Having Anxiety for No Apparent Reason? Your Tight Neck and Gut Issues May Be Part of the Picture
Updated: Oct 23
Kicki Hjortmarker is known for her broad knowledge and extensive experience working with the human body and mind to heal injuries and chronic pain conditions. She is the founder of Swedish Balance, dedicated to helping people live a balanced life pain-free.
Wondering why your neck always feels tight, stiff, and achy and how it relates to headaches and anxiety? Do stomach issues and neck tension seem connected? This article explores the potential links between these symptoms and vagus nerve function, helping you understand possible causes.
The head is heavy
On average, your head weighs about 11 pounds. In a neutral posture, where your head is directly over your spine and between your shoulders, the load is evenly distributed. However, tilting your head forward greatly increases leverage, causing your neck to bear much more weight. For example, the load can escalate from about 11 pounds to approximately 48.5 pounds with a forward head tilt. Prolonged neck flexion can strain the muscles, joints, and cervical discs and may contribute to nerve compression.
What triggers a pinched nerve in the neck?
A nerve in your neck can become pinched when a vertebra or disc compresses it. With consistent abnormal alignment of your neck and head, such as a forward tilt, discs can become damaged over time. Remember, the head is very heavy, especially if the load isn’t evenly distributed. This may eventually lead to compromised spinal discs.
Repetitive movement, injury, misalignment, or a direct blow to the neck can also cause pinched nerves.
What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve?
You might feel persistent tingling in your arms, hands, or fingers or a heavy weight on your shoulders. Trigger points may also form in the affected muscles. These trigger points can contribute to neck pain and headaches.
If your neck has restrictions, it may also affect the area surrounding the vagus nerve, a highly complex cranial nerve with many functions.
The jugular foramen is an opening in the skull through which the vagus nerve exits the cranium. The left and right jugular foramina are located near the foramen magnum, after which the vagus nerves continue into the neck.
What is the vagus nerve?
This complex nerve plays a crucial role in your body’s health, influencing many functions, from mood to digestion. It is the longest and most widespread cranial nerve in the body. Learning about it can help you feel more in control of your wellbeing.
Dr. John E. Upledger, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Fellow of the American Academy of Osteopathy, was a leading developer of CranioSacral Therapy in the United States. He suggested that the vagus nerve can contribute to a wide range of symptoms if compromised. It extends from the brain down through the neck, heart, and digestive system.
It thereby influences the heart and digestive system, including the pylorus, the muscular outlet of the stomach, as well as the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, and duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.
The vagus nerve is part of a two-way system connecting the organs and brain, sending messages back and forth.
What are the symptoms of a damaged vagus nerve?
Because the vagus nerve is incredibly complex and helps regulate many functions, damage to it can be linked to a long list of disorders.
To mention two of the many disorders I have come across, since the vagus nerve influences stress responses and helps regulate heartbeat and breathing, its impairment may be associated with fear and anxiety.
Another very common issue I encounter is digestive problems. They can have many causes, including damage to the vagus nerve.
Understanding this connection can help you consider targeted therapies for relief.
How do I know if my vagus nerve is pinched?
In addition to the signs above, symptoms that may indicate vagus nerve damage or dysfunction include persistent fatigue, unexplained dizziness, voice changes, and difficulty swallowing.
There is also evidence that vagus nerve dysfunction can contribute to blood pressure fluctuations and increased sensitivity to stress.
Can you treat the vagus nerve?
There are ways to support vagus nerve function through medical treatments and lifestyle changes, depending on the cause and severity of the condition. Exploring appropriate options with a qualified healthcare professional can help you manage symptoms and improve your overall wellbeing.
Some treatments focus on vagus nerve stimulation or addressing possible compression.
CranioSacral Therapy is a hands-on manual therapy that addresses the nervous system and may help some people.
Self-help techniques to relax and soothe the neck can help.
Manual therapy, such as gentle massage, may help relieve surrounding muscular tension.
Gentle decompression may help reduce stress on structures in the neck.
Gently strengthen and stretch the neck.
I have also found it helpful to work on tension around the jugular foramen and foramen magnum. Deactivating trigger points in the neck has helped reduce restrictions and improve mobility.
My last suggestion, as with many other conditions, is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.
Are you tired of not feeling your best? Are you trying to figure out what is going on with your head, neck, and gut? A full body assessment and treatment can help you on your journey towards an abundant, peaceful, and healthy life.
Call or text Kicki Hjortmarker at (1) 323 404 6613 and email her here.
Read more from Kicki Katarina Hjortmarker
Kicki Katarina Hjortmarker, Holistic Bodyworker
Kicki Hjortmarker has a solid background in the hands-on healing field, treating people with injuries and chronic pain conditions. With a holistic approach, she integrates Neuromuscular Massage Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Pilates, and more. To practice the artistry of mind/bodywork and massage therapy has been Kicki's lifelong passion. It started with the awareness of her own body as a child and ballet dancer, and, later, as a gymnast who developed chronic lower back pain whilst on the Swedish National Team in Rhythmic Sports Gymnastics. Decades later, she overcame nerve damage and temporary paralysis in one hand. This taught her to trust the healing power of body and mind, and that the body prefers holistic healing methods over conventional treatments. Her mission is to encourage and inspire others to do the same. To trust the healing power of body, mind, and spirit!
