Nervous System Tension Decreases Concussion Resilience
I’ve helped many clients with recurring post-concussive symptoms. As a former offensive lineman, I’ve certainly suffered my fair share of them. Something most people don’t realize is that poor posture can influence not only how the brain handles impact, but how it recovers.
I’ll start by discussing the biomechanics of the structures that suspend and protect the brain: the meninges (hersenvlies). Then I’ll break down how posture-focused care can support concussion resilience.
Understanding the Meninges: The Brain’s Internal Shock Absorber
The brain and spinal cord are wrapped in three protective layers:
- Dura mater – the tough outer membrane
- Arachnoid mater – the middle layer
- Pia mater – the delicate inner layer
What these tissues do:
- Stabilize the brain inside the skull
- Cushion impact forces
- Suspend the brain in fluid
- Allow subtle movement to reduce acceleration forces
You can think of them as an elastic “tensioning system,” not unlike the zig-zagging bit of rubber at the end of a charging cable. It allows the spread of tension over a larger area, so that your power cord doesn’t break, garden hose doesn’t kink etc.
The Crumple Zone Analogy
These tissues also act like the crumple zone of a car. A healthy crumple zone absorbs and distributes force during a car collision. The meninges do the same for the brain. When they are looser, they can move and absorb momentum. The brain stays safer.
Older cars, in contrast, were designed to withstand impact and resist deformation. Unfortunately, that same stiffness transferred more momentum to the passengers in the cabin (your brain, in this example.)
When posture imbalances increase tension across the meninges, the internal “crumple zone” becomes rigid and stiff, meaning the head can’t dissipate force effectively. Result: more momentum reaches the brain.
This doesn’t mean that posture causes concussions, but it certainly influences how severely the brain experiences force. Let’s unpack the relationship between posture and central nervous system tension.
Why Posture Matters
As mentioned in a previous blog post about the relationship between headaches and posture, we start with the simple observation that the spinal cord is in the back, and postural collapse happens to the front.
While there is a degree of normal tension on the cord/brainstem at all times, this is worsened when bending forward. You can feel this in another way by leaning forward after tightly tucking in your shirt (from behind). Your shirt will stretch over your back, perhaps choking you slightly in the collar. A similar mechanism tensions your spinal cord over a lifetime, creating opportunities for many types of problems every time you use a laptop or look down at your phone.
How Standwell Can Help
A large part of our unique protocol involves stretching the meninges directly during most treatments. This helps us to re-stack your skeleton so that the muscles and nerves can relax on their own.
There is nothing special about nerve tissue that prevents it from healing, aside from the fact that most of it is constantly being stretched like a rubber band. In the same way, a cut on your finger wouldn’t heal if you were holding it open. Restoring healthy posture reduces that stretch and allows trauma to heal.
Recent advancements in the understanding of human anatomy have made this a trivial process.
I know what it’s like to lie in the dark waiting for the planet to stop spinning. We can help you. CLICK HERE to begin your journey.
Literature Review & Citations
1. Reduced Tissue Compliance
Research shows that tensioned meninges become less elastic and less able to absorb force (Monson et al., 2008). Poor posture often creates constant pre-tension on these tissues, especially around the upper neck.
2. Greater Momentum Transfer to the Brain
Concussion is caused by:
- linear acceleration
- rotational acceleration
- shear forces
A stiffened craniospinal system transmits more of these forces directly to brain tissue (Gennarelli et al., 1982; Meaney & Smith, 2011).
3. Increased Stress on the Brainstem and Upper Cervical Spine
The upper neck muscles connect directly to the dura via the myodural bridge (Scali et al., 2013). If these muscles are tight, commonly with forward head posture, tension pulls on the dura and brainstem.
4. Lower Threshold for Subconcussive Injury
If the protective system is already stiff, even mild impacts (sports, falls, sudden head movements) may trigger symptoms more easily (Bahrami et al., 2016). This can explain why some people get concussions from impacts that others tolerate well.
References
Bahrami, N., et al. (2016). Subconcussive head impact exposure and white matter tract changes over a single season of youth football. Radiology, 281(3), 919–926.
Gennarelli, T. A., Thibault, L. E., & Adams, J. H. (1982). Diffuse axonal injury and traumatic coma in the primate. Annals of Neurology, 12(6), 564–574.
Guskiewicz, K. M., et al. (2013). Head impact exposure in football. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 45(4), 755–761.
Humphrey, J. D., & Na, S. (2002). Elastodynamics of the human brain. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 124(5), 576–581.
Meaney, D. F., & Smith, D. H. (2011). Biomechanics of concussion. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 30(1), 19–31.
Monson, K. L., et al. (2008). Mechanical properties of human dura mater. JMBBM, 1(1), 140–147.
Scali, F., Pontell, M. E., & Enix, D. E. (2013). The myodural bridge. Spine, 38(3), E109–E113.