Healthy living
Body matters
Painful neck? It could be pushing up your blood pressure
Scientists at the University of Leeds have discovered that having a stiff neck could have an effect on blood pressure and heart rate
Ever wondered why you sometimes feel dizzy if you stand up suddenly? Or noticed that your blood pressure drops after a visit to the chiropractor? A new study may have taken us a step closer to understanding why this happens.
A team of researchers from the University of Leeds, led by Professor Jim Deuchars, looked at pathways between the neck and the brain and found that our neck muscles could be important in the process of controlling blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, all automatic body functions.
The team found a connection between an area of the brain where signals from the neck terminate, and another area of the brain that governs these unconscious body functions.
"The research we’ve carried out shows the link between these two areas," explains Leeds University researcher Ian Edwards. "Adjustments to the neck through chiropractic manipulation could alter the state of the muscles over the vertebrae. Those altered messages would then be relayed to the brain."
"We know from reports in chiropractic journals that after manipulation of the cervical vertebrae, some people experience a drop in blood pressure, and have even been able to come off their blood pressure medication."
Working on the same principle, damage to the neck muscles could be responsible for a rise in blood pressure.
"There have been instances where people with whiplash injuries have problems with their heart rate and blood pressure, which they didn’t have before," says Ian Edwards. More research is needed, but this could open the way to new treatments for whiplash injuries.
And that dizzy feeling when you stand up too quickly? "The position of your neck is a good indication of your posture," says Ian Edwards. "It lets your brain know that your head has been lifted up, and that your blood pressure needs to rise a bit to keep the blood getting to your brain. The dizzy feeling you sometimes get could be when the signals aren’t getting through."
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Reader comments
I have found this to be true.When the arthritis in my neck is bad my blood pressure goes sky high! Until recently I have been seeing the osteopath who usually sorts me out butI did not get there in time before this last attack.
Posted by: patcowan | 12/08/2007 12:17:05
I have never suffered from high blood pressure until at the end of May I experienced excessive nose bleeds with high blood pressure shortly after having been to the hairdressers where my hair was washed in a back wash basin which exerts pressure on the back of the neck during the washing process. The nose bleed was so bad that I was taken to hospital by para-medics. I wonder if there is any connection with the research being carried out at Leeds.
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Posted by: robert cowie | 10/08/2007 19:14:01
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.