Treatment Options for Somatovisceral Disorders After Head Injuries

Understand the implications of somatovisceral disorders from head injuries on the body and mind with detailed insights.

Understanding Head Injuries and Their Impact on the Brain-Body Connection Through Somatovisceral Disorders

Beyond simple bumps or bruises, head trauma may alter the way your body functions and feels. Envision a brain injury resulting in gastrointestinal issues, persistent exhaustion, or even difficulty concentrating on daily duties. Because of the brain-body link, your muscles and organs are influenced by signals from your brain and vice versa. When this connection is disrupted by a brain injury, it may lead to somatovisceral diseases, illnesses in which pain in the body or problems with the muscles and skin affect your internal organs. In this post, we’ll discuss these conditions, their connection to brain trauma, and how external variables like stress or pollution might exacerbate them. Drawing on actual clinical insights from professionals like Dr. Alexander Jimenez, we’ll also examine straightforward, non-surgical solutions to address these issues.

This book is designed for anybody who is coping with the aftereffects of a brain injury, whether it was sustained in a fall, a vehicle accident, or a sporting event. You can take steps to feel well without medication or surgery if you understand these connections. Relevant terms such as “somatovisceral disorders,” “head injury symptoms,” and “brain-body connection” highlight key concepts to help you find additional online resources.

What Are Somatovisceral Disorders?

Somatovisceral diseases occur when the external components of your body, such as your muscles, skin, and bones, don’t communicate with the internal organs, such as your heart, stomach, or lungs. “Somato” implies connected to the body or muscles, and “visceral” indicates the soft organs within you. Usually, these systems operate well together because nerves send information back and forth between them. But when anything goes wrong, like irritation in your back muscles sending erroneous signals to your stomach, it might create discomfort, swelling, or other problems far away from the initial problem.

Think of it as a broken wire in a house: a short in one room may cause lights to flicker in another. These illnesses typically present as pain that can’t be explained or as functions that don’t fit the damage location. For instance, if you have bad posture, your neck muscles could become stiff, which might affect your digestion since nerves in your spine link those regions. Studies indicate that this phenomenon occurs via somatovisceral reflexes, in which bodily stress induces alterations in organs (Jänig, 2016). When these problems entail worrying about bodily symptoms all the time, doctors call them somatic symptom disorder (SSD). This mixes physiological signals with mental stress (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Somatovisceral problems may manifest as chest tightness during episodes of anxiety or abdominal cramps during prolonged periods of stress. They impact millions of people and typically happen at the same time as other disorders, such as chronic tiredness or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Knowing this helps explain why treating only the surface pain isn’t always enough; you need to heal the entire circuitry.

Dr. Alexander Jimenez is a chiropractor who has been helping people without surgery for more than 30 years. He sees this a lot in his clinic. He says that problems with the spine might cause organs to function differently, leading to severe pain. He employs functional medicine to concentrate on core problems, such as changes in structure, to bring things back into balance. He talks about this in his wellness podcasts and clinic materials (Jimenez, 2024a).

The Link Between Head Injuries and Somatovisceral Disorders

The brain-body link may be significantly disrupted by head traumas, even minor ones like concussions. When your head is shaken, the brain bounces within your skull, resulting in a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This causes somatovisceral problems by interfering with neural connections between your brain and your body. According to research, individuals with mTBI are more likely to have somatic symptoms and related disorders (SSRD), which are characterized by severe, ongoing bodily aches that have no apparent explanation (Jobin et al., 2025).

What causes this to occur? The autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is controlled by the brain, regulates bodily processes such as digestion and heart rate without conscious thought. This system may become irritated by a brain injury, leading to reflexes that magnify signals. For example, inflammation after an injury may cause gut nerves to overreact, resulting in the typical somatovisceral symptoms of bloating or nausea. A study revealed connections between mTBI and inexplicable symptoms or functional seizures, indicating that the wiring in the brain is disrupted (Jobin et al., 2025).

Six months after mTBI, another study that looked at 476 people discovered that 15–27% of them had acquired SSD. Early perceptions of the severity of the injury predicted poorer outcomes, and these people experienced greater pain, exhaustion, and mental distress (Silverberg et al., 2025). The brain seems to relive the incident, delivering lingering stress signals to the body.

Dr. Jimenez sees this in patients after an injury in clinical settings. He talks about how whiplash-like head injuries may cause miscommunication between the spine and the brain, which might result in stomach problems or irregular heartbeats. His team helps patients recover control by calming these responses with moderate modifications (Jimenez, 2024b). This connection demonstrates that head trauma affects the whole body, not just the head.

Understanding Long-Lasting Injuries- Video

How Head Injuries Disrupt the Brain-Body Connection

A network of nerves, hormones, and blood flow connects the brain to the body. The brain and spinal cord make up your central nervous system (CNS). The somatic system controls voluntary movements, such as walking, while the autonomic system controls involuntary movements, such as breathing. Head trauma may cause swelling or nerve damage, making it hard to send clear messages.

The brain may enlarge a little after a concussion, putting pressure on pathways that connect to the vagus nerve, which is important for soothing the body. This may weaken the vagal tone, so the nerve can’t lower stress as well. This can make the heart beat quicker or make digestion worse. Somatovisceral illnesses occur when somatic (bodily) concerns exacerbate visceral (organ) problems, such as neck strain inducing stomach pains via spinal reflexes (Burns, 1907, as referenced in StatPearls, 2023).

This creates a cycle over time: pain induces stress, stress worsens organ function, and pain makes stress worse. Dr. Jimenez notes in his work at the neuropathy center that head trauma is commonly linked to autonomic abnormalities, such as dizziness or problems with sweating, caused by altered somatovisceral pathways (Jimenez, 2024b). To fix the link, you need to look at both the brain’s messages and the body’s reactions.

Symptoms of Somatovisceral Disorders Linked to Head Injuries

It is common for individuals to anticipate headaches, lightheadedness, or even memory loss after a head injury. The thing that shocks me the most is how the same injury may cause non-head-related “off” feelings across the rest of the body. These are somatovisceral symptoms, which occur when the body’s external structures—such as muscles, joints, and skin—send unclear signals that interfere with organ function.

The following are the most typical overlapping symptoms that physicians see months or even years after whiplash-like injuries or concussions:

1. Unexpected digestive issues can arise
   After a vehicle accident or sports collision, symptoms including nausea, bloating, acid reflux, or alternating constipation and diarrhea may begin. A common cause of irritation for the vagus nerve, which connects the brainstem to the stomach and intestines via the neck, is edema or neck misalignment. According to a big investigation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like complaints that were not present before the injury were prevalent in 40–60% of individuals with persistent post-concussion symptoms (Stubbs et al., 2020).
2. Modifications to the heart and breathing
   Many patients have random heartbeats or racing sensations. Some people become out of breath just by crossing a room. This occurs because head trauma may reduce vagal tone, the nervous system’s “brake pedal,” leaving the fight-or-flight response in the “on” position (Silverberg et al., 2025).
3. Strange feelings and widespread pain
   The arms, legs, or chest often experience burning, tingling, or electric shock sensations. “It feels like my whole body is inflamed even though the doctors can’t find anything on regular tests,” patients complain. The brain intensifies pain signals after damage, a condition known as central sensitization (Jobin et al., 2025).
4. Problems with perspiration and temperature
   Some individuals sweat excessively or not at all on one side of their bodies. Some people always have freezing hands and feet. Disruption of brain-stem control over sweat glands and blood vessels is the cause of these autonomic alterations.
5. Weariness that sleep cannot alleviate
   Even after 10 to 12 hours of sleep, individuals are still fatigued when they wake up because the brain is expending additional energy to clear the body’s confused signals, leaving little energy for everyday tasks.
6. Problems with thought and mood that seem tangible
   It is not “just in your head” that you experience anxiety, panic attacks, brain fog, or difficulty finding words. Because stomach and heart function are regulated by the same neural pathways that regulate mood, they occur. According to Jobin et al. (2025), when a brain injury causes inflammation in specific circuits, everything seems worse at once.

Patients who were told “it’s all anxiety” but really have palpable nerve irritation from previous head or neck injuries see Dr. Alexander Jimenez on a regular basis. Heart-rate variability testing in his clinic often reveals very low vagal tone in these patients, demonstrating that the issue is real and not imagined (Jimenez, 2024b).

Common Symptom	How It Feels Day-to-Day	Why It Happens After a Head Injury
Stomach pain / IBS	Constant bloating, cramps after eating	Vagus nerve irritation + inflammation
Racing heart	Heart pounds when standing or resting	Lost vagal brake on the heart
Burning skin/tingling	Feels like sunburn or pins-and-needles	Central sensitization in the brain
Extreme fatigue	“Dead battery” feeling all day	The brain is working overtime to fix signals
Temperature issues	Ice-cold hands or hot flashes	Autonomic centers in the brainstem are damaged

 

Environmental Factors Influencing Brain Activity and the Body

The things around you have a significant impact on how brain injuries heal or on whether somatovisceral problems worsen. Things like noise, air pollution, and even stress from others may change how the brain and body function. For example, heavy metals from contaminated water may cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger inflammation that makes nerves more sensitive (Xu et al., 2020).

Stress from work or traffic increases cortisol, a hormone that messes with the gut-brain axis, which is the direct connection between your stomach and brain. This may make moderate stomach symptoms after an accident grow into full-blown IBS, particularly if your reflexes are already off (Jimenez, 2022a). A bad diet or insufficient sunlight can affect serotonin, which is largely produced in the stomach. This affects mood and pain levels.

These things made everyday life very challenging. Imagine trying to drive while your concentration is fogged by pollution, or making supper when you’re anxious because of noise. Simple actions may become really tiring. This increases the risk of emotional development problems in children or accelerated aging of brain cells in older people (Faig et al., 2023).

In his functional medicine webinars, Dr. Jimenez often discusses how small environmental changes can help reduce neuropathy symptoms after an accident. For example, he says that cutting down on exposure to toxins might help. He believes that cleaner air and a balanced diet may reduce inflammation and improve communication between the brain and body (Jimenez, 2024b).

Overlapping Risk Profiles and Body-Wide Effects

Head traumas that cause somatovisceral diseases have a cascading effect of causing shared hazards across systems. Inflammation might be one profile: swelling in the brain causes cytokines to enter the body and affect both the stomach and joints. Silverberg et al. (2025) have identified ANS dysregulation as another condition in which poor sleep is linked to cardiac problems due to decreased vagal tone.

These profiles are more likely to experience depression or chronic tiredness because they share symptoms such as mood swings or widespread discomfort. Hormonal ties often raise rates for women after mTBI (Jobin et al., 2025). Routines like working out or interacting with others are painful since the body feels assaulted from the inside.

According to Dr. Jimenez’s case study, veterans who have suffered brain trauma often have concurrent nerve and gastrointestinal discomfort. His comprehensive care prevents escalation by mapping these characteristics (Jimenez, 2024b).

A Questionnaire Example of TBI Symptoms

Non-Surgical Treatments to Boost Somatovisceral Function

The good news is that the brain and body can recover quite well when they receive the right kind of support. None of the therapies below involves surgery or harsh drugs, but research and clinical experience demonstrate that they may greatly strengthen the connection between the brain and body.

1. Chiropractic spinal adjustments, particularly to the upper neck
   Gentle modifications to the top two bones in the neck (C1 and C2) have been demonstrated to boost vagus nerve activity in a matter of minutes. A pilot study from 2021 examined heart-rate variability before and after an upper cervical adjustment. It identified a definite increase in parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) tone, which is the opposite of fight-or-flight (Goetz et al., 2021, as referenced in Momentum Chiropractic, 2025). Dr. Jimenez employs precise tools and low-force methods, so even those who have just had a concussion may safely get therapy (Jimenez, 2024a). You don’t need surgery to fix these problems; gentle, hands-on treatments work nicely. Chiropractic therapy is the best option since it uses spine adjustments to relieve nerve pressure and reset reflexes. Research supports this for alleviating post-mTBI symptoms (Hawk, 2016).
2. Cranial-Sacral Therapy and Myofascial Release
   A gentle touch to the skull and spine helps calm the swollen membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Patients typically experience a wave of calm and improved breathing while on the table.
3. Exercises for stimulating the vagus nerve (no gadgets needed): These little things you do every day put the vagus nerve back “on” and lessen inflammation all across your body.
   1. Breathing slowly and deeply into your abdomen (4 seconds in, 6–8 seconds out)
   2. Gargling fiercely till your eyes water
   3. Singing or humming loudly
   4. Taking cold showers or spraying cold water on the face
4. Acupuncture
   Auricular acupuncture (needles put along the ear) or needles placed along the vagus route in the neck swiftly relieve pain and nausea after a concussion. After 6–8 weeks of acupuncture, veterans with blast-related brain injuries saw significant decreases in headache and gastrointestinal symptoms (Jimenez, 2024b).
5. Gut Healing and Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition
   Removing gluten, dairy, and processed sugar, and adding omega-3 fish oil, turmeric, ginger, and bone broth helps relax the gut-brain axis. Many of Dr. Jimenez’s patients see their brain fog and stomach discomfort improve within 2 to 4 weeks after making dietary modifications.
6. Brain Training with Neurofeedback
   There are special computer programs that train the brain how to create waves that are better for you. Many patients say that after 20 to 40 sessions, they think more clearly, sleep better, and experience much less pain.
7. Therapy for Exercise and Movement
   Beginning with basic walking or pool treatment and gradually increasing the intensity prevents the nervous system from remaining in a state of protection. Dr. Jimenez’s rehab team performs CrossFit-style functional activities after the neck is stabilized. Patients report feeling “normal” again.
8. Low-Level Laser Therapy with Red-Light Therapy
   When you shine specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light on the neck and skull, it reduces inflammation in the brain and speeds the repair of nerve tissue. Clinics that use this report see speedier recovery from post-concussion syndrome.
9. Mindfulness and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback
   People can learn to increase their own vagal tone in only a few minutes a day using apps and simple chest sensors. Higher HRV ratings are directly linked to decreased levels of pain and anxiety (Silverberg et al., 2025).

When these therapies are used together, as functional-medicine and chiropractic neurology clinics do, the effects come quickly. Dr. Jimenez has shown that most patients have a 50–80% improvement in somatovisceral symptoms after 8–12 weeks of starting a complete brain-body program (Jimenez, 2024b).

How Treatments Improve the Central Nervous System and Vagal Tone

These treatments repair the central nervous system by reducing neural noise. Changes allow the brain to receive more blood, which promotes healing (Masarsky & Todres-Masarsky, 2001). They lower heart rate, improve digestion, and increase vagal tone by activating the nerve via neck work.

This leads to improved brain-body communication: autonomic systems balance, somatic muscles relax. This reduces symptoms such as anxiety or nausea. According to preliminary studies, chiropractic care decreases inflammation via increasing vagal activity (Goetz et al., 2021, as referenced in Momentum Chiropractic, 2025).

Dr. Jimenez has observed that, after making modifications, individuals with low vagal tone following an injury exhibit improvements in heart rate variability, which in turn improves overall calm (Jimenez, 2024a).

Enhancing Somatic and Autonomic Systems Through Better Communication

Restored communication implies that somatic (muscle) control and autonomic (organ) harmony work together. Yoga and other treatments like it help with this by matching breath to motion, which strengthens vagus signals. You become better at managing stress over time and have fewer flare-ups.

Dr. Jimenez’s CrossFit rehab combines activity with changes to help patients get back into their habits (Jimenez, 2024b). This all-encompassing change changes survival mode into flourishing.

Conclusion: Reclaiming Your Brain-Body Balance

You may feel as if the invisible connections that connect your brain and body are broken by a head injury. As a consequence, somatovisceral problems may turn everyday chores become tiresome struggles. The damaged nervous system, however, can also heal itself.

Science and actual clinics now demonstrate that non-pharmacological, gentle methods, such as focused movement, acupuncture, clean diet, vagus-nerve exercises, and chiropractic treatment, may reduce pain, soothe the stomach, stabilize the heart, and clear the mind. Instead of concealing symptoms, they addressed the brain-body link, allowing thousands of patients who were told “you’ll just have to live with it” to resume active, pleasant lives.

It is possible to recover from a brain injury if you or someone you care about is still having problems weeks, months, or years later. Before working with a practitioner who is knowledgeable in somatovisceral reflexes and the vagus nerve, start with the fundamentals: deep breathing, gentle neck care, and reducing inflammatory foods. The appropriate plan is all the body needs to recover.

You don’t need to be trapped. The impaired brain-body link may grow even more robust.

References

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
• Faig, K. E., Smith, K. E., & Dimitroff, S. J. (2023). Somatovisceral influences on emotional development. Emotion Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739231163180
• Hawk, C. (2016). Chiropractic practice, experience, and research related to somatovisceral interactions. In Musculoskeletal Key. https://musculoskeletalkey.com/chiropractic-practice-experience-and-research-related-to-somatovisceral-interactions/
• Jänig, W. (2016). Basic science on somatovisceral interactions: Peripheral and central evidence-based implications for research. In Musculoskeletal Key. https://musculoskeletalkey.com/basic-science-on-somatovisceral-interactions-peripheral-and-central-evidence-base-and-implications-for-research/
• Jimenez, A. (2022a). The gut-brain axis is affected by somatovisceral pain. Dr. Alex Jimenez.com. https://dralexjimenez.com/gut-brain-axis-affected-somatovisceral-pain/
• Jimenez, A. (2022b). Weakness, pain, numbness, radiculopathy, and chiropractic. Chiropractic Scientist. https://chiropracticscientist.com/weakness-radiculopathy-chiro/
• Jimenez, A. (2024a). Injury specialists. Dr. Alex Jimenez.com. https://dralexjimenez.com/
• Jimenez, A. (2024b). Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN ♛ – Injury Medical Clinic PA. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralexjimenez/
• Jobin, K., et al. (2025). Somatic symptom and related disorders and mild traumatic brain injury: A systematic review. Biopsychosoc Sci Med, 87(8), 548-564. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001427
• Masarsky, C. S., & Todres-Masarsky, M. (2001). Somatovisceral aspects of chiropractic: An evidence-based approach. Churchill Livingstone. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2051312/
• Momentum Chiropractic. (2025). Chiropractor vagus nerve. Momentum Chiropractic Care. https://www.momentumchiropracticcare.com/blogs/news/chiropractor-vagus-nerve
• Silverberg, N. D., et al. (2025). Somatic symptom disorder after mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0000000000001068
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• Xu, F., et al. (2020). Environmental pollutants and the risk of neurological disorders. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11272-3