The structural health of the neck is not just the maintenance of muscles, but the maintenance of;
(1)The Ligaments; That support the vertebrae but have a minimal blood supply, unlike muscle tissue. Ligaments are the tissue system that binds bones together supporting joints and regulating their range of movement. Being poor in blood supply, they do not heal easily and are prone to calcium deposits, causing wear and tear arthritic changes to the joints. This can cause friction against the wall of the Vertebral Arteries as they pass through the Cervical Vertebrae ? wearing the wall thin and or, impeding the flow. Ligaments need deep massage and traction to promote good blood supply, full ranges of movement and the re-absorption of calcium deposits.
(2)The Vertebral Arteries travel up through the vertebral foramina of each cervical vertebra. They enter the spine at the level of the 6th cervical vertebra (base of the neck) and travel up to the head where, to get into the cranium the vertebral arteries take, Two 90degree turns to supply about two thirds of the blood supply to the brain - which needs a minute to minute supply of glucose and oxygen to maintain its normal function. The vertebral arteries supply the deeper, autonomic centers of the brain, if the blood supply is diminished to these areas we have all types of dysfunctional conditions arising ? particularly as we age! If you can help to maintain the structural integrity of your cervical spine (neck) and therefore the blood supply to your brain the better you are going to be getting older ? as gravity grinds us ALL into the ground ?the inexorable factor?. People forget that GRAVITY is the main reason we need 8 hours sleep a day and that our ?Rigging? is our best way to pass this force through us, with as little wear and tear as possible.
(3)The area known as the ?Sub Occiput? is the level of the neck where the spine articulates with the base of the head, or cranium.
Traction and deep inhibition to this area can affect our function through the many important physiological centers that are situated at the top of the neck. The Carotid sinus, at the top of the Carotid arteries carries the other third of the blood supply to the brain. This collection of nerves controls feedback information from the hearts pumping, for regulation of blood pressure.
The 10th cranial nerve ?The Vagus Nerve? leaves the cranium in this region and is one half of the control on the hearts rate of beating. The vagal nerve supplies rhythmic nerve impulses/control to the motor functions of most of the gastro-intestinal system, our ?peristalsis? or gut ?motion?.
The amount of muscle investment in the Sub Occiput is great ? it needs to turn the head very quickly ? with control, it needs to hold the heaviest part of our body on the top of two small condyles and not impair that blood supply or pinch those nerve. These muscles are intimately connected to the muscles of mastication and all the emotional elements that the mouth and jaw can bring up ? that makes us grind our teeth at night or clench so tight we wake with a pounding headache. The Sub Occiput can be tight when we go to bed, impairing our sleep and even tighter the next morning, the impairment of blood supply can be debilitating, the whole cycle repeating more and more intensely each day.
There are so many control mechanisms in the Sub Occipital Region and the rest of the neck and spine, that normal structural integrity is very, very important to the normality of most of our ?Function?. Most professional Physical Therapists, which are Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Naturopaths and Masseur?s have this knowledge, spend a little time to get to know a good one and you will have a much stronger armory to approach Diss-ease and generally live a better quality of life.
Dr M.C.Nelson.D.O. A Melbourne Osteopath, trained in the U.K. at the European School of Osteopathy. Qualified in 1981, worked in private practice and lecturing in technique to French Physiotherapists in England, before returning to Australia and work in sports medicine clinics such as Brighton spinal and sports medicine clinic.
Started to develop Dr Nelson's S.O.S. from http://www.sosheadache.com during the late eighties-early nineties with a strong interest in headaches and peoples ability to heal themselves. Dr Nelson sees private patients at home these days and devotes most of his time to getting the S.O.S. out to people.