By Dr. Rusty Lavender, D.C. — upper cervical chiropractor, Lavender Family Chiropractic, Sarasota, FL. Reviewed and updated October 2026.
In short: Paraspinal infrared thermography is a non-contact scan that reads skin temperature on each side of the spine. Skin temperature is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, so a side-to-side pattern that is uneven and stays uneven is a measurable sign of uneven nervous system regulation. At Lavender Family Chiropractic in Sarasota we scan before and after every Knee Chest correction, and the scan decides whether a correction is needed at all. It involves no radiation. Call (941) 243-3729.
What the scan measures
The skin over your spine is supplied by small blood vessels whose diameter is set, moment to moment, by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. When that regulation is even, the left and right sides of the neck and back run within a few tenths of a degree of each other. When it is uneven at a given spinal level, one side runs warmer or cooler than the other, and the difference shows up as a thermal asymmetry.
The scanner we use (a Tytron handheld infrared unit) has two sensors that glide along the spine about an inch apart without touching the skin, taking paired readings from the base of the skull down. The result is a graph of left and right temperature by level, and a third line showing the difference between them. The scan takes well under a minute, is silent, involves no contact and no radiation, and is tolerated easily by children and by patients who are sensitive to touch.
How it guides care at our Sarasota office
The upper cervical approach is built on a simple rule: correct the atlas only when it needs correcting, and leave it alone when it is holding. Thermography is how we apply that rule. At every visit we scan first. If the pattern is balanced and matches your baseline, your correction is holding and we do not adjust. If the pattern is uneven in the way your earlier scans have shown, we correct and then re-scan to confirm the nervous system responded. Visit to visit, the scans show how long a correction holds, which is how we decide when to space appointments out. It is also how we avoid over-adjusting, which matters more in the upper neck than anywhere else in the spine.
The 3D CBCT image is taken once, at the start of care, to measure the position of the atlas and axis. Thermography is the companion measurement: structure once, function every visit. Together they are why we say results are measured rather than assumed.
What the research supports
The question a careful patient should ask of any measurement is whether it gives the same answer twice. For paraspinal thermography, that has been tested directly. A 2011 study in PLoS One had two clinicians scan 100 people with a commercially available infrared scanner; intra-class correlation coefficients for agreement and consistency ranged from 0.959 to 0.976, which the authors described as excellent intra-examiner and inter-examiner reproducibility. A 2004 reliability study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics used the same Tytron C-3000 scanner we use, with two examiners each scanning thirty people twice; intra-examiner coefficients ranged from 0.953 to 0.984 and inter-examiner from 0.918 to 0.975, and the authors concluded that changes seen on properly performed scans are most likely real physiological changes rather than equipment error.
On what the asymmetry means, a 2021 systematic review in the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H covering 25 studies of infrared thermography in musculoskeletal and temporomandibular disorders found that healthy people show only subtle temperature differences between matching left and right areas, while people with one-sided symptoms may show differences of 0.4°C or more, and described infrared thermography as a valuable supporting assessment in this field. A 2026 case report in Cureus describing Knee Chest upper cervical care for a patient with long-standing vertigo documented thermographic findings consistent with upper cervical dysfunction as part of the examination that guided care. The through-line is that the scan is reproducible, that symptomatic asymmetry is measurable, and that it belongs alongside the history, the examination, and the imaging rather than in place of them.
What thermography does not do
It does not diagnose a disease, image the spine, or replace a physician’s evaluation of a new or changing neurological symptom. A thermal asymmetry tells us the autonomic nervous system is regulating unevenly at a level; it does not tell us why on its own. That is what the history, the neurological examination, and the 3D imaging are for. We read the scan in that context, we compare every scan with your own baseline rather than with a population average, and we repeat it the same way every visit so the comparison is fair.
What to expect at your first scan
You sit upright. The scanner is passed along the back of your neck and spine without touching you, from the base of the skull downward, and the graph appears on the screen beside you. We go over it with you, explain what the pattern shows and what it does not, and keep it as the baseline every later scan is measured against. Thermography is one part of the first-visit examination, alongside the consultation, functional nervous system scans, and, when the examination points to the upper neck, 3D CBCT imaging. Each step is described on our what to expect page, and the broader approach on our upper cervical chiropractic care page.
Our office is at 5899 Whitfield Avenue, Suite 107, Sarasota, FL 34243, at University Parkway and Whitfield Avenue. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Wondering why some visits end without an adjustment? Our guide to what “holding” means explains how thermography decides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does paraspinal infrared thermography measure?
Skin temperature on each side of the spine, level by level, from a non-contact infrared scan. Skin temperature is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, so a persistent side-to-side difference reflects uneven nervous system regulation at that level. A balanced pattern shows the system regulating evenly.
What does a thermography scan feel like?
Nothing. The scanner glides along the back of the neck and spine without touching the skin and the scan takes well under a minute. There is no pressure, no sound, and no preparation beyond sitting still.
Does thermography involve any radiation?
No. It reads heat your body already emits; nothing is sent into you. That is why we can use it at every visit, before and after each correction, without concern. The 3D CBCT image is taken once at the start of care; thermography tracks nervous system function from then on.
Is thermography reliable?
Reproducibility has been tested directly. Two published reliability studies, one of them using the same Tytron scanner we use, reported intra- and inter-examiner correlation coefficients between 0.91 and 0.98, which is excellent agreement. What the scan measures is reliable; interpreting what it means is done alongside your history, examination, and imaging.
How does thermography guide my care?
The pre-correction scan tells us whether the nervous system is showing stress that day. If the pattern is balanced, your correction is holding and we do not correct. If it is uneven, we correct and re-scan to confirm the response. Over time the scans show how long corrections hold, which is how we decide when to space visits out.
Can thermography tell me what is causing my symptoms?
Not by itself. It shows where the nervous system is regulating unevenly, not why. The cause is worked out from the history, the neurological examination, and 3D imaging of the atlas and axis. If those point away from the upper neck, we say so and refer you to the provider who fits.
How often do Sarasota patients get scanned?
Every visit, before and after any correction. Because the scan is non-contact and has no radiation, there is no limit to repeating it, and the comparison with your own baseline is what makes it useful.
Find out whether your upper neck is part of the problem
Call (941) 243-3729 or book online. Lavender Family Chiropractic in Sarasota, Florida offers a thorough upper cervical evaluation to find out whether we can help.
