The ligamentous cervical instability etiology of human disease from the forward head-facedown lifestyle: emphasis on obstruction of fluid flow into and out of the brain
Ross Hauser, MD, Danielle R Steilen-Matias, PA, Benjamin Rawlings. The ligamentous cervical instability etiology of human disease from the forward head-facedown lifestyle: emphasis on obstruction of fluid flow into and out of the brain. Front. Neurol., 26 November 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1430390
Abstract
Ligamentous cervical instability, especially ligamentous upper cervical instability, can be the missing structural cause and/or co-morbidity for many chronic disabling brain and systemic body symptoms and diagnoses. Due to the forward head-facedown lifestyle from excessive computer and cell phone usage, the posterior ligament complex of the cervical spine undergoes a slow stretch termed “creep” which can, over time, lead to cervical instability and a breakdown of the cervical curve. As this degenerative process continues, the cervical curve straightens and ultimately becomes kyphotic, a process called cervical dysstructure; simultaneously, the atlas (C1) moves forward, both of which can lead to encroachment of the structures in the carotid sheath, especially the internal jugular veins and vagus nerves. This obstruction of fluid flow can account for many brain diseases, and compression and stretch of the vagus nerve for body diseases, including dysautonomia. This article describes the consequences of impaired fluid flow into and out of the brain, especially venous flow through the internal jugular veins, leading to intracranial hypertension (formerly called pseudotumor cerebri). Cervical structural, internal jugular vein, and optic nerve sheath measurements are presented from a retrospective chart review of 227 consecutive patients with no obvious cause for 1 of 8 specific brain or mental health symptoms—anxiety, brain fog, concentration difficulty, depression/hopelessness, headaches, obsessive thoughts, panic attacks, and rumination on traumatic events. A case example is given to demonstrate how cervical structural treatments can open up internal jugular veins and improve a patient’s chronic symptoms.
Introduction
Many chronic brain disorders are thought to occur primarily because of brain physiology, including brain fog, fatigue, cognitive decline, emotional lability, and mental health conditions such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, depersonalization, and dissociative disorders. There is a mental health crisis in the United States that continues to worsen. The percentage of American adults that suffer from a mental illness has increased from 17.7% (40.7 million people) in 2008 to 20% (57.8 million people) in 2021 (1, 2). According to the World Health Organization, it expects depression, which is the most common mental disorder, to become the largest single healthcare burden by 2030 (3). The meteoric rise of cognitive and mental health disorders may be explained by many factors, but one potential cause could be a breakdown of the cervical neck curve and ligamentous cervical instability due to the forward head-facedown lifestyle (FH-FDL) from poor posture while using electronic devices, leading to impairment of fluid flow out of the brain via compression of the internal jugular veins in the carotid sheath.