Professional Atlas Realignment with Vibro-Resonance

The Challenge of the Atlanto-Occipital Joint

To fully understand the advantages of the Atlantomed technique, the first step is to examine the intrinsic biomechanical characteristics of the Atlanto-Occipital joint, often misunderstood not only by patients but also by therapists themselves.

The Atlanto-Occipital joint is unique in its kind and is maintained in its physiologically correct position by several layers of short and particularly robust muscles, supported by the joint capsule and specific ligaments. The synergy between these elements ensures high stability, with ligaments playing a crucial role.

The stiffness and low elasticity of the ligaments, combined with chronic contractions of the suboccipital muscles, significantly limit the freedom of movement of the Atlas relative to the occiput. Consequently, the first cervical vertebra tends to maintain its orientation, whether correct or incorrect. Once a misalignment occurs, the flexion and extension movements of the head are performed in a chronically asymmetrical and dysfunctional manner, worsening the contractions that further solidify the incorrect position of the joint.

Only an external force, modulated with adequate intensity and applied for the necessary time, can overcome the elastic effect of the tissues and permanently modify the alignment of the vertebra. After the Atlas correction, the reduced elasticity of the ligaments becomes an advantage, helping to keep it aligned, just as it previously kept it firmly in the misaligned position.

Attention to Loose Ligaments

Observing what happens when suboccipital ligaments lose their stabilizing ability makes it clear why these structures are so prone to maintaining the stability of the Atlas alignment with the occiput. If congenital ligament hyperlaxity, or that caused by whiplash, allows the Atlas to change its alignment uncontrollably, the result is the continuous onset of vagal disorders, dizziness, and other symptoms well known to those who suffer from them.

This demonstrates that the orientation of the Atlas depends primarily on the occipital ligaments and the joint capsule, rather than on the muscles, as is often mistakenly believed. Ligaments play such a dominant role that they manage to keep the Atlas's articular facets slightly displaced relative to the occipital condyles, even though logic suggests they should spontaneously center themselves. Facts and radiological evidence confirm this reality.

To better understand, the stiffness and reduced elasticity of occipital ligaments can be compared to the rigidity of an eraser when trying to bend it: once subjected to excessive stretching, they tend to fray and become lax, losing their ability to ensure the necessary stability of the joint, especially if some of them have suffered tears.

In this state, the rotational movement of the first cervical vertebra exceeds physiological biomechanical limits, causing the Atlas to encroach on the space reserved for surrounding vascular and nerve tissues, with all the consequences detailed on the Atlantomed site.

After an accident, the affected ligaments may take years to regain their normal rigidity and adequately stabilize the joint. On this page, you can find a possible solution: CERVICAL INSTABILITY

We have included ligament laxity among the relative contraindications for an Atlantomed correction, as when the stabilizing function of the ligaments is lacking, the vertebra can realign too easily, compromising the work done and reducing the chances of achieving a stable improvement in your condition, which is the goal that Atlantomed aims to achieve.

Treatment Safety

You may wonder if the correction procedure could overstretch or even damage your ligaments or surrounding structures. It is reassuring to know that the correction is carried out cautiously and progressively and that in hundreds of thousands of treatments performed, no such problems have been reported. The risk of causing damage can therefore be ruled out. The slight stretching that ligaments may potentially experience resolves within a few weeks, stabilizing the vertebra's range of motion in its new correct alignment.

As a precaution, we recommend avoiding head impacts in the first few weeks and acting without excess. The situation may be more complex in the case of already damaged or hyperlax ligaments. If hypermobility of the occipital joint is suspected, functional radiological investigations should be carried out before intervention to accurately assess the situation and exclude the risk of worsening an already precarious condition. We also invite you to consult the page dedicated to whiplash for further details.

The Difference Between Atlas Correction and Cervical Manipulation

Cervical manipulations are manual and sometimes instrumental interventions on the cervical spine, aimed at improving joint mobility and relieving symptoms such as pain, stiffness, and muscle tension, focusing on symptoms rather than structural causes. These treatments, commonly used in chiropractic, osteopathy, and even physiotherapy, include mobilization techniques and high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulations known as "thrust". The effects can be temporary, requiring repeated interventions to maintain the benefits.

Chiropractic cervical manipulations should not be confused with Atlas correction, as they are two fundamentally different methodologies, both in their execution and objectives, with approaches that produce significantly different results.

While a cervical manipulation targeting the Atlas lasts one-tenth of a second (0.1-0.2 s), an Atlas correction performed using the Atlantomed method involves two sessions of 75 minutes each, during which the majority of the time is dedicated to the cervical region.

Why Is Atlantomed on Another Level?

Methods involving a single impulse, either manual or assisted by mechanical tools, are designed primarily to momentarily impress the patient, but in practice, they rarely deliver lasting results.

Cervical manipulations, Atlas Orthogonal, Upper Cervical, NUCCA, and other "one shot and done" methods can temporarily influence the surrounding soft tissues and nervous system, which is why they continue to be practiced. However, while they contribute to general relaxation, they should not be credited with capabilities they do not possess, such as correcting the Atlas, despite some claiming otherwise.

The effective correction of the first vertebra presents a challenge that these techniques rarely overcome. The fact that results tend to fade demonstrates that such methods do not act deeply enough to stabilize the vertebral structure in its new position. Atlantomed stands out for its objective: a durable structural correction designed to provide tangible, long-term benefits.

A Manipulation Cannot Act on a Single Element

We cannot consider bones, ligaments, muscles, joint capsules, and other tissues as separate elements. A cervical manipulation never acts on a single element or exclusively on one vertebra; instead, it involves the entire neck as an integrated system. The force applied during a manipulation is distributed across all the structures as a whole, and the response obtained is the combined result of all the tissues involved.

This is why, at Atlantomed, we use a specific device that allows the force to be applied in an extremely precise and targeted manner in the desired direction, avoiding the rotation of the entire head in an attempt to apply an uncontrollable force that spreads across all the vertebrae.

Why a Single Impulse Is Not Enough

To better understand why a quick impulse, like the one applied during chiropractic manipulations or treatments such as NUCCA, Upper Cervical, and Atlas Orthogonal, is not sufficient to effectively correct the Atlas, it is important to consider the consistency and dynamics of the tissues that cover and surround the Atlas vertebra. Given that the elasticity of the ligaments stabilizing the suboccipital joint is comparable to the consistency of an eraser, imagine subjecting it to a quick impulse, like the one applied to the neck during a cervical manipulation: is it realistic to think that the eraser will remain deformed after the impact, or is it more reasonable to expect it to return immediately to its original shape? If several elastic bands, similar to the eraser, were holding a vertebra in a stable position on both sides, do you really think a single strike would be enough to change its position?

Another analogy with the plastic effect, well-known in mechanics, might help: imagine trying to bend a metal plate to 90°. A single hammer strike is not enough; you need a force with the appropriate intensity, duration, and precision, applied using a specific machine. Moreover, if we truly want to achieve the desired bending angle, it is essential to apply an overcorrection to compensate for the material's elasticity. Similarly, during Atlas correction, insufficient pressure applied for too short a time or on the wrong points will not lead to the desired result. Yet, when it comes to the human body, even though it is not made of metal but composed of resistant tissues, it is expected that a single impulse should suffice to realign the vertebrae.

Furthermore, how can we ignore the role of other muscular and ligamentous structures surrounding the cervical spine? These are naturally designed to protect such a vital area, functioning as a cushioning system that effectively absorbs impacts. Imagining that a single impulse could overcome these defenses and easily alter the position of a vertebra is, to say the least, unrealistic.

A fitting comparison might be attempting to drive a nail into concrete with a single blow, using a pencil instead of a hammer.

Chiropractor's Objections

A chiropractor might argue that a quick impulse is capable of bypassing the body's defensive reaction, as if it is fast enough, the muscles would not have time to activate and oppose it. This is indeed one of the fundamental principles of chiropractic. However, this principle applies exclusively to a dynamic context. At a static level, the impulse directly confronts the structure itself, which resists regardless of the speed of the impulse.

In this context, what matters is solely the consistency of the structure: the more rigid and less elastic it is, the greater its resistance to change. Therefore, the effectiveness of the impulse inevitably clashes with the physical and mechanical limits of the structure itself, not to mention the difficulty of isolating individual segments of the spine and directing the force precisely to the desired point.

Where Are the Radiological Proofs?

The described dynamics can be verified radiologically by anyone, comparing images taken before and after a chiropractic cervical manipulation. In this regard, the radiologist and neurologist specialized in cervical trauma in Zurich, with whom we collaborated for years, systematically carried out these verifications using spiral CT scans for over 20 years. He stated that, throughout his professional career, he never observed a change in the alignment of the cervical vertebrae, even after his patients underwent repeated manipulations.

His opinion on cervical manipulations was far from positive, also due to the damage he had observed after such practices. Initially, when we approached this radiologist, his reaction was open mockery of our work. However, over time and to his great surprise, he had to change his mind after we indicated the side and extent of the misalignment, estimated solely through our manual examination, before he could confirm it with his CT scan.

There are hundreds of thousands of chiropractors worldwide, yet radiological proof documenting the before and after of their treatments is not provided. Why? I have never seen a chiropractor present 3D images, which are the only ones truly capable of accurately showing the alignment of vertebrae before and after a manipulation. Instead, chiropractors seem to limit themselves to standard X-rays aimed at ruling out preexisting damage that could make their maneuvers contraindicated or dangerous. But why don't they ever show concrete proof of a real change in vertebral alignment? Perhaps because it doesn't exist?

You can learn more about cervical manipulations here: CAN CERVICAL MANIPULATIONS correct the Atlas?

How Do We Determine Atlas Misalignment?

At Atlantomed, the position of the Atlas is primarily assessed through a precise manual examination of the cervical area by a specially trained specialist. This technique requires expert hands, specific expertise, and considerable experience, as the Atlas is surrounded by various muscular layers with asymmetric tensions and very different consistencies, which can easily distort the examination.

For this reason, only a few therapists and doctors truly possess the skills needed to accurately evaluate the position of the Atlas through manual examination, even though many believe they are capable. Even rarer are those who manage to perform an effective and lasting correction. Without an advanced technique like Atlantomed and the support of appropriate tools, any attempt is inevitably doomed to failure. This statement might seem presumptuous or arrogant, but it is the facts, not words, that prove it.

It’s Time to Change the Approach

At the bottom of the page, you’ll find 10,000 overwhelming and irrefutable pieces of evidence supporting this approach, without diminishing the dedication and professionalism of other therapists. To embrace a new solution, it is necessary to let go of old beliefs, such as the idea that a simple cervical manipulation can correct the Atlas. Someone has to take on the difficult task of challenging the past, which inevitably resists change.

It is not about perfecting an old model but about adopting an entirely new principle. It’s like moving from an internal combustion engine car to an electric one: it’s not enough to modify the engine; the entire factory must be redesigned, and the workers retrained. This is the level of transformation that Atlantomed represents.

Extraordinary Results

You can choose whether or not to believe what is stated on this website, but we invite you to reflect: do you know anyone who has managed to permanently get rid of twenty-year migraines thanks to chiropractic, osteopathic manipulation, or medication? For Atlantomed, this result represents the norm, an achievement we are deeply proud of (see the testimonials at the bottom of the page).

For many people, Atlantomed has been the ladder that allowed them to climb out of the deep abyss where they had been for years, transforming a hellish existence marked by incessant pain into a life finally at peace.

Do you really think health professionals would continue to endlessly repeat that migraines are incurable if their manipulations or medications were truly capable of solving the problem? With Atlantomed, complete remission is not only possible but occurs with significant frequency. Not in every case, of course, but often.

Despite this, interest in this solution comes almost exclusively from patients. From above, from the so-called “professionals”, no support is provided. This shows how little interest they have in methods that genuinely HELP patients. For this reason, we invite you to share Atlantomed to help your fellow human beings.

Notice About Examinations and Reports

Scientific Literature

• Craniocervical Junction Syndrome.
• Atlanto-Axial Subluxation After Adenoidectomy.
• The neurophysiological effects of a single session of spinal joint mobilization.
• The lateral atlanto-axial joint as a source of headache.
• Atlantoaxial Junctions and the Effect of Misalignment on Cerebrospinal Fluid.
• Important contributor to human cerebrospinal fluid circulation.
• Vertebral artery blood flow changes associated with cervical spine rotation.
• Collateral Circulation in Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency.
• Manipulating the upper back helps lessen pain and improve neck motion.
• Morphometric Analysis of Superior Articular Facets of Atlas Vertebra.