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Apnea VS Atlas - BrassCat - 05-07-2017

Hello the forum,

As an introduction, I'm a 67-year-old man who's been suffering from sleep apnea for over two decades. I am on my fourth machine at this time, a Phillips DreamStation auto BiPAP. I received this machine January of this year. After using it for three months my pulmonologist ran an overnight  oximeter test where I showed my blood oxygen going down to 79% using the machine. Panic. Actually, I think he should've ran that test well before then, like perhaps when I started using this machine. He was stated that auto BiPAP would not be able to correct my sleep apnea and I am on oxygen supplementation along with the Auto Bipap now. He ran the overnight oximeter test after I had asked for a prescription for a recording oximeter for my own monitoring. He did not want to give me a prescription for the oximeter. The numbers I had been getting were varying quite a bit over the 3 months, that I was then believing the oximeter itself is the GOLD TEST for the apnea. ??? Ideas?

Machine settings: exhale  around 13.5  inhaling at 17.5  I've been typically having AHI's from 3 to 8, mask leakage 100% to maybe 98%,  aperiodic breathing all over the place like three up to not sure . I am diabetic have high sugars  I am heavy although I have lost 35 pounds in the last few years and before that another 35 so I'm 70 pounds down my maximum I have 40 more to lose.

OK BIG DEAL HERE:  I visited a chiropractor a week ago  because of  lower back pain. He did his adjustments and he also adjusted my Atlas. That is the highest vertebrae in the spinal column, it supports the head. Well, since then I've had 3 days of amazing numbers. For instance, last night I had an AHI by of 0.5 , mask fit 100% (probably not because of the chiropractor ),  in a periodic breathing of 0%. the only other change I have made was increasing my potassium supplements. Wow.

Well, I've never read anything about spinal (Atlas) misalignment having anything to do with sleep apnea. Today I searched on it  and found  an article that shows a direct relationship with Atlas misalignment and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. It is technical, it will take me some time to digest it. Here is the link.

-- Had to take link out because I have yet to post 4 times, new member ---

So my question to the forum is,  who has had any experience were an Atlas adjustment by a chiropractor has had it a significant effect on the severity of your sleep apnea?  I will state that since my upper pressure is set to start at 16.5 and each of these nights is been going up to 17.5I probably still have sleep apnea, but now the AHI numbers are so good that this machine is actually controlling it. At least that are my thoughts.  I don't like jumping to conclusions, more time is needed.

So, is anybody else have experience with this. I would much appreciate your responses. Or, your thoughts on this article.

Thank you , Stan


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - BrassCat - 05-07-2017

I can not post the link, OK.

Search for article:
Cervical Angles in Sleep Apnea Patients:

A Retrospective Study

J. Vertebral Subluxation Res., 3(1), Mar., 1999


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - ajack - 05-07-2017

A better nerve connection to your lung? were you having centrals before?
I believe what you are seeing is real and not a coincidence.


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - vsheline - 05-07-2017

(05-07-2017, 05:25 PM)BrassCat Wrote: I can not post the link, OK.

Search for article:
Cervical Angles in Sleep Apnea Patients:

A Retrospective Study

J. Vertebral Subluxation Res., 3(1), Mar., 1999

Link:
https://pettibonsystem.com/sites/default/files/document_attachment/3199-0015_cervical.pdf


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - BrassCat - 05-07-2017

Hello ajack, Last December I did my forth sleep lab. Nobody has ever hinted at central apnea, it is obstructive apnea.

The Atlas bone is right there where the obstruction takes place.


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - Hydrangea - 05-07-2017

That is certainly intriguing. 

I had an atlas adjustment not long ago.  I'll go check the date of that, and look at my Sleepyhead data, and get back to you!

But truly, I'm not surprised.  When our body is optimally aligned, it's going to function better.



RE: Apnea VS Atlas - ajack - 05-07-2017

Thanks for that, well I had it wrong in my thinking. It's a physical obstruction from a displaced bone


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - Hydrangea - 05-08-2017

Alrighty... I looked back at my data, and saw that when my atlas was really out of wack, my AHI was 2-4 times higher than my norm. After I got my atlas adjusted, my AHI went back to my normal.


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - holden4th - 05-08-2017

I googled 'atlas obstruction and sleep apnea'. There is a growing body of research out there that indicates that spinal abnormalities can increase OSA levels.


RE: Apnea VS Atlas - DeepBreathing - 05-08-2017

I have to say I'm mighty surprised at these results. I read (most of) that paper and noticed that they had the definition of RDI completely wrong, so it made me wonder about the rest.

I doubt very much that the atlas bone could in any way directly cause an obstruction - it's quite high up and far back in your neck. It would also have to be a long way out of alignment to block your airway. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/C1_lateral.png/1024px-C1_lateral.png

What the paper indicates is that there is a bunch of nerves which pass through or around the atlas which control the muscles in the neck. If these nerves were being impinged then it's conceivable they are not properly maintaining the tone of the neck muscles - this could perhaps be the source of the problem.