How Digital Motion X-Ray Helps When the Neck Is the Missing Piece
If you’ve had a concussion from a car crash, sports injury, fall, or incident at work, you may have gone through:
- ER or urgent care.
- A brain CT or MRI.
- Neurology visits.
- Rest, medications, and maybe some rehab.
Yet months later, you may still have:
- Headaches.
- Neck pain or stiffness.
- Dizziness or “foggy” thinking.
- Difficulty concentrating or tolerating screens.
- A feeling that your head is too heavy for your neck.
At DMX Miami, we see patients from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, the Florida Keys, and from across Florida, the USA, Central and South America (Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Mexico), and the Caribbean who have “normal” brain imaging but clearly not-normal symptoms and often, their neck is the missing link.
Why the Neck Matters After a Concussion
Concussions rarely happen in slow motion. The same force that shakes the brain usually also:
- Whips the head and neck into rapid flexion and extension.
- Involves rotation, side-bending, or multiple direction changes.
- Stresses the ligaments that stabilize the upper cervical spine.
Even when the brain heals, ligamentous injury or instability in the neck can continue to:
- Irritate joints and muscles.
- Disrupt normal nerve input.
- Contribute to headaches, dizziness, and neck pain.
You may be told your concussion has “resolved,” yet your neck is still quietly unstable.
Signs Your Post-Concussion Symptoms May Involve the Neck
Neck-related post-concussion issues often include:
- Headaches that start at the base of the skull and travel upward.
- Pain or pressure when you hold your head in one position (computer, phone, driving).
- Dizziness or “off balance” feelings when turning your head.
- A sense of neck weakness or fatigue, especially at the end of the day.
These patterns don’t replace brain evaluation but they strongly suggest that the cervical spine needs closer attention.
Why Brain Imaging Alone Isn’t Enough
Brain CT and MRI are essential to rule out:
- Bleeding.
- Stroke.
- Tumors.
- Major brain swelling.
But they don’t evaluate:
- How your cervical vertebrae move in real time.
- Whether upper cervical ligaments are lax or unstable.
- Small changes in segmental motion that only appear with movement.
Static X-rays can miss these issues as well. That’s where Digital Motion X-Ray (DMX) can help.
How Digital Motion X-Ray Evaluates the Post-Concussion Neck
At DMX Miami, Digital Motion X-Ray allows us to:
- Record real-time fluoroscopic video of your cervical spine while you perform gentle, guided movements.
- Measure abnormal translation (sliding) and angulation (tilting) between vertebrae.
- Focus especially on the upper cervical segments often involved in post-concussion symptoms.
- Correlate your symptom triggers with the way your neck actually moves.
We’re not replacing brain imaging—we’re adding a motion-based view of your spine.
How DMX Findings Help Your Care Team
DMX results can support:
- 🧠 Neurologists and concussion specialists, who may suspect neck involvement but need objective data.
- 🧑⚕️ Chiropractors and physical therapists, who design stabilization and rehab plans for the cervical spine.
- 💉 Pain and regenerative physicians, who need precise targets for any interventional treatments.
- ⚖️ Attorneys in med-legal cases, when concussion and whiplash are both at issue.
For you, DMX helps answer:
“Is my neck still injured in a way that explains why I don’t feel right?”
Who Should Consider DMX After a Concussion?
DMX may be appropriate to discuss with your providers if:
- Your concussion came from a car accident, sports impact, or fall.
- You still have neck pain, headaches, or dizziness months later.
- Brain imaging is normal or shows only mild findings.
- Your symptoms are clearly influenced by neck movement or posture.
DMX isn’t an emergency test it’s a precision tool for chronic, unresolved cases.
Why Post-Concussion Patients Travel to DMX Miami
Patients choose DMX Miami because we:
- Specialize in motion-based imaging of the cervical spine.
- Understand the overlap between concussion, neck injury, headaches, and dizziness.
- Provide detailed reports for care teams in South Florida, the rest of Florida and the USA, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
- Offer bilingual support in English and Spanish.
If Your Brain Scan Is Normal but You’re Not, Don’t Forget Your Neck
If you’re still feeling “off” long after a concussion, the missing answer may be in the way your neck moves not just in your brain.
Learn more: Treatment
Schedule your appointment today: Appointments
Call 305-275-7475 or book your appointment online
Dr. Rodolfo Alfonso, D.C.
Dr. Mark N. Berry, D.C.
Sunset Chiropractic and Wellness
8585 Sunset Dr. STE 102
Miami, Florida 33143