Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg

Author:Stanley Rosenberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781623170257
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Published: 2017-11-29T05:00:00+00:00

Shoulder, Neck, and Head Pain: CN XI, Trapezius, and SCM

In addition to being one of the five “social engagement” nerves, cranial nerve XI (the “spinal accessory nerve”) has a special muscular function. It innervates the trapezius and the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), two large muscles in the neck and shoulder. (See “Trapezius” and “Sternocleido-mastoid” in the Appendix.) These are the only skeletal muscles below the face and head that are not innervated by spinal nerves. If either of these two muscles is chronically either tense or flaccid, it will respond differently to massage treatment and movement training than any other muscle of the body.

Shoulder problems are among the most common forms of musculo-skeletal problems. Dysfunction in CN XI often leads to pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, and sometimes simply improving the function of CN X and CN XI with the Basic Exercise is enough to eliminate pain or restricted movement in this area. After doing the exercise, we might want to try other ways to treat other problems stemming from these muscles; for example, see the self-help treatment for migraine headaches described in Part Two. Doing the Basic Exercise seems to also instantaneously improve the function of all five nerves necessary for social engagement for most people.

Returning to the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles, we note that dysfunction of CN XI and/or a lack of proper tonus in the trapezius and SCM muscles are involved in many other health issues besides neck and shoulder pain and stiffness. These include migraines, forward head posture, breathing difficulties, chronic spinal sympathetic chain activa-tion, chronic dorsal vagal state, and shortened life expectancy.

The trapezius and SCM are also determining factors in the shape and health of the spine. Furthermore, a chronic tension in the sternocleido-mastoid muscles on one side can actually change the shape of the back of the head, leaving it flat on one side because of the constant pull of the muscle on the temporal bones (the skull plates behind the ears). In every child I’ve treated on the autism spectrum, I have observed this distortion in the shape of the back of their head.51 (See Part Two for a technique to round the back of the head.)

Turning the head to either side should be an even, well-coordinated movement, without stops or jerks, and without deviation from a smooth curve. The head should be able to turn ninety degrees, or slightly more.

People often complain about reduced range of movement, stiffness, or pain in their neck and shoulders when they rotate their head to one side. If the pain or stiffness is on the side opposite to the direction in which they turn their head, the shoulder problem is most likely either the trapezius or the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the side toward which they are turning. If the pain is on the same side as the turn, the problem is not cranial nerve XI and the trapezius and SCM but is most likely due to the levator scapulae. In Part Two there is a

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