Why Is It so Difficult to Find Medical Providers that Do Upper Cervical Facet Injections like C0-C1?

Why is it so hard to find a doctor who injects the upper cervical joints like C0-C1 and C1-C2? In this episode of You've Got the Power, Dr. Chris Centeno and host Dr. Jason Deitch explain who does these injections, how to tell whether a doctor is qualified, and what to ask before you let anyone near that area. Dr. Centeno explains that the answer depends on who you ask. Fellowship-trained interventional spine specialists are trained to inject spinal joints under x-ray guidance with contrast, but most won't go above C2-C3. Prolotherapists, who typically train in a weekend course, may agree to inject the area but usually aren't injecting the joint itself and often aren't using an x-ray machine. He walks through why the vertebral artery makes this area risky, why contrast and a digital subtraction angiography package matter, and why injecting prolotherapy solution into that artery could be catastrophic. He compares the prolotherapy approach to a shotgun and the x-ray guided joint approach to a sharpshooter, and suggests asking a doctor how many C0-C1 and C1-C2 joints they have injected and how many they do per year (50 to 100 a year, not 10). From there, the conversation moves into an extensive Q&A covering topics like how to judge a doctor's training, who else practices orthobiologics and the 10X machine, whether excellent filling at the alar, accessory, and transverse ligaments means the above-the-Atlas approach isn't needed, whether EDS patients are tracked as their own group, the risk of a permanent flare-up compared with Motrin, what a standing MRI can and can't show, whether age affects stem cell results, MCAS, TNC counts between procedures, coughing and sneezing after treatment, lymph nodes, collapsed discs, and finding someone in Europe. Dr. Centeno, chief medical officer of the Centeno-Schultz Clinic and developer of the PICL procedure, shares how his team approaches injecting the upper cervical spine and why the right training matters. 🔔 If you find this content helpful, please like, comment, and subscribe to stay informed.    / @centenohome   To schedule a telemedicine or in-person visit, call +1-303-429-6448 or email us at icabral@centenoschultz.com. Dr. Centeno also answers questions on his Reddit thread at   / picl   Join him for weekly Facebook Lives at   / centenoschultzclinic   to learn more. Download Dr Centeno's book on craniocervical instability at https://centenoschultz.com/craniocerv... Join CCI Communities: PICL SubReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PICL/?rdt=58942 PICL Facebook Group:   / ccjpicl   Follow us for updates and news: Website: https://centenoschultz.com/ https://regenexx.com/ Facebook:   / centenoschultzclinic   Instagram:   / centenoschultzclinic   LinkedIn:   / chris-centeno-m-d-b6838024   Centeno-Schultz Clinic 403 Summit Blvd Suite 201 Broomfield, CO 80021 303-429-6448 Timestamps: 0:16 Why upper cervical injections are rare 1:06 Interventional spine versus prolotherapy training 5:02 Vertebral artery risk without contrast 9:48 Shotgun versus sharpshooter approach 10:50 Q&A: how to vet a doctor's experience 15:07 Q&A: competitors and the 10X machine 20:28 Q&A: PICL filling, alar ligaments, EDS data 26:22 Q&A: flare-up risk and Motrin comparison 29:54 Q&A: standing MRI, age, MCAS 36:24 Q&A: TNCs, lymph nodes, discs, Europe