The Centeno-Schultz Blog

Craniocervical instability involves excessive movement between the head and neck. Dr. Schultz discusses what craniocervical instability is, its causes, and upper cervical ligament stem cell injections which are the first effective non-surgical treatment option of symptomatic patients with CCI.

Video: “CCI Procedure: PICL” Transcript Dr. Chris Centeno This is a public service announcement on our PICL procedure and some of the risks associated with not doing that procedure correctly. We’ve started to pick up on a few places where they’re claiming to offer this kind of procedure. Now, for those of you that don’t … Continued

Transcript Hi, it’s Dr. Centeno. And I’d like to introduce you to some interesting and really critical new data on Cranio-cervical instability diagnosis. So, Cranio-cervical instability or also called “CCJ instability” means that the upper neck bones move around too much due to damaged or loose ligaments. And there’s lots of different ligaments up there. … Continued

I have seen CCI patients from all over the world for decades, so I am a craniocervical instability specialist. This morning I’d like to review the case of an EDS patient who never should have had upper neck fusion surgery. Why? To help CCI patients understand what to avoid. EDS and CCI Some of the … Continued

Many craniocervical instability (CCI) patients get confused about the injection procedures that are available that may help their condition and how those intersect with the PICL procedure. This is understandable as it’s very hard for patients to conceptualize the differences in procedure types and the skill required to pull each off. Hence this blog will … Continued

The PICL procedure is now 5 years old and we’re now seeing the first long-term, non-surgical craniocervical instability treatment results. This morning I’ll highlight one of those patients who I followed up on yesterday. But first, I’ll also discuss a bit of PICL history you may not know. What is the PICL Procedure? PICL is … Continued

One of the more common questions I get from patients who undergo the PICL procedure is what does the physical therapy or rehab program look like after the procedure. Hence, I thought I would dive deep into a program that anyone can do at home or provide a physical therapist so they know what CCI … Continued

C1-C2 fusion is all the rage among patients with CCI. So what is it and what are the side effects? Should you get a C1-C2 fusion? Let’s dig in. What is Craniocervical Instability (CCI)? Craniocervical instability (CCI) is when the upper neck levels of the spine are unstable (1). This is usually C1-C2, but can … Continued

There are ligaments that hold your head on and they can be injured just like any other ligament. Some of these structures your average physician only obliquely know about, some only super-specialists know, and some, like today’s ligament, is so obscure that it needed to be rediscovered by scientists. It’s all very exciting because it … Continued

Craniocervical instability is a very misunderstood concept because it’s been made so complex with different measurements and aggressive treatments. Hence, I’ll be writing a series of blogs to try to help patients understand various concepts. Today’s entry is about how CCI measurements relate to instability. What Is Craniocervical Instability? Craniocervical Instability has many names including … Continued