A Neck Without A Curve

I was put in touch with Dr. Jamey Krueger through WFMH trainer, Branden Bonk. So, I met with Dr. Jamey  (Chiropractic First) to tell him about the WFMH Challenge and to see what his practice was all about. Originally hailing from Wisconsin, he moved back to the Lincoln area to be closer to his wife’s family. He had a successful practice in Wisconsin and had the opportunity to make some life changing improvements in many of his clients and his mission is the same for his clients in Lincoln.
Walking through the doors of his office with its modern décor and music playing, it doesn’t feel like a typical doctor’s office. In fact, Dr. Jamey just likes to go by Jamey. It’s his philosophy to get to know his clients on more of a personal level and less of a patient level.

I was asking Jamey all sorts of questions about chiropractic care and the equipment that was in the office. Instead of just hearing about it, he asked if I wanted to get scanned… so I agreed. I am glad I did (we will get to the “why” later…)! He performed 4 scans on me to measure how well my nerves are working. You won’t have any symptoms of nerve blockage until it’s blocked 60%... so oftentimes there can be something out of whack without even knowing it.

The first scan he did was Heart Rate Variability. This can determine if you are stuck in the Fight or Flight mode, which can impair your immune system. The second scan he did was Dual Thermography. There should be equal blood flow on both sides of your spine and if there isn’t that can indicate a nerve imbalance. The third scan he did was Surface Electromyography. This measures how hard your body is working to hold yourself upright. If muscles are constantly contracted it can lead to fatigue since tensed muscles use more energy than relaxed muscles. The fourth and final scan he did was Range of Motion. This measures the motion between two vertebras. If vertebras start moving as “pairs” instead of individually, this can lead to degeneration (which is NOT good).

Together, these scans took about 15 minutes. The computer calculates the results and gives you a score. Ideally, one would like a score between 89-100. I nearly failed.

Below is a scan of my neck:

I thought great, looks like a neck. I took Anatomy back in high school and I am coming up on my 10 year reunion. I don't remember what a neck SHOULD look like!

Apparently, your neck should have a curve in it. Mine has NO curve, and in fact, it's starting to curve THE OTHER WAY. Not good. Here is what a neck SHOULD look like.

The most starking difference is the fact that the vertical line should be touching the neck (as pictured above - it's a little bit in front of the neck, but almost touching...). Whereas in my situation, the vertical line is miles away from where it should be. The two horizontal lines should be parallel to one another, and in my situtation that just isn't the case.

Many things can cause your neck to have no curve. Accidents and poor posture (looking at a computer screen all day) are two main causes. I have not been in an accident, so looks like I have really poor posture.

With my neck not having the proper curve, my nerves don't have a clear path to send all their messages so this can cause problems within the body... hence the reason it's very important to get that curve BACK!

I have spent the last couple weeks working on getting that curve back, both in the office with Jamey, and soon at home as well. Stay tuned to my progress!