HOW A PAIN IN THE NECK COULD BE BAD FOR YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

Chiropractors have long known that tackling pain and stiffness by “adjusting” the neck through manipulation can also lower blood pressure—but the reasons were never clear. Now a team led by Professor Jim Deuchars has examined pathways between the neck and the brain to show how the neck muscles could play a crucial role in controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

Their study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, provides the first evidence for a role for these connections in influencing brain regions which control body functions that we don't need to think about, such as breathing and blood pressure.

They propose that nervous signals from the neck could play a key role in ensuring that adequate blood supply is maintained to the brain as we change posture, such as from lying down to standing up. Where such signaling fails, we can suffer problems with balance and blood pressure.

The findings offer a clear rationale for manipulative treatments: “Reports from chiropractic journals say that manipulating the neck region helps to reduce blood pressure in some people,” Prof Deuchars explained. “By identifying the pathways we can see why these treatments might work and it could also explain why some people suffering whiplash injuries may experience a change in their blood pressure.”

“The work also contributes to understanding postural hypotension—fainting which can be caused by standing up too fast. The neck muscles could be a part of the system which normally prevents this from happening by sending signals to the brain upon neck movement that posture has changed.”