NUCCA Upper Cervical Chiropractor, Austin TX
Precision Alignment.
Lasting Relief.
Dr. Shelley Lorenzen has spent 19 years mastering the most precise, gentle chiropractic technique in the world. No cracking. No twisting. Just one precise correction that changes everything.
The atlas vertebra. Where alignment begins.
What Brings You Here?
Conditions We Address
Meet Dr. Shelley
From Wisconsin to Austin.
From Palmer to your C1 vertebra.
Raised in Colfax, Wisconsin, a town with more cows than people and not a single stop sign, Dr. Shelley Lorenzen was a three-sport athlete who understood her body as an instrument. Biology at UW-La Crosse. Chiropractic doctorate at Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa.
Then, at a 2003 conference in Chicago, she discovered NUCCA, the most precise chiropractic technique in existence. Everything changed. She moved to Austin in 2006, spent 19 years perfecting the art, and in 2025 launched her own solo practice: Top Atlas Chiropractic.
When she's not in the office, she's instructing Lagree fitness classes, running Austin's trails, or at home with Arjen (her yellow lab), 16 chickens, and 3 ducks.
The NUCCA Method
How NUCCA Works
Structural solutions to unresolved health problems. Three steps to precision alignment.
Precise X-Ray Analysis
Before any adjustment, Dr. Shelley takes specialized X-rays to calculate the exact angle and direction of your atlas misalignment. This isn't guesswork. It's engineering.
Custom Correction Angle
Using your X-ray data, a correction vector is calculated unique to your anatomy. No two adjustments are the same, because no two spines are the same.
Gentle Atlas Adjustment
A precise, gentle touch at the base of the skull. No cracking. No twisting. No popping. One small correction to the atlas changes the alignment of your entire spine.
By the Numbers
The 19-Year Difference
Years Practicing NUCCA
Years as Lagree Instructor
New Patient Investment
Procedures Involving Cracking
Patient Stories
They Tried Everything Else First
Most NUCCA patients arrive after years of searching for answers. Here's what happened when they found theirs.
“I had been to two chiropractors and three neurologists before finding Dr. Shelley. After my first NUCCA adjustment, the migraines that had controlled my life for eight years started fading. Three months later, I ran my first 5K without a single episode.”
Sarah M.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
“The vertigo was so bad I couldn't drive. My ENT couldn't explain it, physical therapy didn't help, and medication just made me drowsy. Dr. Shelley found a 3-degree atlas rotation. Within 14 weeks I saw a 60% improvement. Within six months, the vertigo was gone.”
David K.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
“After my concussion playing club soccer, I couldn't focus, couldn't sleep, and the headaches never stopped. My athletic trainer recommended NUCCA as a last resort. Dr. Shelley got me back on the field in ten weeks. I wish I'd found her first.”
Michelle R.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
“I've been a runner for 25 years. The chronic neck and shoulder tension was stealing my form and my joy. One NUCCA adjustment and I felt straighter than I had in a decade. No cracking. No drama. Just precision. I'm running faster at 52 than I did at 45.”
James T.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
“Waking up exhausted every morning despite eight hours in bed. TMJ pain that made eating painful. My dentist suggested a night guard, but Dr. Shelley suggested something different: check the atlas. Two adjustments later, I was sleeping through the night.”
Lisa C.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
“I was skeptical. How could touching the top of my neck fix my lower back pain? But after three visits with Dr. Shelley, I understood. When the foundation is straight, everything above it falls into place. I canceled my back surgery consult.”
Robert A.
NUCCA Patient, Austin TX
Available 24/7
Questions at 2am?
Dr. Shelley's AI assistant can answer your questions about NUCCA care, walk you through what to expect, or help you decide if upper cervical chiropractic is right for you.