VAGUS NERVE SERIES- Part 2: WHEN VAGUS NERVE FUNCTION GOES AWRY

Posted on by prescottpt_c6iebr

When the Vagus Nerve is not functioning properly our emotional and physical well-being can suffer dramatically.

 

General Summary from Part 1

  • The Autonomic Nervous System controls many of our body’s automatic functions and is separated into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
  • The parasympathetic nervous system controls “rest and digest” functions. It’s the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response. Once a threat has been dealt with, the (healthy) parasympathetic nervous system will balance out the sympathetic nervous system so that you can return to a state of emotional regulation and healthy body function.
  • The vagus nerve Is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and does approximately 75% of the work of this system. It originates at base of brain and travels down into abdomen/ pelvis where it regulates many of our bodily functions.
  • When the vagus nerve is not functioning properly our emotional and physical well-being can suffer dramatically.

 

In Part 1 of this series we introduced the basic anatomy and function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and vagus nerve. In this article we adapt a more functional perspective look at what happens when it is no longer functioning properly and why it matters. In Part 3 we look at various treatments for vagus nerve dysfunction, as well as how brain integration and/or physical therapy can help.

Three states of the Autonomic Nervous system

Chart of the components of the Autonomic Nervous System

As we learned in Part 1, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) pathways regulate involuntary body activities such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, sweating, digestion, and sexual arousal. One of the jobs of the ANS is to prioritize the regulation of these functions by coordinating states of rest, “fight or flight”, and “freeze.”

The synchronized balance between these states ensures you can function from a healthy state and be ready to respond to potential threats as needed. All parts of the brain, body and higher self continuously communicate to best dictate how they should function in each moment. The ANS controls major body systems, is directly involved in the well-being of your physical and mental health, and sets the tone for the way you interact with the world.

To accomplish this, the ANS has three states that function in a hierarchical manner:

  1. Ventral Vagal (Parasympathetic) This is the “Rest and Digest” state. It allows you to feel safe, engaged, present, and enables you to effectively communicate and form healthy emotional attachments. It also manages bodily functions such as digestion, sleep, respiration, and reproduction when you are in this relaxed state.

    In this state your body is in constant communication with your brain, providing it with feedback and responding to both the internal state of your body and the to the external state of your environment. It is continuously determining whether or not we are safe, and if we need to be alert, or if it is okay to relax. It modulates the fight or flight response of the Sympathetic NS, and returns our bodies to a more relaxed and balanced state once the stress or danger has passed.

  2. Sympathetic– this is the state of Fight or Flight. It kicks in when safety and survival are at risk. This helps to mobilize us in the presence of an actual or perceived threat by increasing blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow to support the activity of response. This often happens when we are in a dangerous or emotionally stressful situation. Additionally, we experience this state during exercise, and sexual arousal.

  3.  Dorsal Vagal (Parasympathetic) If you cannot fight or flee, or if the danger is overwhelming, a protective “freeze state” ensues. Your body down regulates and causes metabolic shut down or causes us go numb to protect ourselves. When this state kicks in, the two other states shut down. The freeze state should be a temporary strategy to help cope with stressful or traumatic events.

 

Normal Autonomic & Vagus Nerve Function

A healthy parasympathetic nervous system allows us to flow fluidly between these states as our environment and situation requires. Fight/Flight states should only last for brief periods and then return to a normal calm condition, allowing for normal metabolic activity and social engagement. In this state we can learn, grow, develop relationships, and experience joy. This is the desired nervous system state most of the time.

 

Autonomic & Vagus Nerve Dysfunction

A state of dysfunction occurs when a relaxed ventral vagal (rest and digest”) state

Symptoms of Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction Chart

cannot be maintained. The brain no longer receives signals that it is safe to be calm, rest, or digest. It can no longer return to its normal, calm settings, but remains on high-alert (fight/flight) or becomes overwhelmed (freeze) due to prolonged stress, trauma, or disease, it defaults to deep seeded fight or flight programming, which may no longer be appropriate for the situation. This can quickly take a toll on our physical and emotional conditions.

Vagus nerve dysfunction can be seen in medical diagnosis such as: Chronic pain, chronic anxiety, fibromyalgia, POTS, Lyme’s disease, Long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal burnout, gastroparesis, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, and ADHD. Symptoms of vagus nerve dysfunction are listed in the chart above.

 

SUMMARY

Our ANS is designed to easily switch between different levels of alertness in order to coordinate vital bodily functions and states survival readiness. When the system is stuck in a high alert (fight/flight) or shut down (freeze) state, it is no longer able to function from a calm, healthy place. Assistance may be needed to return to the healthy state of “rest and digest” so that our minds can calm and our vital body processes can work they way they were designed to.

The good news is that help is available!

Vagus Nerve Physical Therapy Treatment Prescott Arizona

Symptoms of Chronic Freeze State

  • Feeling “stuck”                                                                         *  Feeling Anti-Social                                                                   *  Disengagement

  • Anxiety                                                                                     *  Lack of clarity                                                                           *  Irritability

  • Depression                                                                               *  Reduced productivity or creative flow                                     *  Loss of Joy

  • Apathy                                                                                      *  Inability to pursue goals                                                          *  Lack of Energy

 

Continue reading our Vagus Nerve Series:

       Vagus Nerve – Part 3 – Alternative Treatments for Vagus Nerve Dysfunctions

       Vagus Nerve – Part 4 – Simple Exercises to Balance the Vagus Nerve.

 

RESOURCES

Vagus Nerve Series- Part 1: The Geeky Basics of Nervous System Anatomy

Posted on by prescottpt_c6iebr

The Vagus Nerve is a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system, and when it is not functioning properly our emotions and physical well-being can suffer dramatically.

Welcome to our Vagus Nerve Series! The vagus nerve has gained a lot of attention in recent years. This is, in part, due to vagus nerve involvement in patients suffering with anxiety and with symptoms of chronic illness and chronic pain conditions, including Long COVID and PTSD. Its proper function is imperative to our emotional and physical well-being health.

This article highlights the very basic anatomy and function of the vagus nerve. The next three articles in this series will discuss what can happen when the vagus nerve is no longer functioning properly, alternative medicine treatment options, how McKinney Physical Therapy can help, and simple activities that you can do at home to balance out vagus nerve function.

NERVOUS SYSTEM ANATOMY

Nervous System Anatomy Chart

Our nervous systems are extremely complex, but they can be categorized into two basic parts- the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord. The PNS is comprised of all the nerves that come off the spinal cord that go out to the rest of our bodies, as well as our cranial nerves.

There are twelve cranial nerves that originate directly in the brain and provide sensory input for vision, hearing, taste, smell, and the vestibular system. They also provide sensation and motor function for the ear, mouth, face, tongue, and some neck muscles. The tenth cranial nerve (CNX) is the vagus nerve.

THE VAGUS NERVE (CN X)

The vagus nerve is a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system; performing about 75% of its function. Its job is to provide two way communication between the body and the brain on a moment to moment basis so that bodily functions can be regulated appropriately for a given situation. It provides sensory, motor, and parasympathetic functions throughout the body. This results in the stimulation of reflexes and functions such as heat rate, blood pressure, breathing, sweating, gagging, swallowing, coughing, mucus production, digestive processes, and more.

The vagus nerve starts at the base of the brain and traveling down to the abdomen and pelvis. It has two distinct branches that originate from the right and left side of the brain. Each side serves a very different function.

1. Dorsal Vagus Nerve

This nerve originates from the right side of your brain descends down the right side of your neck into your thorax where it joins the ventral vagus nerve.

2. Ventral Vagus Nerve

This nerve originates from the left side of your brain and descends down the left side of your neck into your thorax where it joints the dorsal vagus nerve.  These two branches come together and then, as one nerve, it branches out horizontally to connect your thoracic and abdominal organs to the brain. As it descends into the body, the vagus nerve splits off into several branches:

    • Pharyngeal and laryngeal branches go to the pharynx and larynx. This can affect the quality of your voice and ability to swallow. It can also affect your blood pressure.
    • Cardiac branches  go to the heart. This can affect your heart rate.

    • Pulmonary branches go to the bronchi. This can affect your breathing.

    • Esophageal branches go to the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, and small intestines and the cervix (in women). This helps to regulate many detailed digestive and sexual functions.

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) pathways regulate involuntary body activity such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, sweating, digestion, and sexual arousal. As the name implies, these are the automatic functions that you don’t have to think about to control.

The ANS is further separated into two main components; the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic nervous system controls your body’s “fight or flight” response- it helps us to stay safe (physically and emotionally) and survive. The parasympathetic nervous system helps to control your body’s response during times of rest and safety- it helps us to engage in life and thrive.

Your parasympathetic nervous system controls “rest and digest” functions. It’s the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response. When a threat or a moment of stress has passed, the parasympathetic nervous system will balance out the sympathetic nervous system so that we can return to a state of emotional regulation and healthy body function. The vagus nerve performs approximately 75% of the work of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Continue on to the next article in our series: Vagus Nerve Series, Part 2- When Vagus Nerve Function Goes Awry

 

RESOURCES

Hayden, Wendy. The Vagus Nerve Gut Brain Connection: Heal your Vagus Nerve and Improve Gut Health. 2021.

Park, Yumi. Unleash Your Vagus Nerve. Stimulate Your Vagal Tone and Activate Its Healing Power with Daily Exercises to overcome Anxiety, Depression, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Brain Fog, and Gut Sensitivities. 2022.

Rosenberg, S; Shield; B, Porges, S. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism. North Atlantic Books, 2017.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/202206/polyvagal-theory-approach-understanding-trauma

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22279-vagus-nerve

https://www.elsevier.com/resources/anatomy/nervous-system/peripheral-nervous-system/vagus-nerve/22197

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318128#further-research-and-considerations

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AnHlx3qZ30

What is Visceral Manipulation?

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What is Visceral Manipulation?

“Viscera” are the internal organs of the chest and abdomen such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines, gall bladder, heart, etc- and all the tissues that hold connect them. The core principal of visceral manipulation is that healthy organs need to be able to move within the body. If an organ is unable to move, your body will need to accommodate this either by limiting motion or creating a “work around” movement pattern to protect that organ. This can create pain in the short term, and/or postural asymmetries that can lead to pain and further damage down the road.

The goal of Visceral Manipulation is to release restrictions that can cause pain and movement problems so that you can feel and move better. Visceral Manipulation is a very gentle manual therapy treatment used to improve the mobility of organs, blood vessels, and their connective tissues.

how can organs cause pain and movement difficulties?

Your organs, blood vessels and nerves are not tacked solidly down inside your body cavity- they move when you reach, breath, and eat. They are held in place by fascia, membranes, and ligaments in a three dimensional way to allows for this movement. Sometimes factors such as poor posture, poor movement patterns, trauma, inflammation, infection, surgery and scarring can result in tensions or adhesions between connective tissue and membranes over organs and/or their ligaments (yes, organs have ligaments!) This can lead to restrictions in movement systems that causes pain- often somewhere else in the body- as the organs are forced to accommodate the condition.

A good analogy is to pull down on one side of your T-shirt while raising the arm on that same side. You will see and feel the pull from your lower abdomen all the way up in your shoulder. Now imagine that this T-shirt represents abdominal tissues with limited mobility. This tension could cause pain in the raised shoulder and change its bio-mechanics- even though there is nothing “wrong” with the shoulder joint itself. This pain is unlikely to improve with traditional physical therapy exercises, stretches, or mobilization to the shoulder itself, because the root cause of the problem- the restricted abdominal tissues– is not being addressed.

Conditions Can Be Treated with Visceral Manipulation

Conditions that can benefit from the use of Visceral Manipulation include:

  • Trauma Injuries such as whiplash, seat belt injuries, sports injuries, concussions, traumatic brain injuries
  • Musculo-Skeletal Disorders such as headaches, sciatica, back pain, hip pain, chest pain, sciatica spinal dysfunction, carpal tunnel syndrome, arm and leg pain
  • Pain Related to post-operative or post-infection scar tissue
  • Digestive Disorders such as bloating and constipation, nausea and acid reflux, GERD, swallowing difficulties
  • After Procedures and Surgeries such as hysterectomy, colonoscopy, stomach scope, or gall bladder removal

examples of visceral manipulation

There are many, many examples of how your organs can cause pain and difficulty with movement, but here are a few examples.

  • A person had their gallbladder removed 12 months ago and is now experiencing right shoulder pain. When the gall bladder was removed a scar was formed on the underside of the liver where it was once attached. This results in a small tension that restricts the liver’s natural ability to move along with your body. Normally, when you raise your right arm, your liver raises up a bit to accommodate the soft tissue connections they mutually share. However, because of this scar, the liver is unable to move as much as it once did. This results in a protective pain response, limiting shoulder motion when the arm is raised.
  • A person had an upper GI scope for a stomach ulcer a month ago, and is now unable to turn their head to the right because of pain. The esophagus is a highly muscular tube that connects your mouth with your stomach. During the procedure, the removal of the scope from the esophagus caused it to go into a muscular spasm. Because the stomach sits on the left side of the abdomen, the esophagus must lengthen when the head is turned to the right. However, it is not able to do this because of the spasm, resulting in a protective pain and difficulty when attempting to turn the head. When the muscle spasm in the esophagus is released, the protective response is no longer needed, and the neck pain is resolved.
  • People who have asthma often have chronic pain and restrictions in their neck and rib cage. The tubes in the lungs are made of smooth muscle and cartilage. During an asthma attack, these muscular tubes become tight and constricted- making it difficult to breath. When the asthma attack is over, some of the muscle can remain in spasm. This can cause pain and limited motion in the neck and thorax. Visceral manipulation treatments release the muscle tissues in these airways, allowing for improved mobility and a reduction of pain in this area. Some people even report improve ability to breath during exertion.

How often will I need Treatment?

Many people experience a significant improvement from visceral manipulation in three-five sessions while others may require more time.  While traditional therapy interventions are often carried out 1-3 times weekly, visceral manipulation is typically applied only time every one to three weeks to a given area.  This gives your body time to process and integrate the changes made during this session. (“the treatment session gently starts the healing process, and your body naturally finishes it over the following weeks.”)

“Eventually, disease and dysfunction rear their ugly heads, cropping up in destinations that can’t really be predicted…The symptoms of a visceral problem can be a backache, a joint problem…really, the effects can be felt everywhere.”              —  Dr. Jean- Pierre Barral

 

Visceral Manipulation can be an extremely valuable component of your physical therapy treatment plan. It can eliminate barriers to progress that are not addressed by typical P.T. interventions such as stretching, strengthening or other manual therapy techniques; and provide results that might not have otherwise occurred. McKinney Physical Therapy specializes in assessing/treating visceral mobility because we belief that a truly holistic view is necessary in order to fully restore the body for its best work, play and life.  Check us out! 

 

Resources:  https://www.barralinstitute.com/therapies/

 

What is Dry Needling? (And other dry needling FAQ)

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What is dry needling?

     and OTHER Dry Needling FAQ

 

We love dry needling treatments!  Dry needling is such a great way to jump start so many things in a physical therapy treatment.  It can quickly reduce pain, swelling, and kick-start the body’s healing process.  We have compiled the most common questions to help you learn more this treatment modality and determine if this is a good option for you.

 

Continue reading “What is Dry Needling? (And other dry needling FAQ)” →

How to Prepare for Your First Physical Therapy Visit

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Preparing for your First Physical Therapy Visit

What you can expect on Visit #1

WELCOME!  We are so glad you chose us as your Physical Therapy provider and we look forward to partnering with you in your recovery process! We have put together a few thoughts to help you make the most out of your first session.

Continue reading “How to Prepare for Your First Physical Therapy Visit” →

8 Ways We Reduce Your Concerns About Physical Therapy

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8 ways we reduce your concerns

about physical therapy

Over the years people have- often reluctantly- shared MANY concerns and fears they have about choosing physical therapy as their treatment of choice. And we admit, they are legitimate concerns. So lets talk about the herd of elephants in the room!

 

Continue reading “8 Ways We Reduce Your Concerns About Physical Therapy” →