Re son who has had upper cervical problems

Welcome @pgalloway17. I'd like to introduce you to a few members who can share their experiences with back problems in the cervical and lumbar regions. Please meet @sandytoes14 @cowboy1997 @werock @srobison @medic7054 and @predictable. You may also be interested in reading this discussion thread: Cervical Neck Instability https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/cervical-neck-instability/

Pgalloway, has your son been to a pain clinic? What treatment with which doctors has he had?

He has seen many ortho doctors, chiropractors, pain doctor. Before we knew about the atlas being misaligned, we believed it was the SI joint out of alignment. He has had many shots in his lower back with no improvement. Including but not limited to prolotherapy and cortisone, steroid. More recently we started treating for the upper cervical with a chiropractor who told my son his atlas was out of alignment and he put it back in place. We expected the rest of his body to relax and realign. It has been a couple of months now and there are no improvements.

Hi, @pgalloway17, I'd like to give you a quick reaction, then come back later after more thought. A few years ago, I had lower back pain and encountered a chiropractor at a health fair in San Diego. After a quick exam, he said my lower back pain could be caused by misalignment of the atlas at the top of my spine. Asked how that could cause lower back pain, he said pressure any place along the spinal cord -- even at the very top -- could produce a problem anywhere along the cord. Being on travel, I declined the atlas alignment after he explained how the process could involve physical blows with his hands.

Back home, I was examined by an orthopedic surgeon who prescribed physical therapy for starters. That didn't help, and another orthopedist offered steroid injections to dull the pain. While I considered that, my primary physician suggested inflammation of one sacroiliac joint and administered medication directly into the joint. The pain ended in a few days and has not returned.

You son's plight strikes me as something other than pain, given your expectation that "his body would release" after the chiropractic treatment. I'm unsure what you meant by "release" and would give it some added analysis if you'd provide a little more detail on what you're looking for. I hope we can help relieve your anxious concerns for your son's rehabilitation.

His entire left side is in one huge muscle spasm which could involve mysofacial tissue.  Healso mentioned to me that after doing certain exercises, he sometimes bleeds when movinghis bowels. He has had a colonoscopy about a year ago.  He was examined by a orthodoctor at that time and was given an anal exam which was extremely painful to him.  Thedoctor recommended that he have a colonscopy which turned out to be ok. <br><br>

I know this finds you 6 years later … however I was suffering with same stuff started Easter Day 2015

Here’s more

Hi Bob, welcome. Sorry to hear that you've also had cervical instability or spinal issues since 2015. What specialists or physical therapy have you tried?