What Problems can a Misalignment in the Upper Cervical Spine Cause?
The cervical muscles and ligaments in the cervical spine can apply direct mechanical irritation to the nerves passing close to or through these structures. As mentioned elsewhere there can be direct irritation to the brachial plexus by the scalenes at the base of the neck and also to irritation to the phrenic nerve, which runs through the scalenes. There can be direct irritation, compression or traction to vital nerves and blood vessels around the base of the skull, which all pass through foramen in the base of the skull at the craniocervical junction. In particular, the cranial nerves glossopharyngeal (IX), spinal accessory (XI), vagus (X) and hypoglossal (XII), and the carotid and vertebral arteries. It has been reported in [Page 389, “The Cervical Spine – 3rd Edition” – The Cervical Spine Research Society, Editor: Charles R. Clark, Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1998] that injuries to the craniocervical (C0-C1) junction, have resulted in injuries to cranial nerves; abducent (VI), faci
