You have probably had an X-ray before. Someone took the image, someone glanced at it, and you were told nothing was broken or even that nothing was wrong. For most people, it is also where the conversation ended.
An X-ray can answer a second question, and it is the one that tends to go unasked in a traditional medical setting.
Two different jobs for the same image
The first job is ruling things out. A fracture, a bone anomaly you were born with, signs of instability, anything that is an emergency. Every new patient image is read for that first before we consider whether the case is right for Upper Cervical care.
The second job is measurement. Where exactly is your Atlas sitting, in what direction, and by how much?
What precise means in actual numbers
Your Atlas is the top bone in your neck, the ring your skull rests on. It has no cushion above it and none below it, which is why it can shift in directions the rest of your spine cannot.
Orthospinology analysis measures that shift from your own images. Side-to-side tilt, rotation, and the angle of the joint surfaces are each measured in degrees and millimeters. Those numbers set your line of correction: the direction, the angle, and the depth of the adjustment for your neck specifically. Two people who walk in describing the same jaw pain or headache routinely receive different corrections, because their numbers are different.
Can any of this be measured consistently?
That is a fair question to ask of any measurement. A 2020 study in Chiropractic and Manual Therapies had four examiners, two musculoskeletal radiologists, a physiatrist, and a chiropractor, independently measure upper cervical radiographs from 56 patients (Hariharan et al., Chiropr Man Therap 2020;28:32). Agreement on the numerical measurements ranged from moderate to excellent, with intraclass correlation values between 0.56 and 0.97. The judgment calls made by eye rather than by measurement agreed less well – which is why we always measure.
Measured numbers hold up better than impressions do. The authors were clear that reliability is not the same thing as proof of clinical usefulness, and that correlating these measurements with clinical findings is the work still ahead.
Images are also how you see what changed
The same analysis that finds the problem is how progress is verified. At the twelve-month mark, we typically re-measure disc height, cervical curve, and the motion of individual vertebrae, and you see those numbers next to your originals. Your care stops being something you feel your way through and starts being something you can look at with measurable progress and correction over time.
What this looks like across your first two visits
Day one begins with a consultation, which is complimentary. You talk, we listen, and together you decide whether an exam makes sense. If you choose to move forward that same day, the Comprehensive Exam is a flat $150 investment and includes the full Blueprint Spinal Analysis: the hands-on exam, the AI-analyzed 3-D postural evaluation, and your digital spinal X-rays.
Then we stop for the day. The analysis takes real time, and we never rush this part of the process.
You return for a separate visit, the Report of Findings, which is also complimentary. That is when you see your own images, your own measurements, and what we believe is driving what you have been living with. If we think we can help, we will have recommendations ready at that time. On the other hand, if we do not believe we are the right people to help you, that is the visit where we say so and point you toward someone who is.
Why this matters if you have been told everything looks normal
Normal imaging usually means no fracture and no tumor, which is genuinely good news. It does not mean anyone measured the position of the top bone in your neck. Those are different questions, and only one of them gets asked routinely.
Every problem has a cause. Finding yours starts with looking at your spine closely enough to measure it.
Call 254-304-7474 or schedule your complimentary consultation at atlaschiropracticwaco.com.
Citation:
Hariharan KV, Terhorst L, Maxwell MD, Bise CG, Timko MG, Schneider MJ. Inter-examiner reliability of radiographic measurements from open-mouth lateral bending cervical radiographs. Chiropr Man Therap. 2020;28(1):32.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-020-00317-6
Full text: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12998-020-00317-6
References
- Hariharan KV, Terhorst L, Maxwell MD, Bise CG, Timko MG, Schneider MJ. Inter-examiner reliability of radiographic measurements from open-mouth lateral bending cervical radiographs. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2020;28(1):32. doi.org/10.1186/s12998-020-00317-6
Reviewed by Dr. Christy Flick, DC · Last reviewed September 2026
This article is for educational purposes and shares general information about upper cervical chiropractic care. It isn’t a substitute for an individual clinical assessment, and results vary from person to person. If you’re wondering whether this could be the source of what you’re dealing with, we’d welcome the chance to take a look. Schedule a complimentary consultation at atlaschiropracticwaco.com or call 254-304-7474.
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