In response to a recent question on our Facebook page, this blog will investigate NUCCA – a Chiropractic technique meant to relieve back and neck pain. How does this technique work and is it an effective treatment for back pain?

NUCCA is both the name of the chiropractic technique in question and an acronym for the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association.

How NUCCA Works

NUCCA treatment involves several steps outlined below:

1. Atlas Subluxation Complex (ASC) check, in which the chiropractor examines the patient to see if an ASC is present.
2. X-rays of the cervical spine and analysis of those x-rays
3. Adjustment. The patient lies on their side and the chiropractor works through 8 steps to re-align the spine.
4. Post-adjustment x-rays to determine if the adjustment worked.

Here is a video of a NUCCA procedure in action:

These steps are performed by a professional chiropractor trained in the NUCCA technique. But the real question that many patients have about NUCCA (about any form of treatment, really) is whether or not it actually works to kill pain.

NUCCA vs. Surgery

The effectiveness of NUCCA in treating back pain is dependent on each patient’s circumstances. As is the case with most things in the medical world, there is no single cure that works on every person. It is good to experiment with various non-surgical treatment techniques to treat your back pain.

What? A surgeon telling people not to undergo surgery? What’s the catch?

There is no catch. The bottom line is that what’s best for the patient should always come first, and some patients respond well to chiropractic treatments, stretching, or medications. I routinely recommend that my patients try non-surgical treatments first.

It’s when these conservative treatments fail to relieve pain that surgery should be considered as an alternative option.

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