The carotid sinus is the most important node that provides nutrition to the brain and the entire central nervous system. It is a concentration of nerve cells, and also contains receptor zones that regulate the functioning of the heart. Massage of the carotid sinus is often used in medicine to diagnose a variety of diseases of the nervous system.
Where is the carotid sinus located?
Before you begin the massage procedure, you need to figure out where the necessary point is. For this, the structure of the carotid artery should be considered.
The carotid sinus is located between the internal and external parts of the carotid artery in the neck. It is a small bulge. You can feel it if you put your fingers under the larynx in the Adam's apple, and raise your palm higher.
It is impossible to look for a carotid sinus, performing strong pressure on the region of the carotid artery. Even short-term compression of the artery can lead to terrible consequences.
Impact on the carotid sinus
Pressing on this place can stimulate the vagus nerve, which connects the organs and tissues of the head, neck, chest and abdominal cavities with nerves, thereby ensuring their connection with the central nervous system. In addition, a certain effect on the carotid sinus helps to treat some diseases and eliminate their symptoms.
Indications for massage
There is a number of studies that massage of the carotid sinus can help eliminate dizziness and prevents fainting of unknown origin. The massage gives the best results when dealing with fainting conditions than with dizziness.
Thanks to the systematic massage of this zone of the carotid artery, the blood vessels of the patients expand, the pressure decreases and the load on the heart muscle decreases.
In addition, the benefits of carotid sinus massage have been proven to relieve paroxysm of cardiac arrhythmias. This eliminates disorders characterized by increased heart rate and aggravation of existing heart failure.
Massage of the carotid sinus can stop the paroxysm of tachycardia due to the fact that exposure to it increases the excitability of the vagus nerve. In this regard, the work of the heart muscle is normalized and the patient immediately feels a relief.
Indications for massage of the carotid sinus are suspicions of the disease "carotid sinus syndrome." The impact on a certain part of the human carotid artery is a diagnostic procedure that allows you to identify the disease in time. Such a procedure should be carried out only in a medical institution under the guidance of an experienced specialist.
Carotid sinus syndrome
This disease can be detected in 5-25% of the elderly. Most often, the symptoms of the disease appear in males.
The main signs of the disease are frequent loss of consciousness, which in some cases is accompanied by convulsions. Attacks occur when turning or tilting the head or when pinching the neck with a narrow collar or tight tie.
In some cases, when carrying out a massage of the carotid sinus, it is possible to identify sinus pauses and short-term disorders of consciousness.
The most common form of the disease is the cardiac type. With this pathology, massage of the carotid sinus can lead to a temporary cessation of ventricular activity lasting more than 3 seconds.
A more rare type of syndrome is vascular, a sign of which is a decrease in pressure and a worsening of the patient's condition. In this case, the heart rate remains unchanged.
With a mixed type of syndrome, pressure on the point leads to bradycardia and a decrease in blood pressure.
Who is forbidden to massage?
In the event that the patient has noises on the carotid arteries, or symptoms of a violation of the blood supply to the brain have been identified, massage of the carotid sinus in order to identify various types of diseases is strictly contraindicated. This type of massage is prohibited for pregnant women, as it can have a detrimental effect on the developing fetus.
Carotid Sinus Massage Technique
During the massage procedure, the patient lies on his back on a special massage table. The patient should be completely relaxed. Before starting the massage procedure, the patient should rest in a supine position for at least 5 minutes, this is necessary in order to calm the work of the heart muscle.
The massage technique is as follows: the thumb is placed across the neck of the patient. First of all, a massage is performed on the right side, in the event that it does not give the desired effect, it should also affect the left side of the carotid artery.
Massage effect is achieved by pressing on each carotid sinus lasting no more than 10 seconds with an interval of one minute. The total duration of the massage is 5-10 minutes.
During the procedure, it is necessary to monitor the functional state of the heart using the ECG apparatus, as well as monitor the patient's blood pressure.
Unfortunately, carotid sinus syndrome very often becomes an undiagnosed cause of fainting in people over the age of 60. Timely detection of the disease using the carotid sinus massage procedure can prevent complications and start treatment in time.