Back to Wellness Hub

Back PainChronic fatigueFibromyalgiaHeadachesHip and knee painNeck and shoulder painPain

How can the vagus nerve help you heal?

Why is the vagus nerve so important to chronic pain sufferers. Read on to find out.

Articles

What does the vagus nerve have to do with chronic pain?

The vagus nerve is the main highway for the parasympathetic nervous system which is a rest, digest, heal mode of the body.  The opposite is the sympathetic nervous system which is our fight-flight mode.  In today’s busy, hectic society we spend a lot of our time in the sympathetic side of our nervous system which means our guts, reproductive systems and healing do not get much of a look in!  By stimulating the vagus nerve we can switch our nervous system into the parasympathetic mode which allows our bodies to heal and recover.  More and more science is coming about on the importance of the vagus nerve in healing.

It’s name ‘Vagus” comes from a Greek word meaning “wanderer or traveller”.  This is the perfect word for this nerve, as it wanders throughout the body, innervating everything from your heartbeat, breathing rate to your immune system and reproductive organs.  Modern science is unveiling its importance in inflammation and the immune system which play a large part in chronic diseases and chronic pain.  Many drugs that reduce inflammation, have a negative side effect on the gut and therefore the immune system (70% of the immune system is housed in the gut).  By stimulating the vagus nerve we not only reduce inflammation across the body, but it also benefits the gut and therefore improves immune function.  Our bodies are very good at healing if we can give it time and space (and nutrients).

Craniosacral therapy is excellent at tuning into the vagus nerve and calming the body to allow the parasympathetic nervous system to ‘kick in’.  Frequently when treating clients using craniosacral therapy, their guts starts to rumble, which is reassurance to me that their vagus nerve is becoming active.

You will be pleased to know that there are ways you can stimulate the vagus nerve without booking a hands on session with me! Breathing techniques, mindfulness, medication, and relaxation techniques all stimulate the vagus nerve and these are all things you can do in your own time.  These are also included in the BEAT Pain Program.

Sometimes it is helpful to visualise where this nerve goes, as this can help to tune into it.  It starts in the brain stem and splits into 2 branches that run down either side of the neck, under the collar bones and rejoins at the heart.  It then descends through the diaphragm and into the gut and other organs.  It forms part of that infamous ‘Gut-Brain Connection’.

Vagus nerve stimulation is hot topic as drugs and medical companies are looking into devices that are said to improve vagal tone and thus improve conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Rheumatoid  Arthritis, Epilepsy, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and chronic pain (New Scientist May 2024).  In my opinion you don’t need a device as we can do this naturally!