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Neurology 248 — at a Glance
| Course: | Neurology 248: NMS Implications of Low Axial Tone |
| Faculty: | Michael Hall, DC, FIACN · Neurology Faculty, CCEDseminars |
| Format: | On-demand online video with case walk-throughs and assessment · downloadable handouts · instant certificate |
| Pricing: | $20/hr · automatic 10% off at 6–9 hrs, 20% off at 10+ hrs in one order · no promo codes |
| Approval: | PACE Provider #34015544 · co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College · acceptance varies by state |
Board-approved · PACE Provider #34015544 · CE Broker auto-reporting for states served · Instant certificate
The most commonly mistreated finding in a postural case is a tight paraspinal that is not actually tight. Low axial tone reads as hypertonus or spasm because the muscle is working continuously to hold up a trunk that has stopped holding itself — and releasing it makes the problem worse, not better.
This two-hour course covers axial tone properly: its definition, the axial-versus-appendicular distinction, and paraspinal anatomy and physiology including origin and insertion, innervation and fatty infiltration. It then works through low tone implications — clinical considerations for postural syndromes and clinical significance for orthopedic conditions, with its association with forward head posture and gibbus deformity — and closes on procedures to enhance low tone.
Choose Your Neurology Path — Three Lanes, One Curriculum
The Neurology series runs from what you can measure at the bedside, through the brain systems that explain the findings, to the structures a chiropractor treats, the developing nervous system, and the risks worth screening for. Courses 201–230 are built out here, within a larger clinical-neurology curriculum; each is two hours.
1 · Examination, Testing and Clinical Reasoning
What you measure and what it means — oximetry, vital signs, reflexes, sensory testing, outcome measures and the differential behind a collapse.
203: Pulse Oximetry in Chiropractic
208: Vital Signs for Chiropractors
210: Chiropractic Clinical Case Studies
211: Reflex Assessment in Chiropractic
213: Neurology Tests for Chiropractors
222: Somatosensory Examination Review
224: Outcome Assessments: Neurologic Perspective
235: Syncope
236: Accurate Sensory Testing & the Clinical Examination
2 · Brain Systems, Cognition and Mood
The cortical, cerebellar and limbic files — pain and the CNS, the pyramidal system, frontal lobes and cerebellum, memory, mood, smell and what the brain is popularly believed to do.
202: Pain & the Central Nervous System
204: Clinical Aspects of the Pyramidal Man
205: Functional Neurology & Frontal Lobes
206: Functional Neurology & the Cerebellum
223: Myths of the Brain
228: The Neurophysiology of Happiness
229: Clinical Perspectives Surrounding Memory
233: Anxiety in America
237: The Nose Knows
238: The Science of Happiness
3 · Spine, Posture and Craniocervical
Where neurology meets the structures a chiropractor treats — the cord, the vestibular system, the craniocervical junction, the cervical curve, sleep posture and the mechanics of the ribcage. You are here: Neurology 248.
201: Chiropractic Myelopathy Management
207: Exploring the Vestibular System
209: Guzay’s Theorem & Craniocervical Neurology
225: Current Perspectives of Sleep Posture
231: Ribs and Breathing
234: The Cervical Lordosis
245: Arnold Chiari, Forward Head Posture & Low Spinal Tone
246: The Amazing Trapezius
248: NMS Implications of Low Axial Tone
4 · Pediatric and Developmental Neurology
The developing nervous system from birth through adolescence — early plasticity, developmental milestones, and concussion in children and teens.
212: Pediatric Concussion Management
217: The Concussed Teen and Return to Learn
221: Brain Rules for Babies
226: Pediatric Pearls (Ages 0–3)
227: The Vital Child (Ages 5–12)
241: Educating Boys and Girls
242: Think, Learn, Succeed
243: Pediatric Pearls from the Kids Summit
5 · Motor Control, Tone and Peripheral Nerve
The motor system from cortex to muscle — upper motor neuron anatomy and signs, tone and spasticity, movement disorders and peripheral nerve involvement.
215: Dopamine, Parkinson’s & Chiropractic
218: Chiropractic Perspectives on Tone
240: The Upper Motor Neuron
244: Can Weakness in My Eyes Affect My Neck and Back?
247: Time to Get a Grip
249: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
250: Fun with Tunnel Syndromes
6 · Autonomic, Vascular and Brain-Health Risk
The autonomic and vascular side of practice — sympathetic and vagal regulation, blood pressure, digestion, stroke risk, and the lifestyle factors that move long-term brain health.
214: Depression and Exercise
216: Is Fitness Important to Health?
219: Cervicogenic Hypertension
220: Chiropractic Stroke Risk Assessment
230: Low Stomach Acid & the Burp Test
232: The IML — Structure, Function & Relevance
239: Dysautonomia
Every course in the series is 2 PACE-approved CE hours at $40, and the automatic bundle discounts apply across the whole lane.
What You'll Learn in Neurology 248
Understand the concept of axial tone and distinguish it from appendicular manifestations
Describe paraspinal anatomy and physiology, including innervation and fatty infiltration
Identify clinical implications linked to postural syndromes and orthopedic conditions
Master procedures to enhance low tone, rather than treating the compensatory tightness
Your Neurology Faculty
Michael Hall, DC, FIACN,instructor of this course and of the entire Neurology curriculum. A chiropractic neurology specialist, founder of BrainDC.org and Neurology Faculty at CCEDseminars, with more than 30 years of clinical and academic experience. He teaches functional neurology, neurological assessment and clinical neuroscience with an emphasis on case-based, evidence-informed application — translating complex neurological concepts into clinical reasoning a general practice can use.
Monte Horne, DC,reviewer of this course. Founder and CE Program Director of CCEDseminars, a Designated Doctor for the Texas Department of Insurance and a peer reviewer and expert witness.
Full bios and the complete instructor roster: CCEDseminars faculty page.
Where Neurology CE Hours Count — State Rules Worth Knowing
Clinical neurology coursework is clinical subject matter — assessment, diagnosis and case management — which is exactly what several state boards ask for. In Iowa, these hours serve the 36-hour clinical case-management minimum; in Rhode Island, they address the 50-of-60 clinical requirement; and in Vermont — where practice-building coursework earns nothing — patient-care education like this counts fully under the clinical-focus rule.
Online-format allowances still vary by state — some accept every hour online, others cap distance learning or require in-person blocks. Check your state's guide in the full state directory before building your renewal plan.
Build Your Neurology Block
Every course in the Neurology series runs 2 hours at $40, so the automatic discounts do the bundling for you: 6–9 hours in one order earns 10% off, and 10 or more earns 20% off — courses 201–210 together are 20 hours, well past the 20% tier at roughly $320 instead of $400. The full Chiropractic Clinical Neurology (CCN) 201–224 bundle runs 48 hours if you are working toward the certification. 2 CE hours,$40 Browse Neurology Courses
Neurology 248 — Frequently Asked Questions
What is low axial tone, and why is it missed?
Axial tone is the tone of the trunk and neck — the postural core. It is missed because low axial tone is routinely misread as hypertonus or spasm: the paraspinals feel tight because they are working overtime to hold a trunk that is not holding itself, and tightness gets treated instead of the weakness underneath it.
How do I differentiate axial from appendicular?
That distinction is the opening section and the first learning objective. A patient can present with low axial tone and entirely normal limb tone, and the two lead to different management — which is why the course treats the differentiation as a skill rather than a definition.
What does the course cover on paraspinal anatomy?
Origin and insertion, innervation, and fatty infiltration. Fatty infiltration is the one worth flagging — it is a measurable structural consequence of chronic low tone and disuse, and it changes what you can expect from a muscle before you start.
What conditions is low axial tone implicated in?
The course covers clinical considerations for postural syndromes and clinical significance for orthopedic conditions, including its association with forward head posture and gibbus deformity. The theme throughout is that a postural syndrome resistant to treatment often has a tone problem underneath it.
Can low axial tone be improved?
Yes — there is a dedicated section on procedures to enhance low tone, and mastering those procedures is a stated objective. Improving tone is treated as a training problem with a protocol, which is a different task from releasing tissue that feels tight.
State Approval and Licensing Reminder
Continuing education requirements — including online-hour caps and clinical-hour minimums — vary by jurisdiction. Review the online chiropractic CE guidelines page and contact CCEDseminars with questions about your specific licensing requirements before registering.
Ready to Enroll in Neurology 248?
Low tone that presents as tightness is the trap. This course covers the distinction, the anatomy and the procedures.
CCEDseminars · PACE Provider #34015544 · Reviewed by Monte Horne, DC · Last updated September 3, 2026 (CT)