The vagus nerve (/ˈveɪɡəs/ VAY-gəs), historically cited as the pneumogastric nerve, is the tenth cranial nerve or CN X, and interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. The vagus nerves are paired but are normally referred to in the singular. It is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system in the human body. The ending part of vagus nerve is known as spinal accessory nucleus.^[1]

Wikipedia

It’s been quite a while since we’ve done any here at the Forum, but we’re back!  Recently, I had the honor and pleasure to teach Functional Mobilization of the Upper Quadrant (FMUQ) with my friend and mentor, Gregg Johnson.  Coincidentally, this was his last FMUQ that he would teach because, beginning next year, the Institute of Physical Art will be re-organizing their upper level courses.  So, like I said… an honor and a pleasure.  When planning for this trip, I selfishly packed my podcast equipment in hopes we could sit down and record a conversation.  After speaking with Gregg for a bit, it was evident that we needed to talk about his latest passion, the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system.  In this conversation, you will hear Gregg’s thoughts about the epidemic that is chronic pain, how our autonomic nervous system is affected, and what we as manual therapists can do about it.

Listen in here:

Or tune in down here:

Links of interest:

Institute of Physical Art

Accessing The Healing Power Of The Vagus Nerve:  Self-Help Exercises For Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, And Autism

Activate Your Vagus Nerve:  Unleash Your Body’s Natural Ability To Heal

The Polyvagal Theory:  Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation