tics, neck trauma, involuntary movement, repetitive motionsTic disorders

Tics are defined as sudden repetitive motions or vocalizations, non-rhythmic movements or sounds that are produced by an individual, which serves no true purpose.

Tics are classified by their quality and complexity.  Almost any movement, sound, or combination of both that the body can produce has the ability to become a tic. There are two types of tics reported in the literature: motor tics and vocal tics.

The onset of a tic(s) typically occurs between the ages of 3 and 8 years old, and 93% of patients are symptomatic by the age of 10.

A recent case study published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health describes the clinical changes that occurred following upper cervical chiropractic care in a 7-year-old child medically diagnosed with a motor tic disorder.

There are many reasons why a child may suffer with tics. Head and neck trauma during the birth process or in the first years of life can lead to brainstem dysfunction and neurological manifestations such as vocal and motor tics.

That was the case with a 7-year-old girl described in the case study. She had been suffering with motor tics for more than 2 years. She also had a history of torticollis, and was currently suffering with neck pain as a result of the constant motor tics, which would cause one of her shoulders to raise and her neck to move about every 30 seconds!

Following the initiation of upper cervical chiropractic care, the child’s tics decreased and eventually resolved completely after 3 adjustments!

Additional Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research

There have been a number of studies that have shown positive effects of upper cervical chiropractic care for the treatment and resolution of neurological tics.

A study by McReynolds describes a patient complaining of a “tickle” in his throat causing him to clear his throat. The patient reported that the “tickle” occurred a couple of times per day up to several times per hour. He also had observed head jerking, grunting and eye blinking. The patient received upper cervical chiropractic care and later experienced a complete resolution of his neurological tics.

Stone-McCoy and Muhlenkamp discussed a reduction of motor and vocal tics in a patient that was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. The patient was seen for a total of 32 visits in one year, in which she had decreased frequency and severity of her tics.

Alcantara et al also reported on a 6-year-old girl presenting with motor tics. The patient had compulsive eye blinking and eye rolling in multiple directions.  After a total of 10 visits, the patient’s tics were completely resolved.

Motor and verbal tic disorders can have devastating physical and psychological effects on the entire family. Several research studies have shown the effectiveness of upper cervical chiropractic care in getting to the underlying cause of these problems.

It’s time to see if your child can be helped! Just click the button below to get started.

To find a Doctor in your area go to www.NUCCA.org or if you are in the Redwood City California area to schedule your NUCCA evaluation, click the button below:

Request a free consultation

Want to hear from people like you? Check out our reviews here.
Dr. Pete Tsiglieris of Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale. They are uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain and weakness. More information can be found on our website at https://bayareanuccacare.com/

Tourettes, Children, TicsTourette Syndrome and Birth Trauma

Previously in this blog we looked at research that linked upper neck injuries with Tourette's syndrome. Today we take a closer look at 3 children who were all diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome and responded wonderfully to upper cervical chiropractic.

First we look at a 9-year-old boy who began having health problems soon after his birth (a forceps birth). He also fell down the stairs at age 1. He had many infections including ear infections and pneumonia every year for the first several years of his life. He was diagnosed with asthma at age 2 and prescribed inhalers.

By age 7, he was diagnosed with ADHD and Tourette Syndrome. The Tourette's tics occurred head to toe and involved his eyes, neck, voice, rolling of his toes, flinching of his side, and lifting of his arms overhead. In addition, he was diagnosed with insomnia and depression at age 8 and was prescribed 2 different anti-depressant medications. He also experienced neck pain and headaches 3 times per week since age 8.

During this boy's upper cervical exam, a neck injury was found, which possibly stemmed from either his birth or fall down the stairs.

After his first upper cervical adjustment, his mother reported only 2 days later: 1) his attitude and personality were happier, 2) no headaches, 3) no neck pain, 4) no wheezing, 5) tics were cut in half, 6) slept through the night. One month later, no headaches or neck pain occurred over the month; no asthma or wheezing occurred over the month and no asthma medications were used; all motor tics were completely gone and only an occasional verbal tic occurred; sleeping had been consistently improved; personality and behavior had been consistently improved and anti-depressants had been cut in half; attention in school to school work and interaction with other kids in school was also greatly improved.

Six weeks after the first adjustment, all symptoms were absent. All family members remarked that by having his neck injury corrected, the boy had become a completely different, happy, and healthy child.

Upper Neck Injuries

Next we look at a 15-year-old male who was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at age 7. He had no family history of Tourette Syndrome. The tics were constantly present and worsened during times of concentration, such as during reading and writing. In addition, he suffered from chronic neck pain for years. He described himself as having constant daily tightness in his neck and shoulders, especially at the base of his skull.

During this boy's upper cervical exam, a neck injury was found. His mother could not recall any accidents he had suffered as a child that could have caused his neck injury other than typical falls and sports injuries of childhood, although the boy was an avid snowboarder and had taken some falls on his head.

After his first upper cervical adjustment, he reported having a tremendous reduction in tics and neck pain. He couldn't believe how much better his neck felt after so many years of discomfort. Within a month, he was free of tics and neck pain and was able to resume concentrating on school subjects that had previously been too difficult. His mother reported tremendous improvement in his ability to concentrate, complete school work, etc. After being adjusted, he said he completed his math homework easily. In addition, he also reported how much of a relief it was to no longer worry about experiencing tics, especially in front of other people.

Lastly, we examine the case of a 7-year-old boy who began experiencing the tics of Tourette Syndrome at age 5. The tics in his face, neck, arms, and feet occurred infrequently in the beginning and gradually increased to 100's of times per day, his mother reported. He was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at age 7.

During the boy's upper cervical chiropractic evaluation, an upper neck injury was discovered. His mother reported various traumas before her son was 5, including a breech birth, a fall out of the high chair, and skiing falls, that could have contributed to his upper cervical injury. Within 10 days of his first upper cervical adjustment, his parents and teachers noticed a decrease in the tics. In less than 3 months of treatment, all tics were absent.

The purpose of Upper Cervical Spinal Care is to reverse the trauma-induced upper neck injury; thereby reducing irritation to the injured nerves in the central nervous system. While many TS sufferers recall specific traumas such as head injuries, birth trauma, auto accidents or falls, some do not. In certain pediatric cases, the injury can occur from the normal birthing process. An upper cervical examination is necessary in each individual's case to assess whether an upper cervical injury is present and whether benefit from Upper Cervical can be achieved.

To find a Doctor in your area go to www.NUCCA.org or if you are in the Redwood City California area to schedule your NUCCA evaluation, click the button below:

Request a free consultation

Want to hear from people like you? Check out our reviews here.
Dr. Pete Tsiglieris of Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale. They are uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain and weakness. More information can be found on our website at https://bayareanuccacare.com/

Tourettes, Children, TicsNot All Tourette’s Syndrome Is Genetic

Researchers generally consider Tourette's syndrome to be a genetic disorder (TS vulnerability is transmitted from one generation to the next), approximately 15% of TS patients do not show genetic susceptibility (no genetic links were found). In addition, individual variations in character, course, and degree of severity of TS cannot be explained by genetic explanations alone.

Consequently, researchers have focused upon stressful events during perinatal or early life that may trigger the onset of TS. Traumatic head injury (during birth, falls, accidents, etc.) has been implicated as a possible trigger of TS. Evidence supports that trauma (in particular mild concussive injury to the head, neck or upper back) increases the risk of TS onset. Following the trauma, tics can be triggered immediately or can take months or years to develop.

A Possible Traumatic Cause

New research appearing in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health supports a possible traumatic cause. A 14-year-old male with Tourette’s Syndrome had missed school the previous two days prior to presenting to the clinic due to the severity of his motor tics, migraine headaches and severe “fatigue”.

The patient’s symptoms were so severe it was indicated that he was having 1,000 “violent” motor tics a day that consisted of whipping his head involuntarily in flexion and extension, which also contributed to his fatigue.

The patient’s migraine headaches (which occurred daily) were attributed as resulting from these motor tics. The patient was taking 6 Ibuprofen pills, 10 mgs of Abilify® (aripiprazole), and 1mg of Orap® (Pimozide) per day.

Physical examination which included thermal and infrared thermography and radiological examination demonstrated sites of spinal misalignments likely caused by trauma. Over the course of 30 patient visits in a period of 5 months, dramatic reductions were reported in the amount of tics experienced daily. The total number of tics were reduced from 1,000 a day to 30-35 tics per day. The patient’s dependence on Ibuprofuen was eliminated and his medication dosage (i.e., Abilify and Pimozide) was reduced by his medical provider.

This is not the first time that a person with Tourette's syndrome has received dramatic results with this type of care (see references below). For instance, Dr. Erin Elster reports on 3 boys diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, Age 9, 15 and 7, who all had tremendous results with upper cervical chiropractic.

Next time we will review these 3 cases and talk more about the type of care they received.

The purpose of Upper Cervical is to reverse the traumatically induced upper neck injury; thereby reducing irritation to the injured nerves in the central nervous system. While many TS sufferers recall specific traumas such as head injuries, birth trauma, auto accidents or falls, some do not. In certain pediatric cases, the injury can occur from the normal birthing process. An upper cervical examination is necessary in each individual's case to assess whether an upper cervical injury is present and whether benefit from Upper Cervical care can be achieved.

To find a Doctor in your area go to www.NUCCA.org or if you are in the Redwood City California area to schedule your NUCCA evaluation, click the button below:

Request a free consultation

Want to hear from people like you? Check out our reviews here.
Dr. Pete Tsiglieris of Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves San Mateo, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale. They are uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain and weakness. More information can be found on our website at https://bayareanuccacare.com/

NUCCA chiropractor in Redwood City

Want to know how your misalignment is affecting your body?

Advanced Spinal Care now provides our patients with a great tool to see how your body is affected by your unique misalignment.
Advance Spinal Care
The Redwood City chiropractor who offers fast track resolutions to chronic pain with technically advanced NUCCA chiropractic, upper cervical diagnostic methods and treatment protocols.
Find Us
Advanced Spinal Care
643 Bair Island Rd Ste 208
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 595-0500
Follow Us
Office Hours
Mon: Closed
Tue/Thur: 11:30am-5:00pm
Wed: Closed
Fri: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Sat: 9:00am-12:00pm
Sun: Closed
map-markerphoneenvelopefile-pdf-o linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram Skip to content