Ross Hauser, MD.
We see many adolescents who have horrible neck curves. These teenagers are having all sorts of health issues. They can’t think straight, they can’t problem solve, and their personality has changed (this is a significant symptom in suspecting vagus nerve problems). They have a very dysfunctional cervical curve that is messing up the brain pressure, the fluid flow in and out of the brain, and they suffer from rage, stress, and anxiety. The vagus nerve is responsible for calming someone down. If the vagus function is altered, suppressed, or compromised, the ability to control rage is greatly diminished.
Text neck syndrome—also called tech neck—is a repetitive-stress injury caused by prolonged forward head posture while using smartphones, tablets, and computers. In a neutral position, the human head exerts about 10–12 pounds (4.5–5.5 kg) of force on the cervical spine. For every 15 degrees the head tilts forward, that load roughly doubles. At a 60-degree angle (common when looking down at a phone), the effective force on the neck can reach approximately 60 pounds (27 kg).
The vagus nerve, jugular veins, vertebral arteries, spinal cord, and cerebral spinal fluid all pass through the neck. When the cervical spine loses its normal alignment, these structures can be compressed or irritated, leading to symptoms beyond local neck pain.
In cervicovagopathy, symptoms vary with the portion of the vagus nerve affected.
- Anterior gastric branches innervate the stomach and pyloric valve. Malfunction can cause symptoms of gastroparesis, low stomach acid, poor digestion, and pyloric stenosis.
- The auricular branch of the vagus nerve, also called Alderman’s nerve or Arnold’s nerve, provides ear canal sensation. Symptoms include Ear canal pain and sensitivity.
- Brainstem vagal nuclei are the relay station for all vagus nerve functions. Dysfunction of this branch can cause all the symptoms mentioned here.
- Bronchial branches. Dysfunction of these branches can result in shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis, chronic cough, and allergic symptoms.
- Cardiac branches. Innervates the heart and regulates heart function. Symptoms of dysfunction can include: arrhythmias, tachycardia, and cardiomyopathy.
- Celiac branch. Intestinal dysmotility, severe abdominal pain.
- Hepatic branch. Innervates the liver and gallbladder. Symptoms include sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (the impairment of movement of bile and fluids from your pancreas into your small intestine.
- Pharyngeal branch. Innervates the muscles of swallowing. Dysfunction of the pharyngeal branch can result in swallowing difficulties.
- Laryngeal nerve. Innervates the vocal cords. Dysfunction of the Laryngeal nerve can cause hoarseness, changes in voice quality, and difficulty singing.
We have a lot of information online that follows these symptoms of vagal compression. Please see my other articles:
- Vagus nerve compression in the neck: Symptoms and treatments
- SIBO: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and the Vagus nerve. The problem of nerve compression.
- Cervical spine problems, Vagus nerve compression, urinary incontinence
- Achalasia: A vagus nerve disorder and its connection to the neck
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), the Vagus Nerve and Cervical Spine instability
- Hiccups, Cough, Neck Pain, and Vagus and Phrenic Nerve Injury
- Mast cell activation syndrome and the vagus nerve
- Cluster headache treatment – cervical ligament instability and the trigeminal and vagus nerves
Prolonged forward head posture places a sustained tensile load on the capsular ligaments that hold cervical facet joints together. Over time, this produces ligament creep—the slow, progressive elongation of connective tissue. We compare this to a rubber band that gets stretched out and becomes floppy.
When ligaments can no longer hold vertebrae in proper alignment, the segments move excessively and wander around. This instability can irritate the small facet joints, strain surrounding muscles, and compress nerves and vessels—including the jugular vein, which drains the brain, and the vagus nerve, which innervates the heart, lungs, and digestive tract.
People who used their phones longer had greater sway while standing, indicating reduced postural stability.
A July 2026 study in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (1) found that spending more time using a smartphone was associated with poorer balance and postural control in healthy young adults.
Researchers evaluated 58 adults aged 18–35 and measured actual smartphone usage time along with neck flexor endurance, head posture, grip strength, and balance. People who used their phones longer had greater sway while standing, indicating reduced postural stability. Those using their phones for more than 5 hours per day demonstrated significantly worse postural control than lighter users. Smartphone use was also associated with stronger hand grip strength, likely reflecting repetitive hand use. However, no meaningful relationship was found between phone use and neck muscle endurance or forward head posture.
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References
1 Sag ZI, Ozer MT, Elvan A, Şi̇mşek İE. Smartphone use duration’s relationship with neck endurance, posture, grip strength, and postural control in young adults. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2026 Apr 8. [Google Scholar]