The connection between optic nerve tension and neck pain
With technology popping up in all sectors of business today, it is a rare site not to see someone working at a computer terminal of some kind, whether it is an administrative position, on the shop floor, your home office or in the local bookstore. We all have had at one time or another sat in front of a computer terminal possibly for hours surfing the net for that special recipe or doing research of some kind.
Eye strain when using a computer or doing any activity where visual focus is needed is becoming more common place. Some of the physical or health related complaints associated with eye strain range from headaches, neck and jaw pain to upper back and shoulder pain.
A less commonly known connection to neck and jaw pain is tension along the optic nerve. The optic nerve is the pathway that the light travels from the eye to the back of our brain. It is in this visual cortex located at the back of our head where we really see the world. The light is converted to chemical/electric impulses that interpret what the eye is seeing. The optic nerve is wrapped in connective tissues that travel from the back of the eye through the center of the brain to the visual cortex.
Along this route the optic nerve is surrounded by other connective tissue bands, blood vessels, boney prominences all of which can create tension or compression of the nerve. The coverings along the optic nerve travel back deep into the brain and eventually make their connection to the second vertebra (C2) in the neck. Eye strain, injury to the head, face, neck, spinal cord or low back can all place unwanted tensions along this connective tissue route.
I have often seen in my therapy practice clients who complain of neck pain and upon further investigation (cranial therapy as part of an Integrated Manual Therapy session) it is evident that the vertebrae in the neck are being influenced by the optic nerve. When this nerve and other restrictions along its route to the visual cortex are released, the second vertebrae and subsequently all vertebrae in the neck feel the benefit.
Prevention is always the best approach to our health. Consider receiving cranial therapy or Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) as part of your wellness program.
Manual Therapist/Registered Massage Therapist
Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT)
Fascial Dynamic Manual Therapy (FDMT)
Cranial Therapy (CST)