Chronic neck pain, chronic back pain, and chronic anxiety are three of the most common thieves of life enjoyment. And, as you will soon find out, they have a lot in common. 

The October 2022 issue of Newsweek magazine covers “The Anxiety Epidemic” noting that anxiety affects ⅓ of Americans.

Among adults at any given time the NIH reports that 20% will have neck or back pain. 

THE COMMONALITY BETWEEN CHRONIC PAIN AND ANXIETY

Chronic neck pain, chronic back pain, and chronic anxiety among a range of other problems have a few common problems. What are they?

• IMBALANCE: anytime there is a chronic issue it indicates some imbalance in the body that the body is having a challenge correcting. 

When the structure of the body is out of balance it puts stress and tension on the nervous system. Pain and anxiety is related in part to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. 

Pain and stress activate the sympathetic nervous system which inhibits the Vagus Nerve. This causes more pain and inflammation and becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. 

Misalignments and imbalance in the upper neck and turn down activity of the Vagus Nerve due to the nerve passing right in front of the top 2 bones in the neck. 

Misalignments in the mid and lower back tend to turn up activity of the sympathetic nervous system, driving increased muscle tension, inflammation and pain.

• VAGUS NERVE: for a wide variety of reasons people with chronic pain and/or anxiety tend to have lowered function of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve performs a number of key functions in maintaining health such as:
• Lowered inflammation
• Healthy digestion
• Healthy heart rate and blood pressure
• Quality sleep
• Healthy immune response
• Rest and recovery

Correcting structural imbalances and misalignments goes a long way toward correcting the underlying cause of chronic pain and anxiety. However, the longer the pain and/or anxiety has been an issue the more suppressed the Vagus Nerve is in its function. 

The answer to this challenge is to “exercise” the Vagus Nerve to increase its activity or tone. Doing this has an almost immediate impact on a reduction of tension in the body, deeper relaxation, and a calming of anxiety. 

When you want to build a new pattern, a new habit, a new way of being there are a couple of key principles that hold true. The science of change in the nervous system is called neuroplasticity. The 3 keys to building change in the nervous system are:

#1 TIME: the nervous system learns in small chunks. Activating the vagus nerve is best in short segments.

#2 FOCUS: paying attention to what you are doing while you do vagus nerve practices helps the brain and nervous system make changes.

#3 REPETITION: in order to make changes and improve vagus nerve function the vagus activation practices need to be repeated on a regular basis. This typically means multiple times a day for short durations. 

Chronic pain and anxiety is the result of structural and neurological imbalances in the body.  The neurological imbalances almost always result in an overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system relative to the vagus nerve.

Corrective chiropractic is exceptional at addressing the structural causes of nerve irritation. Beyond chiropractic the vagus nerve almost always requires the addition of practices that activate the vagus nerve. 

To schedule your first visit at Life Chiropractic of Grass Valley go here: Schedule Here.

About Dr. Berkowitz  

Bringing more than 3 decades of practice experience, Dr. Bill Berkowitz focuses on balancing and corrective care, applying his expertise to provide patients with predictable, repeatable and measurable results.

Dr. Bill consistently strives to enhance the well-being of his patients by addressing the root imbalances of their problems and promoting optimal balance, alignment, and function of the spine and nervous system.  

Bill’s wealth of knowledge and experience has allowed him to develop a nuanced understanding of the human body and its intricate connections. With each adjustment, he supports the body in returning to a state of balance that goes beyond mere symptom relief, focusing instead on long-term correction for his patients’ well-being.