The Neurological System and Massage’s Impact On It

I’m forever in awe of the ingenuous engineering of the human body, and this is perfectly illustrated when you look at the complexity, and brilliants of our Neurological System, and the role it plays in our daily lives.

In this blog, I’ll discuss the Neurological System, its component parts, and the impact massage has on the system.

What is the Neurological System?

The Neurological System is our own high-speed communication and control centre. It enables us to communicate with the external environment that surrounds us, and at the same time, it communicates and controls other key internal systems in the body, such as the Endocrine, Cardiovascular and Muscular.

“It correlates and integrates different bodily functions, and how bodily organs react and adjust to changing environments”.

It achieves this by gathering information via senses in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS), this information is then processed by the Central Nervous System (CNS), and a subsequent action is triggered.

What is its structure?

The Micro-Structure:

The Neurological System is made up of five different specialised cells called neurons, which communicate with the rest of the body using electrical impulses and chemical signals (neurotransmitters). For example, we have motor neurons which transmit information from the brain or the spinal cord to gland or muscle tissue giving instructions on movement and contraction, and we have sensory neurons that send information from all areas of the body to the brain.

Let’s go through the communication process

The neuron receives information from other cells via what are known as Dendrites (think of them as the cells antennae receiving signals), the information is sent away from the cell through the Axon (the transmitting component of the cell), which is covered by what is called a Myelin Sheath (which is a fatty layer that protects the axon and determines the speed that the generated electrical impulses travels from the Axon to the Axon Terminals, which are responsible for converting the electrical impulses potential to neurotransmitters, such as Serotonin, Dopamine or Cortisol.

These are then transmitted to other neurons, glands, muscles fibres, via the synaptic cleft (this is a gap between neurons in which information is passed between them) activating and coordinating all our thoughts, our emotions, and our bodily functions. Making us who we are, what we feel, and how we act in our daily lives.

The key brain chemicals that help to coordinate our thoughts, feelings, and bodily functions are:

• Serotonin: A “feel-good” chemical, known principally for regulating our moods, but it also influences how we sleep, our appetite levels, how we digest our food, and our cognitive abilities. 95% of Serotonin is actually located in the gut, and the remaining 5% is in the brain

• Dopamine: Another “feel-good” chemical known as the motivation molecule, that’s released during activities that we enjoy, or when we feel that we are accomplishing a goal. It has a number of functions including keeping us motivated, energised, having good motor control (voluntary muscle), and being focused. It also helps regulate our moods. 50% of Dopamine is in the brain, and the remaining 50% is in the gut

• Oxytocin: Commonly referred to us the “love hormone” it facilitates social bonding, feelings of trust, empathy, and it reduces our stress levels. It plays an important role in childbirth by stimulating uterine muscle contraction, and also, in the process of lactation

• Endorphins: There are more than twenty types of endorphins which are known for boosting our mood and acting as natural pain relievers. They’re released during exercise, with laughter, during intimate exchanges, and listening to music

• Cortisol: Known as the stress hormone, it triggers our “fight or flight” response. It plays a critical role in the body by helping it respond to, and manage stress, supporting the metabolic process, our immune response, blood sugar levels, our blood pressure, and circulation. It becomes a negative force when released for sustained periods of stress (chronic) resulting in high levels of cortisol in the system, causing issues such as poor sleep and a weakened immunity

• Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA): This calms our brain activity, bringing about lower stress levels, feelings of anxiety, improved sleep, and muscle relaxation.

The Macro-Structure:

The Neurological System can be divided into two distinct parts which are:

1. The Central Nervous System (CNS)

2. The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The Central Nervous System:

The CNS is made up of the following:

1. The Brain - The control centre, responsible for managing our thoughts, emotions, how we interpret information, our motor skills, memory, actions, or the functions that happen “automatically” in the body that we are not consciously controlling; and

2. The Spinal Cord – The communication highway connecting the brain to the PNS

The Peripheral Nervous System:

The PNS is made up of all the nerves that branch out from the CNS, and it can be divided into the Somatic Nervous System (SNS) and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

The Somatic Nervous System has a number of functions, it enables us to have voluntary control over our skeletal muscle movements, and also, it processes sensory information such as the temperature of the shower water as it connects with our skin, or the pressure of someone’s touch. It then relays this information to the CNS, which then processes the data and determines what action we will take based on that information. In addition to this, via our spinal cord, it manages fast involuntary reflex actions. For example, I’m not sure if this happened to you, but in the past when I’ve seen the doctor he’s tapped my knee with a rubber hammer to check my reflexes, fortunately in my case, it triggered my lower leg to suddenly, and involuntarily, extend. My involuntary reflexes were good!

The Autonomic Nervous System:

This is responsible for the involuntary functions within the body that we are unable to consciously influence, such as our breathing, or our heart beating. The ANS operates on two “levels” the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System.

• Sympathetic Nervous System: This is the "Fight or Flight" mode and is activated when the body is about to embark on some physical and mental activity. In this mode your heart rate increases, the airways expand to aid deeper breathing, and your digestion slows down. The latter happens because in this mode the system prioritises energy being used to support vital bodily tasks (brain function, heart rate, muscle activity) over digestion, which in that moment is seen as a non-essential action

• Parasympathetic Nervous System: This is the "Rest and Digest" mode and is the opposite of being in “Fight or Flight”. When we are in a state, the parasympathetic nervous system controls our bodily functions such as digestion, assists us to rest, and triggers a number of metabolic processes

• There is another very important system operating within the Peripheral Nervous System called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) that exists for our bowels. The ENS is known as the “Second Brain” because of its ability to operate independently of the CNS. It is located within the gastrointestinal tract walls and is responsible for a number of actions including the movement and stirring of food, fluids waste, the secretion of enzymes, and the absorption of nutrients

What would be the length of all the nerve fibres in the body if we were to link them together?

The answer to this question depends on if you’re looking at the system on a Macro or Micro level. The macrolevel takes into account the major nerve bundles (groups of nerve fibres). They link the brain and spinal cord to our limbs and organs. The total is approximately 45 miles or 72 kilometres. However, if we determine the length on a micro-level basis which would require us to look at the microscopic fibres within each bundle, the length could be an astonishing 572,000 miles or 920,000 kilometres. To put this into perspective, the total (circumference) distance around the Earth is roughly 24,901 miles or 40,075 kilometres. So, our network of nerves could go around the circumference of the Earth nearly 23 times!!! Crazy, right?!!!

How fast do our electrical impulses travel?

The answer to this depends on a number of factors but mainly what is the purpose of the transmission? And, is the immediate situation that the body is facing life-threatening? The fastest electrical impulses will come from motor neurons, (which controls our muscles) or proprioceptors (that informs the brain where are body and limbs are in relation to the surrounding space), which travel at approximately 270 mph. If we stumble or lose our balance we need to react very quickly to recover, or to protect vital parts of the body, such as the head. Electrical impulses governing our thoughts will travel at around 50 mph. The slowest electrical signals travel at around 1 mph.

What is the difference between a healthy and poor Neurological System?

A regulated neurological system is a healthy one. This is when your system is balanced, efficiently able to go between the sympathetic and parasympathetic state, as and when needed. You’ll feel calm, focused, you’ll think clearly, your mood is stable, the system can effectively manage emotions, you’re not overwhelmed, you sleep well, and you have an efficient digestive system.

A dysregulated neurological system is an unhealthy one, it’s stuck in “survival” mode. Your moods are volatile, you’re irritable, you feel stressed, anxious, you experience “brain fog”, can’t think clearly, you have memory problems, you’re suffering from poor digestion, experiencing tense muscles, feel chronic pain, and you feel detached or emotionally numb.

What causes our Neurological System to become dysregulated, and how do we fix that?

There are a number of factors that can cause our neurological system to become dysregulated, some we can fix with lifestyle changes, but a system that is unhealthy due to a neurological disorder such as Parkinsons or Multiple Sclerosis we can treat and help to manage but we cannot fix.

Common causes of a dysregulated system are being stressed, anxious, experiencing a sudden traumatic event, and not getting enough time to rest. To combat this, having a structured, well-balanced lifestyle that incorporates exercise, allowing yourself to have the space to carve out time where you can stop and properly connect with your physical, mental and emotional needs helps restore balance to your neurological system.

What impact does massage therapy have on our Neurological System?

Massage therapy has a profound impact on our neurological system, by “influencing” the sensory receptors that lie in our skin, fascia, muscles and other soft tissue. This impacts the autonomic nervous system, our brain chemistry, and the Neurological System’s perception of pain.

Massage’s impact on the Autonomic Nervous System:

By using slow and rhythmic strokes massage has been shown to help “reset” the ANS by taking the body out of its “fight or flight” mode and into “rest and digest” mode. This is especially true if the Vagus Nerve (which is the largest nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system) is targeted during the massage as this lowers blood pressure, your heart rate, reduces levels of stress, anxiety, inflammation, improves immune function, boosts mood and generates a feeling of calm. Massage has also been shown to boost the level of delta waves in the brain which are linked with deep sleep.

Massage’s impact on our Brain Chemistry:

Massage lowers the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which if produced over a sustained period increases your stress levels, feelings of anxiety, induces muscular tension, chronic pain and fatigue. In contrast, the feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are released elevating mood, energy levels, reducing stress levels, improving focus, drive, supporting better sleep, and the digestion of food. Massage also stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural pain killers.

Massage’s impact on Reducing the Neurological System’s Perception of Pain:

The Gate Control Theory: Non-painful sensory input generated by massage stimulates nerve fibres called mechanoreceptors that “close the gate” on smaller fibres being able to carry pain signals to the brain.

Massage and its role in helping combat some of the side effects associated with certain neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Parkinson’s is a neurological condition caused by a lack of dopamine which leads to mobility problems and resulting in the person with the condition experiencing cramping, slowness, muscle stiffness, atrophy, postural changes and tiredness.

Multiple Sclerosisis an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath of the cortical projection, inhibitory interneurons, and motor neurons within the Central Nervous System. This leads to impaired motor control, chronic muscle pain due to muscles being in a state of contraction, muscle stiffness, weakness, spasms and fatigue.

With these conditions massage can help increase flexibility, improve range of movement, reduce the pain associated with tight muscles, improve posture, and reduce number of cramp events occurring.

Although massage cannot cure these disorders, it can certainly help improve the quality of life of those who are suffering with these illnesses.

Final Thoughts:

I hope that this blog has given you a better understanding of your Neurological System, its workings, and the multiple beneficial effects massage has on it.

My administration for the human body continues!

Thanks for reading!

Much love!

Alphonsus x