Brain Stem and Chiropractic in Wellington
What’s the Brain Stem?
You may have heard of the brain stem, but do you know what it’s in charge of? What its basic function is? The purpose it serve for your body?
The brain stem acts as a bridge between the lowermost part of your brain (cerebrum) and your spinal cord; it carries messages through your nerves to your brain and messages from your brain through your nerves back to your body parts. The brain stem is also made up of several different structures that control some of the most basic functions that keep you alive – your breathing, your heart rate and your blood pressure.
The brain stem also coordinates such things as eye movements, movement of the jaw, tongue and larynx, your facial expressions, and sensations and movements of your neck and head; the brain stem accomplishes that through the cranial nerves that pass through it. Basically, all nerve communication between the brain and the spinal cord passes through the brain stem, so you can certainly understand its importance!
Any type of injury to the brain stem could be devastating. More serious injuries can result in a prolonged coma or what is also known as a “persistent vegetative state.”
You may know someone who has had a stroke that affected the brain stem. Depending on its severity, this type of stroke could be fatal because of the major functions that the brain stem controls or it could affect the person’s vision, speech, body movements, and sensation of pain.
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Maintaining regular chiropractic check-ups helps us to make sure that this area of your spine is properly adjusted, to allow your body to function optimally.
