Seizures: what upper cervical research has looked at

The medication helps, mostly. You still plan your life around the chance of the next one.

Seizures: what we look at, alongside your neurologist →

Illustration: an open laptop showing a blue drawing of the nervous system, beside a white cup

Three published case reports describe people whose seizures began after an injury to the head or neck, and who were followed during upper cervical care. They are described here as carefully as we can, because this is a topic where hope and safety both matter.

3 studies on this page

Designs: Case report
Published: 2004 to 2011

Where these studies sit, by design and year

3 studies, published 2004 to 2011. Strongest design: case report.

the studies

What each study looked at

Strongest study design first. The dots show the design, from a single case (one dot) to a controlled trial (four). How to read this library

Case report2011Atlas Orthogonal, by instrumentNot indexed in PubMed

A 76-year-old woman with ten years of seizures after a concussion

Who and how many: One woman, 76, with seizures for ten years after a head injury, along with fluctuating blood pressure, visual disturbances, reduced hearing and an unsteady, wide-based walk.
What was measured: Her walking pattern, seizures, blood pressure and hearing over two months of Atlas Orthogonal care, delivered with the Atlas Orthogonal percussion instrument.
What was found: Her walking pattern looked more normal right after the first correction. Over two months she reported no further seizures, steadier blood pressure and better hearing.
Limits: One person, and much of the result is her own report. The authors say more research is needed.

Read the abstract on the journal's site → Source 1

Case report2010Blair upper cervical

A 25-year-old woman with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Who and how many: One woman, 25, diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy at 14. Her seizures began soon after an injury to her neck and around the start of her periods.
What was measured: Her seizure episodes and menstrual cycles over 12 weeks of Blair upper cervical care.
What was found: Her seizure episodes and her menstrual cycles both improved after 12 weeks.
Limits: One person and no comparison. The authors call for more rigorous research.

Read the abstract on PubMed → Source 2

Case report2004Upper cervical

A 23-year-old man after a head-first fall: seizures, sleep, mood and migraine

Who and how many: One man, 23, who landed on his head in a pole vault fall at 17. Over the next six years he developed rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, seizures, a sleep disorder, neck and back pain and migraines, and saw many physicians.
What was measured: Thermography and X-rays of the upper neck, then assessments by his neurologist at the start, at 2 months and at 4 months of upper cervical care.
What was found: After one month he reported no seizures or manic episodes and better sleep. At four months his migraines had gone from about three a week to two a month. At seven months he reported no symptoms, and he remained free of them 18 months later.
Limits: One person. The author proposes a link between the fall, the upper neck and his symptoms, but a single case can't establish it.

Read the abstract on PubMed → Source 3

before you draw conclusions

What this research does and doesn't tell you

Three people, one in each report. Neither report can show that care caused the change, and neither can predict anything for anyone else. Never change or stop seizure medication except under your neurologist's direction.

Published research can't predict what will happen for any one person, including you. Studies report averages and single stories; your nervous system is your own. That is why The Lazar Method^™ starts with measurement, not with a promise.

We measure first, so the answer is about you, not an average.

Before any correction we measure how your nervous system is regulating your body: heart rate variability, thermal and muscle tone scans, PostureIQ™, and digital X-ray of the upper neck. QSM3, the method used at our office, is a progression of NUCCA. Dr. Jonathan Lazar, D.C., or someone personally trained by him, will go over your scans and images with you.

If we can help, we'll tell you. If we can't, we'll help you find someone who can.

Talk it through on a 15-minute Clarity Call →

This page is educational and is not medical advice. Keep the doctors who know you in the loop.

citations

Sources

Sweat R, Adams T. 2011. Resolution of Post-Concussion Seizures Following Atlas Orthogonal Technique Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research November 3, 2011:66-70. Not indexed in PubMed. Article page on vertebralsubluxationresearch.com
Hubbard TA, Crisp CA, Vowles B. 2010. Upper cervical chiropractic care for a 25-year-old woman with myoclonic seizures. J Chiropr Med 9(2):90-4. PubMed 21629556 · DOI 10.1016/j.jcm.2010.03.001 · free full text
Elster EL. 2004. Treatment of bipolar, seizure, and sleep disorders and migraine headaches utilizing a chiropractic technique. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 27(3):E5. PubMed 15129207 · DOI 10.1016/j.jmpt.2003.12.027

Titles are quoted exactly as published. Sources checked 2026-11-03.

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