Kalispell Massage Therapy, Inc.

12/13/2025

12/10/2025

💛…🩵…😓

12/09/2025

THE HIDDEN LINK BETWEEN YOUR NECK, CSF FLOW, HEADACHES, DIZZINESS & BRAIN FOG — AND HOW WE ADDRESS IT AT theFNC

Most people think of brain health as purely neurological — chemistry, neurons, neurotransmitters.

But modern research is revealing something much bigger:

👉 Your neck mechanics and head movement patterns directly influence cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow.
👉 Your deep suboccipital muscles connect to your spinal dura through a structure called the Myodural Bridge (MDB).
👉 And impaired CSF flow may contribute to headaches, dizziness, pressure sensations, brain fog, post-concussion symptoms, and chronic autonomic problems.

This is one of the most important, overlooked areas in all of neurology — and it’s something we assess and treat every single day at The Functional Neurology Center.

⸻

🔍 WHAT THE NEW RESEARCH SHOWS

A 2021 paper published in Nature Scientific Reports (s41598-021-93767-8) demonstrated something powerful:

Simple head-nodding movements change CSF flow patterns in real time.

Researchers used advanced cine MRI to measure CSF movement at the cranio-cervical junction. After just one minute of gentle head nodding, they found:
• Significant changes in maximum and average CSF flow velocities
• Measurable shifts in direction of CSF flow
• Increased CSF pressure (confirmed through lumbar puncture in a separate group)
• Altered cranial ↔ caudal flow balance

This means that CSF flow is not only driven by heart rate and breathing…

Movement matters.
Neck mechanics matter.
Head posture matters.

And this is where the Myodural Bridge becomes clinically important.

⸻

🔗 THE MYODURAL BRIDGE: THE NECK–BRAIN CONNECTION NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

Deep under your skull, the small suboccipital muscles attach directly to the spinal dura — the protective sheath around your brainstem and spinal cord.

This connective-tissue linkage is called the Myodural Bridge.

Its role?

To transmit mechanical forces from your neck muscles to your dura — influencing CSF flow, pressure, and stability.

When these muscles function normally, the MDB helps:
• Maintain healthy CSF circulation
• Support brainstem mechanics
• Stabilize the cranio-cervical junction
• Assist with movement-driven CSF “pumping”

But when there is dysfunction — such as:
• Whiplash
• Concussion
• Forward-head posture
• Chronic neck tension
• Cervical instability
• Postural collapse
• Muscle hypertonicity
• Poor proprioception
• Trauma at C0–C1–C2

— the MDB may pull unevenly on the dura or fail to assist CSF movement properly.

And symptoms often follow.

⸻

⚠️ WHEN THE NECK–CSF SYSTEM FAILS, YOU MAY FEEL…

These are EXACTLY the patients who show up at theFNC every week:
• Head pressure or “internal swelling”
• Worsening headaches with movement
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Visual motion sensitivity
• Neck tightness with “pulling” into the head
• Post-concussion symptoms that never resolve
• Difficulty tolerating upright posture
• Brain fog and cognitive slowing
• Sleep difficulty or “wired but tired” states
• Autonomic symptoms (heart racing, temperature issues, anxiety-like sensations)
• Feeling “full,” “pressurized,” or “floating”

Many of these patients have “normal” MRI results — because standard imaging does not assess functional CSF dynamics, dural tension, MDB mechanics, or vestibulo-cervical integration.

But when we test them functionally, we find the root causes.

⸻

🏥 HOW theFNC EVALUATES THIS SYSTEM

We use a comprehensive Functional Neurology approach to evaluate:

✔ CSF-related mechanics through
• Positional testing
• Eye–head–neck integration
• Dural tension indicators
• Motion-driven symptom mapping

✔ Deep neck flexor + suboccipital muscle function

(Where the MDB originates)

✔ C0–C1–C2 biomechanics

(neutral, flexion, extension, rotation)

✔ Cervical proprioception

(accurate or distorted?)

✔ Vestibular mapping

(VOR stress tests, gaze holding, cervical-ocular reflex)

✔ Posture and gait under load

(brainstem + CSF dynamics often show through)

We look at the whole system, not just the painful area.

⸻

🌀 HOW WE TREAT IT AT theFNC

Treatment combines:

1️⃣ Correcting cranio-cervical mechanics

Gentle, precise mobilization + stabilization

2️⃣ Releasing and retraining suboccipital muscles

Normalizing MDB tension.

3️⃣ Movement-based CSF optimization

Inspired by the Nature study — controlled head-nodding, cervical patterning, rhythmic motion sequencing.

(This is also where Ciatrix-style movement and posture-driven fluid work fits beautifully.)

4️⃣ Vestibular and oculomotor integration

To restore brainstem and proprioceptive control over posture and head mechanics.

5️⃣ Dynamic balance and sensory-motor rehabilitation

Allowing the system to re-synchronize under real-world conditions.

6️⃣ Autonomic regulation

Breathwork, visual–vestibular drills, physiological sequencing to restore CNS balance.

7️⃣ Technology assisted therapies

Depending on the case:
• Laser therapy
• Neuro-modulation
• Motion platforms
• Proprioceptive training
• Cervical neuromuscular retraining
• VR vestibular integration
Ciatrix.com

This is how we restore flow, not just treat symptoms.

⸻

🎯 WHY PATIENTS GET BETTER HERE

Because we look at something most clinics ignore:

👉 Your neck is part of your brain system.
👉 Your dura responds to movement.
👉 Your CSF responds to posture.
👉 Your symptoms often come from dysfunction in this system — not from the brain “mystically misfiring.”

When you restore healthy head–neck mechanics, normalize the MDB, and retrain CSF-related dynamics…

Patients often report:
• Clearer thinking
• Reduced headaches
• Better balance
• Less dizziness
• Improved sleep
• More stable energy
• Less anxiety-like autonomic symptoms
• A sense of being “grounded” and “in control” again

For many, this is life-changing.

⸻

🙌 IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH HEAD PRESSURE, DIZZINESS, NECK PAIN, OR POST-CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS — YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE THIS WAY.

At theFNC, we specialize in complex neurological cases where the mechanical + fluid + sensory systems need to be rebuilt.

There is always a reason.
There is always a mechanism.
And there is always HOPE.

👉 Learn more at theFNC.com
👉 Message us to speak with our team

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93767-8

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-92506-7

12/09/2025

👉Absolutely Sickening…! 🤮…🤑…$$

12/07/2025

12/02/2025

👉There ARE NO Perfect People….
👉They have “Us” addicted….(Cloward-Pliven strategy)

👉Follow the $$🤑…
👉Carving for $$🤮

~g

12/02/2025

….!

~g🤲

12/02/2025

👉In case this was missed being viewed….

~g😣

12/02/2025

110%…..!!

~g

This book explains why you can't just "Get Over It." For years, I struggled to understand why certain memories, long past, could still trigger a physical reaction, a racing heart, a knot in my stomach, a feeling of shutting down. I, like many, thought trauma was a psychological issue, a problem of the mind. Then I read Dr. Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score," and it didn't just change my perspective; it fundamentally changed my understanding of what it means to be human.

This book is a monumental work, part scientific revelation, part compassionate manifesto. Dr. van der Kolk, a leading trauma expert for decades, lays out in devastating detail how trauma rewires the brain and gets trapped in the body. It's a challenging read, not because of the prose, but because of the hard truths it presents. Yet, it is ultimately a book of profound hope.

Here are the lessons that reshaped my thinking:

1. Trauma is a Physiological Injury, Not Just a Memory.
This is the book's central, groundbreaking thesis. When we experience overwhelming terror or helplessness, the brain's alarm system (the amygdala) goes into overdrive, and the rational part of our brain (the prefrontal cortex) can shut down. The memory isn't stored as a narrative; it's stored as fragmented sensory fragments—sights, sounds, and, most importantly, physical sensations. The body, literally, keeps the score long after the event is over. You're not "crazy"; your nervous system is stuck in the past.

2. The Logic Brain and the Emotion Brain Become Disconnected.
Van der Kolk explains that trauma severs the connection between your "rational self" and your "feeling self." You can know you're safe in a room, but your body still feels under threat. This is why telling someone (or yourself) to "just calm down" or "forget about it" is not only useless but insulting. The part of the brain needed to follow that logical command is offline. The trauma response is happening at a brain-stem level, below conscious thought.

3. You Can't Talk Your Way Out of a Trauma Response.
Traditional "talk therapy" can often be re-traumatizing for survivors because it asks them to access the memory through the language center of the brain, which was offline during the trauma. The book powerfully argues that healing must involve the body. You have to access the physiological imprint of the trauma to release it.

4. Trauma is About a Loss of Control, So Healing is About Regaining It.
At its core, trauma robs you of your sense of agency. Therefore, the healing process must be centered on choice and empowerment. Any effective therapy must help a person feel like the author of their own life again, to be able to say "no" and have it respected, and to make decisions about their own body and treatment.

"The Body Keeps the Score" is more than a book; it's a public service. It provides a language for the unspeakable and validates the experiences of millions who have felt broken by their past. It is heavy, and I recommend taking it in small, manageable sections. But if you or someone you love has been touched by trauma, this book is an essential, illuminating, and ultimately empowering guide out of the wilderness. It proves that while the body keeps the score, it can also learn the music of safety and connection once again.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/4pJN5Si

Enjoy the audio book with FREE trial using the link above. Use the link to register on audible and start enjoying!

11/27/2025