the legs, tests for muscle tone, muscle contraction, or loss of strength can indicate a cervical subluxation. Quite often, as I palpated a patient's cervical spine pre-adjustment, I would have them put their finger on the most acute location found. When they would leave the table post- treatment, I would ask them to feel the previous acute spot and whether they felt less pressure on the nerves. They would usually say things like: "Where did the pain go? That spot doesn't hurt now."
What a rewarding rush of purpose to have been able to help another human being in the little time it takes to lie down on a table, receive an adjustment, and then sit back up.
I would explain that when that particular spot was acute with pain, they were most likely overdue for an adjustment. I didn't want to hear that the painful spot had been there for two or three days - let alone two or three weeks. I would tell them to listen to their body and seek help sooner.
The idea of preventive care is not letting the body deteriorate faster than necessary. The goal is to have every patient at their true efficiency for as long as possible by aiding their body in maintaining maximum nerve transmission.
Step 2:
X-raying the affected area is vital. It allows you to verify findings of misalignment and make precision measurements. These measurements can then be set on the protractors of the AO instrument to pinpoint its stylus for each patient's adjustment.
There is no guesswork with AO. The doctor locates the point where the adjustment should be made and how much adjustment will be needed to return the affected vertebra toward its normal position. My father could palpate the correct laterality of the atlas subluxation with total accuracy; I could not. I needed the exact confirmation provided by the AO system of marking X-rays. The X-ray marks gave me the confidence to know where the atlas and connecting cervical vertebrae were before the first adjustment, and the comfort of seeing where they were positioned in the post-adjustment X-ray. The positive results that followed an AO adjustment served as my controlled response to care.
Step 3:
Gentle adjustment is made after a thorough evaluation of the patient's examination and test results. It is performed while the patient is positioned on a special adjusting table. The AO doctor then applies the skills, techniques, and instruments necessary to realign the vertebrae with a gentle but precisely directed sound vibration to manually or mechanically adjust the cervical spine.
Step 4:
Verifying adjustment is a vital after-treatment step. It involves taking additional X-rays to determine how much correction has been made and if additional correction is necessary. In cases where there is a particularly difficult or long-term misalignment, a number of adjustments may be required to achieve complete relief.
Perishable skill
AO gave me the confidence and ability to provide the exact adjustment needed to change people's lives. It also continues to be the foundation of a healthier lifestyle for me. The clinical art and application of chiropractic is a perishable skill. Doctors who lose their focus of purpose will drift from clinical excellence. I found myself driven to excellence every time I gave an AO adjustment. I re-teach myself the procedures while I adjusted every patient, the way I have done so for over 40 years.
This modality of chiropractic does not begin until test results verify the type and length of treatment to be used and the exact location of the subluxation to be corrected.
Step 1:
Palpating and leg checking are all part of the checking are all part of the examination, including the patient's health history and symptoms. Palpating the cervical spine will detect the slightest external indication of spinal misalignment.
Measurements of the legs, tests for muscle tone, muscle contraction, or loss of strength can indicate a cervical subluxation. Quite often, as I palpated a patient's cervical spine pre-adjustment, I would have them put their finger on the most acute location found. When they would leave the table post- treatment, I would ask them to feel the previous acute spot and whether they felt less pressure on the nerves. They would usually say things like: "Where did the pain go? That spot doesn't hurt now."
What a rewarding rush of purpose to have been able to help another human being in the little time it takes to lie down on a table, receive an adjustment, and then sit back up.
I would explain that when that particular spot was acute with pain, they were most likely overdue for an adjustment. I didn't want to hear that the painful spot had been there for two or three days - let alone two or three weeks. I would tell them to listen to their body and seek help sooner.
The idea of preventive care is not letting the body deteriorate faster than necessary. The goal is to have every patient at their true efficiency for as long as possible by aiding their body in maintaining maximum nerve transmission.
Step 2:
X-raying the affected area is vital. It allows you to verify findings of misalignment and make precision measurements. These measurements can then be set on the protractors of the AO instrument to pinpoint its stylus for each patient's adjustment.
There is no guesswork with AO. The doctor locates the point where the adjustment should be made and how much adjustment will be needed to return the affected vertebra toward its normal position. My father could palpate the correct laterality of the atlas subluxation with total accuracy; I could not. I needed the exact confirmation provided by the AO system of marking X-rays. The X-ray marks gave me the confidence to know where the atlas and connecting cervical vertebrae were before the first adjustment, and the comfort of seeing where they were positioned in the post-adjustment X-ray. The positive results that followed an AO adjustment served as my controlled response to care.
Step 3:
Gentle adjustment is made after a thorough evaluation of the patient's examination and test results. It is performed while the patient is positioned on a special adjusting table. The AO doctor then applies the skills, techniques, and instruments necessary to realign the vertebrae with a gentle but precisely directed sound vibration to manually or mechanically adjust the cervical spine.
Step 4:
Verifying adjustment is a vital after-treatment step. It involves taking additional X-rays to determine how much correction has been made and if additional correction is necessary. In cases where there is a particularly difficult or long-term misalignment, a number of adjustments may be required to achieve complete relief.
Perishable skill
AO gave me the confidence and ability to provide the exact adjustment needed to change people's lives. It also continues to be the foundation of a healthier lifestyle for me. The clinical art and application of chiropractic is a perishable skill. Doctors who lose their focus of purpose will drift from clinical excellence. I found myself driven to excellence every time I gave an AO adjustment. I re-teach myself the procedures while I adjusted every patient, the way I have done so for over 40 years.