Question 1

What is the price for treatment?

Accepted Answer

Initial visit - $425:  This visit is approximately 45 minutes and includes a detailed history and evaluation with the doctor as well as a Cone Beam CT diagnostic scan of your head and neck. When you book your first appointment, a deposit of $125 is required. This refund is refundable if you cancel your appointment >24 hours in advance.

2nd Visit - $175: This visit is approximately 45 minutes and includes a detailed review of your diagnostic images as well as your initial treatment.

Follow-up Visits - $95: This visit is 20-30 minutes and includes any adjustments and soft-tissue treatment that may be necessary. The number of follow-up visits will be determined once we see how you respond to the initial treatment.

We do not submit any health insurance aside from Medicare. However, we can provide you with a detailed "superbill" that will include everything needed to submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.

We accept all major credit cards as well as FSA and HSA payments.

For any further questions, please call our office at 404-860-1030

Question 2

Do you accept insurance?

Accepted Answer

We do not submit any health insurance aside from Medicare.

However, we can provide you with a detailed "superbill" that will include everything needed to submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.

You will find that this is common among Upper Cervical specialists because of the time it takes to treat each individual patient. 
If you are a medicare patient, your adjustment visit cost is reduced to $50. Your new patient fees are not covered by medicare as they do not deem it necessary to image prior to treatment. Therefore, your initial visit is $375.

Question 3

What can I expect at my initial visit and subsequent visits?

Accepted Answer

At your initial visit, you will sit down with the doctor for a detailed consultation and evaluation. At this point we will determine if the problem that you are experiencing may be coming from your neck. We will then take a Cone-Beam CT (3D) image of your head and neck. This will take approximately 1 hour and your initial visit will conclude after the scan has been taken. Please bring any previous MRI, CT or X-rays that you may have for the doctor to review (only scans that have been taken within the last 2 years).

For your first follow-up visit you will sit down with the doctor and go over your images as well as discuss the plan of care. You will also receive your first treatment on this day and should expect to spend about 1 hour at our office. After the treatment, you can go about your day as normal but there will be special precautions to follow that your doctor will go over with you.

Any follow-up visits, after the initial treatment, will range from 15-30 minutes.

Every person is unique and will respond differently to the treatment but on average, individuals will feel positive changes within 0-4 weeks of beginning treatment. The number and frequency of follow-up visits will be based on how quickly you begin to "hold" your adjustments.

Question 4

How is upper cervical different from traditional chiropractic?

Accepted Answer

Upper Cervical Care is a specialty within the Chiropractic profession that requires several additional certifications and study outside the general chiropractic education.

This is because we are dealing with such an important area that is vastly different both anatomically and physiologically from the rest of the spine below. Our in-office procedure requires a 3-dimensional CBCT imaging analysis that provides us with an extremely specific line of correction that is unique to you. With this line of correction, we are able to correct your C1-C2 misalignment utilizing a precise, light-force instrument assisted adjuster. This does not involve any forceful manipulation of the neck, such as cracking or twisting.

Due to the location of the upper cervical spine, it acts as a conduit for fluid and nerve impulses going to and from the brain. Because of the physiology in the area, upper cervical chiropractors tend to get much better results on patients suffering from complex conditions such as; Migraine, Vertigo, POTS, Neuropathy, Post-Concussion syndrome and Trigeminal Neuralgia just to name a few.

Question 5

What are the symptoms that can benefit from upper cervical care?

Accepted Answer

Upper cervical care is a specialized treatment that aims to correct any misalignments in the upper neck region (C1 and C2).

Due to the amount of fluid flow and nerve flow in the region of the spine, upper cervical practitioners tend to treat symptoms that are more neurological in nature such as:

- Migraine or headache
- Facial Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia)
- Peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling)
- Brain fog
- Pressure at the base of the skull
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Lightheadedness or blackouts (especially when changing positions)
- Chronic neck pain
- Jaw pain or TMJ
- Fullness or ringing in one ear
- Post-concussion symptoms
- Reduced range of motion in the neck or cervical spine

Question 6

How do I know that I am a candidate for upper cervical care?

Accepted Answer

If your condition is related  to dysfunction of your neck you most likely have one or more of the following symptoms:
​
 • tightness and stiffness in the neck
 • pressure at the base of your skull
 • a reduced range of motion of the neck (especially when looking up or from side to side)
 • headaches that worsen when you apply pressure to certain parts of the neck
 • migraine w/ or without aura
 • pain that spreads from the back of the head and neck up to the front
 • headache pain behind the eyes
 • dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system
 • dizziness or vertigo
 • facial or jaw pain
 • numbness and/or tingling in the hands
 • one-sided hip or low back pain

Question 7

What are the benefits of upper cervical care?

Accepted Answer

The benefits of upper cervical care will vary based on the individual being treated, the extent of the misalignment and the surrounding structures that may be impacted by the misalignment.

With that said, correcting an upper cervical misalignment can truly be life-changing for many patients with the most common benefits including the following:

- Relief from head pressure/pain
- Reduced or eliminated migraine symptoms
- Improved nerve activity
- Relaxation of the neck musculature
- Relaxation of the entire body's musculature
- Increased ability to concentrate
- Reduced/eliminated facial or jaw pain
- Increased coordination or balance
- Improved cervical spine (neck) range of motion
- Increased fluid flow to and from the head/neck
- Reduced intensity of ringing in the ear

Question 8

What are the side effects of an upper cervical adjustment?

Accepted Answer

Our adjustments are very gentle and precise, using less than 5 pounds of force to correct the upper cervical misalignment. Therefore, the potential side effects with an upper cervical adjustment will greatly differ than that of a "traditional" chiropractic adjustment.

With that said, as with any treatment, there are some possible side effects. Here is a list the most common side effects reported from our patients;

1) Mild neck soreness or discomfort (lasting 24-48 hours after an adjustment)

This can be attributed to the shifting that is occurring in the musculature in the neck after slightly moving the upper cervical vertebra into a new, corrected position.

2) Tiredness or a "relaxed feeling" (the day of the adjustment)

This tends to be a temporary sensation that occurs after the initial upper cervical adjustment. It is thought that once the upper cervical spine is in its corrected position that it activates our parasympathetic or "rest and digest" response, therefore making us feel tired or relaxed.

3) A mild headache (lasting less than 24 hours)

This is the most rare side effect and is very short lived. It usually will only occur after the initial upper cervical adjustment and when it does, it is reportedly very mild in intensity.

Question 9

Do the upper cervical adjustments hurt?

Accepted Answer

​No. The adjustments are very gentle and precise utilizing 1/8”-1/4” depth with no twisting or cracking of the spine. There will be slight pressure behind your ear and most patients describe the sensation like a "tap" behind their ear.

Question 10

Can I receive your treatment if I have had neck fusion/surgery?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the extent of the surgery and when it was done. We typically like to wait at least 6 months after the surgery was done prior to providing any treatment. After 6 months, you can come in for an evaluation and we will determine if our treatment is right for you. We have had several successful post-surgical cases due to our focus on the C1-C2 area, which is typically not an area that will be touched by a surgeon unless absolutely necessary.

Question 11

Can I receive your treatment if I have herniated discs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, our adjustments are provided to the Upper Cervical spine, C1 and C2, which are the only segments in the spine without a disc in between them. Furthermore, our adjustments are very gentle and safe, without any twisting of the neck.

Many physicians will tell a patient with a herniated disc to never see a chiropractor. This is true for the traditional chiropractor but most physicians are unaware of the upper cervical specialty. When you have disc herniations, you DO want to avoid any rotatory/twisting manipulations to the neck because these can tend to “sheer” the discs and could make the problem worse. However, there is not any of that type of adjusting in our office.

Question 12

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

We have a 24-hour cancelation policy. If you cancel your appointment within 24-hours you will be subject to a $50 cancellation fee.

UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC SPECIALIST

FAQ - Upper Cervical Specialists of Atlanta