Start with what life feels like now
How should neck instability and neurologic symptoms be assessed?
We help people with neck or head symptoms that interrupt daily life by examining structural and nervous-system findings together so that they can understand their options for getting moving again.
How we look at the whole picture
Turning your head, staying at a desk or holding one position can bring on pain, dizziness or trouble focusing.
You need an explanation that takes both the physical symptoms and their effect on your day seriously.
You do not need to know which treatment to ask for. Start with what has changed and what you want to be able to do again.
In their own words
We understand your experience of Craniocervical Instability (CCI)
People often describe it in their own words long before anyone gives it a name. If one of these sounds like you, you are in the right place.
“My headaches start at the base of my skull and get worse when I look down or hold my head up for long.”
“I get dizzy, foggy, or faint when I turn my head or sit upright for too long.”
“A neck brace or lying flat is the only thing that reliably helps.”
“I have hypermobility or EDS and my neurological symptoms keep getting worse.”
Illustrative experiences, in the words people commonly use. The portraits are AI-generated and do not show patients.
The 7 Domains of Recovery™
Your symptoms may belong in the same conversation.
Body position, neck function, balance, pain and autonomic responses can interact. We consider the seven domains while checking which findings need further clinical review.
Neuregen's proprietary 7 Domains of Recovery framework organizes that conversation around seven connected parts of your life and health. We consider all seven, then focus the evaluation on the questions your history raises.
Explore our clinical framework- 1Brain function & neural networks
What has changed in your memory, concentration, balance or sensory tolerance?
- 2Autonomic & nervous system regulation
What happens when you stand, move, rest or encounter stress?
- 3Immune function & neuroinflammation
What immune history, reactions or symptoms need a closer look?
- 4Brain energy & metabolic health
What affects your energy through the day and after activity?
- 5Structure, stability & body-to-brain signals
How do pain, posture, movement and stability affect what you can do?
- 6Psychological flexibility & behavioral recovery
How are mood, stress and patterns of coping affecting your day?
- 7Life, relationships & environment
What demands, relationships and support shape your recovery?
A plan starts with the things you want to do again.
We start with your symptom history and prior imaging or specialist reports. The examination guides whether further assessment, precautions or a different referral is needed.
01
Tell us what you want your life to look like
We start with what has changed, what you have tried, and the activities you most want to return to.
02
Answer the questions the history leaves open
We review prior reports and select relevant assessments. You should understand what each assessment is meant to clarify.
03
Agree on the priorities and the first steps
We discuss the findings, possible approaches, costs and practical constraints. The plan sets an order that fits your situation.
04
Check what changes and adjust together
We compare your response with the starting point, including daily function. If something is not helping, we discuss what needs to change.
Only then do we discuss which therapies, if any, belong in your plan. The choice depends on the findings, the evidence, your preferences and how you respond.
Talk through your situationNamed Condition Hub
Craniocervical Instability (CCI)
When the joint between your skull and neck stops holding the brainstem steady
Conceptual artwork for the care discussion. Individual findings and treatment options require clinical evaluation.
What is happening in your nervous system
The occiput, atlas, and axis are held together by a small set of ligaments, and those ligaments are the only thing keeping the skull from sliding on the neck. When they are lax from a connective tissue disorder such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or injured by whiplash or repeated trauma, the joint can move further than it should. That extra motion irritates the brainstem and upper cord, alters blood flow through the vertebral arteries, and floods the brain with unreliable position signals from the densely innervated upper cervical joints. Domain 5 (Structure, Stability & Body-to-Brain Signals) is the primary site. Domain 2 (Autonomic Regulation) is affected because the brainstem houses the autonomic control centers, which is why CCI so often presents with orthostatic intolerance, heart rate swings, and POTS-like symptoms. Domain 1 (Brain Function & Neural Networks) picks up the cost as brain fog, visual disturbance, and impaired balance. Imaging for CCI is contested: standard MRI is often read as normal, and upright or flexion-extension studies are interpreted differently across specialists. Neuregen treats the imaging as one input alongside the clinical examination, not as the whole answer.
Domains most involved:
Every plan starts from the same map: the 7 Domains of Recovery.
How it fits your plan
Evaluation comes first: a cervical and hypermobility examination, a vestibular and oculomotor assessment, an autonomic assessment, and a review of any imaging you already have. We decide case by case whether additional imaging would change the plan. Conservative care is the foundation for every CCI patient. That means progressive cervical stabilization rehabilitation, vestibular and oculomotor retraining, and autonomic rehabilitation when the brainstem picture is driving dysautonomia. Where the autonomic overlay is prominent, a stellate ganglion block may be used as one step inside the program. Regenerative injection approaches such as prolotherapy and PRP to the cervical ligaments carry emerging evidence for instability and are offered with explicit informed consent, never as a first step. Nerve hydrodissection may be considered for entrapment-related occipital and cervical pain. Neuregen does not perform fusion surgery. If your presentation warrants surgical evaluation, we say so and coordinate with the appropriate specialist.
We review your history, explain the findings, agree on next steps and check how you respond.
Potential Therapies
We use established medicine where it works, and emerging medicine where it makes sense.
These are options to discuss after evaluation, not a predetermined treatment plan. Each label refers to the condition or indication described beside that therapy; evidence can differ for another use. An evidence label does not mean FDA approval.
- Structural & Cervical AssessmentEvidence: Established
Cervical, hypermobility, vestibular-oculomotor, and autonomic examination as the diagnostic foundation.
- Cervical Stabilization RehabilitationEvidence: Established
Progressive deep cervical flexor and stabilizer training; the first-line intervention for CCI.
- Vestibular & Oculomotor RehabilitationEvidence: Established
Retraining the balance and eye-movement systems disrupted by upper cervical dysfunction.
- Autonomic RehabilitationEvidence: Established
HRV biofeedback, orthostatic conditioning, and vagal retraining when CCI is driving dysautonomia.
- Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)Evidence: Preliminary
For the autonomic overlay in CCI; used as one step inside the program, not a standalone treatment.
- Prolotherapy & PRP (cervical ligaments)Evidence: Emerging
Regenerative injection to lax cervical ligaments; emerging evidence, offered with informed consent after conservative care.
- Nerve HydrodissectionEvidence: Emerging
For occipital and cervical nerve entrapment contributing to the pain picture.
Where the evidence stands
Evidence varies by therapy and by condition. Each therapy on this page carries its own evidence label for this condition, from established to investigational.
How we grade evidence
The training behind this care
Dr. David George: Board certifications and training in functional neurology, integrative psychiatry, and mental health; certified brain injury specialist.
Training most relevant to this area
- Diplomate, American Chiropractic Neurology Board (DACNB, 2005)
- Co-developer, FNOR (Functional Neuro-Orthopedic Rehabilitation)
- NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
- Fellow, International Academy of Medical Acupuncture
- MUA Certified
- Vestibular rehabilitation (VRT)
- Advanced neurodiagnostics (EMG, NCV, SSEP, IOM, VNG)
These are the founder’s qualifications. We confirm the treating clinician and their role when discussing your plan.
See Dr. George’s full credentialsFrequently asked questions
What is craniocervical instability?
CCI is excessive movement at the joint between the skull and the top two cervical vertebrae, caused by lax or injured ligaments. Because the brainstem and upper spinal cord pass through this region, the instability can produce neurological and autonomic symptoms rather than only neck pain.
How is CCI diagnosed?
There is no single agreed test. Diagnosis rests on the clinical history, a physical examination that includes provocation of symptoms with head position, and imaging. Standard supine MRI is frequently read as normal, and upright or flexion-extension imaging is interpreted differently by different specialists. Neuregen reviews your existing imaging and examination findings together and tells you plainly what they do and do not show.
Is CCI related to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?
Yes. Connective tissue disorders such as EDS weaken the ligaments that stabilize the craniocervical junction, so CCI is more common in people with hypermobility. Whiplash and repeated head or neck trauma are the other common causes. The EDS hub covers the wider hypermobility picture.
Does Neuregen do fusion surgery for CCI?
No. Neuregen’s lane is conservative and interventional care: stabilization rehabilitation, vestibular and autonomic retraining, and evidence-labeled injection options. If your findings suggest surgical evaluation is appropriate, we tell you and coordinate with a neurosurgeon.
Is prolotherapy proven for CCI?
Not at the level of established care. Prolotherapy and PRP to the cervical ligaments carry emerging evidence for instability. Neuregen labels them as such, offers them only after conservative rehabilitation has been tried, and requires explicit informed consent with no outcome guarantee.
Start with a Strategy Consultation
A real clinical conversation, not a sales call. We review your history, answer your questions, and discuss with you whether Neuregen is the right fit.
8090 N. 85th Way, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 · Mon–Thu, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM