CSF is Keeping Your Brain Afloat
Have you or your child recently suffered a injury that led to a concussion? Are you or your child experiencing post-concussion syndrome? Your brain’s cortex is cushioned from your skull by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). That is a colorless fluid that circulates in the ventricular system, and it serves an important purpose to your cerebral blood flow. What’s the purpose of CSF? Well, here are some things you should know.
The Purpose of Cerebrospinal Fluid?
- Buoyancy – Because the CSF you produce is allowing your brain to essential float, your brain’s weight is not cutting off your blood supply or killing neurons
- Protection – It protects the brain tissue from injury when the skull is struck
- Chemical Stability – It is eventually absorbed within your blood stream via the blood-brain barrier, which then rinses metabolic waste from the central nervous system
- Prevention of brain ischemia – This is a restriction of blood supply to brain tissue. Decreasing the amount of CSF, due to the limited space in your skull, is pertinent to preventing this restriction
- Clearing Waste – It is pertinent to the brain’s lymphatic system, which helps flush metabolic toxins or waste from brain tissue. Due to the opening of extracellular channels, this process increases during sleep
Cerebrospinal Fluid and Sports Injuries
So, what does all of this have to do with sports injuries? Well, one of the functions of CSF is to protect your brain from colliding against your skull. But if the collision is hard enough, there is not enough fluid surrounding your brain to keep it from striking your skull.
If you or your child plays sports, and they have recently experienced a concussion, it is important that you not allow the injury to go unchecked. A disturbance in the flow of Cerebrospinal Fluid throughout your brain can have serious negative effects.
Upper Cervical and Concussions
There is no way of knowing exactly what damage resulted from you or your child’s sports injuries unless you make sure they receive the proper care. Frequently overlooked source of lingering concussion symptoms are neck injuries. When a concussion occurs a neck injury also occurs. The most frequent neck injury is a misalignment of the top two bones in the neck. Once these upper neck vertebrae are misaligned the flow of cerebral spinal fluid is dramatically affected. This can lead to lingering symptoms associated with concussions that are actually a result of an undetected upper neck injury.
The first step in addressing this common problem following a concussion is to have a thorough upper neck evaluation by an upper cervical specialist. If a misalignment is found it can be corrected precisely and scientifically with an upper cervical corrective procedure. This is not a general chiropractic manipulation but a very specific and gentle realignment of the upper neck.
If left unchecked that concussion and subsequent upper neck injury could lead to negative neural effects including migraines, dizziness and vertigo, high blood pressure, or worse.
To find an upper cervical specialist in your area go to http://www.NUCCA.org/ or if you are in the Chicago, Illinois area click the button below to schedule a consultation:
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Dr. Young Chung of NUCCA Wellness Clinic of Chicago, with a location in Chicago and a 2nd location in Wheeling is an Upper Cervical Specialist trained by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). His upper cervical clinic also serves Northbrook, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove and Vernon Hills. He is uniquely trained to correct problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems, including migraines and other headaches, whiplash injuries, post-concussion syndrome. This type of care has also shown benefits for athletic performance and pregnancy outcomes. More information can be found on our website at http://www.NUCCAwellnessChicago.com/
