NUCCA is a style of upper cervical care. It is designed to assess and treat misalignment of the C1 (atlas) vertebra. Due to its proximity to the skull and the embedded vestibular apparatus, a misalignment of C1 tilts the skull relative to the rest of the body and distorts the body's relationship with gravity. This leads to aberrant patterns of muscular tonus throughout the body in an attempt to compensate for the tilted head, eventually resulting in scoliosis and nerve compression, among other things. Symptoms will correlate with whatever pattern of nerve compression is induced by one's specific misalignment at C1. This is why any and all organ systems can potentially benefit from atlas care.

If X-rays are indicative of C1 misalignment, the treatment is very gentle and noninvasive--so much so that the average person is likely to doubt whether it could possibly have any effect. You basically lay on your side for 5-10 minutes while the chiro provides strategically targeted little shoves to the transverse process of C1. It's a quick, painless procedure. In my experience, some effects can be felt immediately, before even getting up off the table, while others take days, weeks, or months to manifest. Everyone's experience is unique because their misalignment is unique.

The longer one's atlas has been out of alignment, the longer it takes to reverse the damage, and the less likely it is to achieve full resolution. This is why atlas care is much more efficient with young people or if administered soon after the trauma that caused the misalignment. By trauma, I mean anything from whiplash to bumping your head. An adjustment should, at the very least, put a pause on further degeneration until the body reorganizes itself. Individual results will vary based on the competency of the practitioner as well, so I'd recommend using the Find a Doctor on the NUCCA.org website.