Headaches / Migraines, Neck pain / Whiplash injuries & Visual Disturbances are commonly treated by Chiropractors, the main area that is treated are small joints in the back of the neck called facet joints that are responsible for neck pain. When these joints dysfunction / subluxate they can be responsible for neck pain. The nerve fibres that innervate / act as sensors for these facet joints also serve to act as sensors to parts of the head-anatomically referred to as dermatomes. When these facet joints dysfunction these sensors become active, the brain cannot clearly differentiate between the facet joints and the mapping of the head and create the sensation of pain in a broader area- Headaches / Migraines.

Visual disturbances-The superior cervical ganglion is formed by by the coalescence of 4 ganglion, corresponding with the upper 4 cervical nerves (p1127 greys). The dilator pupillae is supplied by the postganglionic non-myelinated fibres derived from the superior cervical ganglion. (p1162 greys). The dilator pupillae is a smooth muscle that is arranged in such a way to follow the circular shape of the iris, it is controlled via branches from the superior cerical ganglion via the release of nor-adrenaline acting on alpha1 receptors, thus when acted upon it dilates the iris enlarging the pupil allowing an increase in light entry assisting in improving vision.

Chiropractic treatment of visual disturbances, Headaches / Migraines, Neck Pain & Whiplash Injuries can make a person suffering from these conditions a Chiropractic patient is based on Chiropractic's principle that joint dysfunction termed "Subluxation" is the cause of a patient's signs andsymptoms. The American Chiropractic Association has defined subluxation as"the alignment / physiological function of a motion segment as being altered although contact between the joint surfaces remains intact (1).

It is this subluxation that we as Chiropractors, find and restore to normal alignment and hence function.
What we do with the Activator Adjusting Instrument is adjust these subluxations, in doing so we initiate passive joint movement , which results in stimulating movement as well as the nerves that sense movement, this stops the nerves that are responsible for pain from being active, and hence abolish or diminish pain (3), also restore normal function to the innervation of the nervous system affecting Headaches / Migraines and Visual Disturbances.

Creation of normal joint structure and function through Chiropractic adjustments may cause the nerves responsible for sensing normal joint movement, and those nerves responsible for sensing pain to work appropriately, meaning that when the joints are working properly then the pain fibre nerves remain dormant, only when there is joint damage or dysfunction are the pain fibres to operate (3).

Several scientific authors have reported involvement of neck pain and headaches stemming from the C2-C3 joints of the neck, and neck and shoulder pain from the C5/C6 joints of the neck, after determining these were the source of pain byinjecting these joints with anaesthetic.