Sarasota Integrated Health & Wellness

12/14/2025

12/14/2025

💡𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿”

👉The upper cervical spine (C0–C2) represents the most mobile segment of the vertebral column and serves as a critical neuroanatomical transition zone where the brainstem becomes the spinal cord.

This region plays a key regulatory role in autonomic and sensorimotor function due to its unique anatomical and neurological characteristics:
✅ It houses essential brainstem nuclei involved in autonomic control of:
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Respiration
• Vagal tone

✅ It contains a high density of proprioceptive receptors in the suboccipital muscles, which provide afferent input directly to:
• The cerebellum
• The vestibular nuclei

✅ Sympathetic fibers ascend alongside the vertebral arteries through the transverse foramina into the cranial cavity, linking vascular and autonomic regulation.

✅ This region interfaces with multiple cranial systems, including:
• The trigeminal complex
• The vestibular system
• Oculomotor control centers

🔆 Even minor dysfunctions such as segmental instability, altered joint biomechanics, sensorimotor mismatch, or increased muscle tone—can disrupt autonomic regulation. These disturbances may manifest not only as localized cervical pain but also as systemic autonomic symptoms.

Disclaimer:
👉 Sharing a study is NOT an endorsement.
👉 You should read the original research yourself and be critical.

12/14/2025

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.

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🔗 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.

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⚠️ 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.

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🏥 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.

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🌀 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

Image source:

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

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

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

Some
Of my favorites

11/30/2025

🫶

🧠 THE FEET–BRAIN CONNECTION: THE FOUNDATION OF BALANCE, POSTURE & NEURORECOVERY

Why We Assess and Rehabilitate Your Feet at The Functional Neurology Center

When most people think about brain rehabilitation, they imagine eye movements, vestibular therapy, cognitive work, or postural training.
But one of the most powerful neurologic systems in your body starts at the ground level—your feet.

Your feet contain over 7,000 nerve endings, specialized mechanoreceptors, intrinsic stabilizing muscles, fascia, ligaments, and joints that constantly communicate with your brain. Every step, every shift in pressure, every sway of your body results in a flood of sensory information traveling from the plantar surfaces to the cerebellum, vestibular nuclei, parietal lobe, and spinal postural networks.

And when that communication breaks down—after concussion, brain injury, neurological illness, chronic dizziness, tumors, neuropathy, spinal issues, or even years of poor footwear—the brain must work harder to figure out where you are in space.

A recent study (Life, 2025) showed just how important this connection really is.

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🧬 NEW RESEARCH: FOOT MOBILIZATION + INTRINSIC MUSCLE ACTIVATION DIRECTLY IMPROVES BRAIN-BASED BALANCE

The published research found that patients recovering from brain-tumor surgery demonstrated major improvements in balance and postural stability when their rehab included:

✔ Sensorimotor foot mobilization
✔ Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening
✔ Plantar sensory stimulation on varied surfaces
✔ Neuromuscular re-patterning of weight distribution

These “ground-up” interventions outperformed standard balance training.

Patients receiving foot-focused rehab showed:
🔹 100% clinically significant improvement in dynamic postural stability
🔹 Better performance on both hard and soft surfaces
🔹 Greater activation of cerebellar and sensory–motor integration pathways
🔹 Improved gait, spatial awareness, and functional control

This reinforces something we’ve seen for years at The FNC:

The feet are the foundation of the neurological system. If the feet are unstable, the brain becomes unstable.

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🦶 HOW THE FEET TALK TO THE BRAIN

Here’s what most people don’t realize:
• The soles of your feet contain high-density mechanoreceptors that detect vibration, pressure, stretch, and motion.
• These signals travel into the dorsal columns, spinal interneurons, cerebellum, and vestibular system.
• The cerebellum integrates foot pressure maps to help coordinate eye movements, balance, posture, gait—and even neck and trunk stabilization.
• Poor foot input can create “neural noise” leading to symptoms such as:
• Dizziness
• Unsteadiness
• Chronic neck tightness
• Visual strain
• Fatigue
• Clumsiness
• Poor posture
• Difficulty walking on uneven surfaces

When your feet lose sensory precision, your brain must “guess” what your body is doing. That guessing leads to compensation, instability, and increased symptoms.

At The Functional Neurology Center, we rebuild that connection.

⸻

🔧 WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY AT THE FNC

During your neurological evaluation, we assess:

🟦 Plantar sensory awareness
🟦 Intrinsic foot muscle activation
🟦 Arch mechanics
🟦 Proprioceptive loading
🟦 Weight-bearing symmetry
🟦 Gait cycle patterns
🟦 Foot–ankle–cerebellar connections
🟦 Balance on multiple surface types
🟦 Vestibular + foot integration
🟦 How your foot input influences your eyes, posture, and center of gravity

Our rehabilitation may include:

✨ Precision foot mobilization
✨ Toe/arch intrinsic strengthening
✨ Surface-based sensory training
✨ Visual–vestibular–foot integration
✨ Gait retraining
✨ Cervical + vestibular rehab combined with plantar loading
✨ ARPwave neuromodulation
✨ Proprioceptive sequencing with head/eye movements
✨ Stabilization drills used by elite athletes

Patients are often shocked at how quickly their balance and symptoms improve when the feet are properly re-engaged.

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🌎 WHY PATIENTS TRAVEL TO MINNESOTA FOR CARE

Many of the patients who fly to The FNC have tried standard PT, OT, balance classes, or neurologist-based rehab—yet they’ve never had anyone assess the feet-to-brain pathway.

This system is critical for:
• Concussion & post-concussion syndrome
• Dizziness & vestibular disorders
• Post-brain tumor rehab
• Dysautonomia & balance intolerance
• Falls and gait instability
• Chronic neck pain
• Sensory processing issues
• Postural asymmetry
• Neuropathy
• High-level athletic performance
• Chronic symptoms that haven’t resolved anywhere else

Your brain does not live alone in your skull—
it lives in a constant conversation with your body.
The feet are often the first part of that conversation.

⸻

🔥 IF YOU’VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH BALANCE, DIZZINESS, OR UNSTEADINESS — YOUR FEET MAY BE THE KEY

At The Functional Neurology Center, we look at the entire system—eyes, vestibular, neck, cerebellum, posture, sensory pathways, autonomics, and yes…the feet.

If you’ve been searching for answers, hope, and better solutions,
📩 Email: info@theFNC.com
📞 Call: 612-223-8590

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/12/12/2945 #

11/27/2025

The good stuff !

10/02/2025

10/02/2025