The mechanism of nerve irritation resulting from upper cervical misalignments has usually involved either the nerve compression hypothesis or the proprioceptive insult hypothesis. Because of the diameter of the canal and the space between the cord and the wall of the canal, compression of the cord at the upper cervical area would require much larger displacements than are encountered in typical patients.
The proprioceptive insult hypothesis does not adequately explain the sensory phenomena experienced by some upper cervical patients and is cumbersome to use in explaining the mechanism behind an upper cervical subluxation causing sciatica.
The Dentate Ligament-Cord Distortion Hypothesis offers a mechanism whereby the effects of misalignments of the upper cervical vertebrae, via the dentate ligaments, produce mechanical distortions of the spinal cord. The clinical significance of the hypothesis and its relationship to supine leg length comparison, low back pain, and trigeminal neuralgia is discussed.
Author Keywords: Subluxations, cervical, adjustment, dentate ligament, Grostic technique, neurological hypothesis
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