People do report symptoms like brain fog and memory problems after spinal cord injuries, and there are certainly reasons why that might happen. However, it is important to remember that for many people, an injury that only affects the spinal cord does not cause cognitive symptoms.
In our office, almost all the people who have upper cervical spine instability, who come in for our non-surgical treatments, have an amazing amount of brain fog, the inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression. These are not the typical things that doctors look for in the neck.
Chronic pain often causes mental and cognitive symptoms, such as short-term memory loss, difficulty processing information, confusion, and trouble focusing. These symptoms are commonly known in the pain community as “brain fog.” Work, school, and other daily tasks can be challenging when dealing with brain fog.
What does this mean for your neck and headaches? When the neck is out of alignment then the information system from your brain to your body- your nervous system, can't do its job. This can lead to poor circulation, headaches, brain fog, sleep apnea, jaw tension and tight shoulders.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a form of inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine. Although people often think about the physical symptoms, living with AS can also lead to what is known as brain fog.
Having proper upper cervical alignment helps your body maintain a healthy brain stem and a body that can continue to perform its natural functions appropriately. For an all-natural brain fog treatment option, an upper cervical adjustment can be extremely beneficial.
Functional Neurology for Brain Fog
Most of the potential causes for brain fog are regularly diagnosed and treated by functional neurologists.
One of the main symptoms of a cervical spine disorder is neck pain. You may also have pain in the head, jaw, shoulders, arms, or legs, as well as numbness and weakness. Other problems include impaired coordination or balance, difficulty breathing, or loss of bowel and bladder control.
This can be caused by overworking, lack of sleep, stress, and spending too much time on the computer. On a cellular level, brain fog is believed to be caused by high levels inflammation and changes to hormones that determine your mood, energy and focus.
Many people who have had severe trauma to their neck and back may also have injuries to their brain. These can range from a mild concussion to more severe injuries. They can cause difficulty with memory, concentration, or communication, and can cause personality changes.
Spinal cord injury causes inflammation which can affect the whole nervous system – this includes the brain, and the brain can be very sensitive to inflammation and pressure.
Plasmacytoma is a rare tumor and can be found in any tissue. We show, to our knowledge, the first case of spinal cord compression caused by plasmacytoma presenting with confusion as a primary symptom. We also show abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathology marker levels caused by spinal cord compression.
Brain fog can be worrisome no matter how you get it. If your symptoms exist for several weeks, you should schedule an appointment with a neurologist for a medical evaluation. Research shows that brain fog can affect some people for months.
C5 radiculopathy.
Tingling, numbness, and/or pain may go from the neck into the shoulder and/or down the arm and into the thumb. Weakness may be experienced in the shoulder or upper arm.
A patient with C6 radiculopathy usually feels pain or numbness from the neck to radial side of the biceps, forearm, the dorsal web space of the hand between the thumb and index finger, and to the tips of those fingers.
When a C6-C7 herniated disc occurs and the C6-C7 nerve root is irritated, the symptoms usually include neck pain and pain in the arms, weakness in the hands and weakness in the arms, shoulder pain, chest pains, uncontrollable sweating, headaches, and possibly more. Many times, this condition can be misdiagnosed.
Everyone spaces out from time to time. While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.
However, people should see a doctor if: their brain fog regularly interferes with their ability to complete daily tasks. they have problems with daily functioning, for example, they forget to pay bills or get lost often. their memory seems to be getting steadily worse.
People usually recover from brain fog. You may get similar symptoms after other infections, a minor head injury or during the menopause. Brain fog is also common if you have depression, anxiety or stress.