Vagus Nerve Stimulation. What’s the truth? The Vagus Nerve (Cranial Nerve 10) is an interesting nerve. It completely bypasses the spine, as it comes from the base of the skull, through the neck, and then through the thoracic and abdominal cavities. When you swallow, this is done voluntarily. When food gets to the back of the throat, the Vagus Nerve takes over. It controls a large part of digestion and heart rate. So what is Vagus Nerve Stimulation? There is a lot of talk about it right now. Is it legit? Yes, and No.
In the neck, the Vagus Nerve is in a sheath (like a tube) with the carotid artery and jugular vein. This is called the Carotid Sheath and it’s about 2 inches deep into the neck. I access this area when I need to raise the carotid artery and jugular vein. The sheath is a fairly tight compartment and the Vagus Nerve is typically tightly bound to the side of the Vagus Nerve. It has to be dissected from the artery with surgical instruments.
Have you noticed that your stomach gets upset when you get nervous? Some doctorates in anatomy and physiology have stated that when your blood pressure increases through nervousness, the Vagus Nerve gets an increase of pressure against it within the carotid sheath, causing stimulation to the nerve and therefore over activity of the digestive tract.
What does this mean? The Vagus Nerve can be directly stimulated by pressures within the sheath. Lowering this pressure would have to come from controlling your mindset. You may increase activity with increased pressure and heart rate. The other method of stimulating the Vagus Nerve would be with direct contact by a surgically implanted electrode. This is done for various medical conditions.
With this said, there is a huge market right now of externally worn stimulators. Unfortunately, these just aren’t going to cut it. Why? Well, the depth of the nerve is more than likely too large to effectively reach the nerve. If you could reach it by manual means, you would have to consider the effect this would have to the blood flow of the large vessels in front of the nerve. It’s just not easy or effective.
If you get desperate to treat a fringe health condition, the stimulators on the open market are probably going to be a waste of time and money (sorry, not sorry). A surgeon can implant a stimulator, but this would be for very specific and serious conditions. More than likely, altering Vagus Nerve function is going to come through learning to relax your mindset, or altering heart rate.
Interestingly enough, severe pain can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure. If you have severe back or neck pain, please give us a call! 316-729-2528.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation. What’s the hype? - June 3, 2026
- Constipation and Back Pain - May 20, 2026
- The deadly threat of poor mobility. - May 6, 2026
