
← VET S.O.S. Podcast23. Sept. · 36 Min.
The Missing Link in Veteran TBI? Your Neck May Hold the Answer
<p>VET S.O.S. — Veteran Transition, Resources & Brain Health</p><p><strong>What if your lingering concussion symptoms aren't coming only from your brain—but from an injury everyone missed?</strong></p><p>A veteran can have clear scans and still battle headaches, brain fog, dizziness, sleep problems, and hypervigilance years after a mild traumatic brain injury. Army veteran Dr. Chris Slininger believes part of the problem may be that we're examining the brain while overlooking what happened to the neck during the same blast, impact, or concussion.</p><p>In this episode, Dr. Slininger breaks down his research into the craniocervical junction and explains why asking <strong>"What did the kinetic force do?"</strong> may be more useful than simply asking where someone was hit.</p><p><strong>In this episode, you'll discover:</strong></p><p>• <strong>Recognize</strong> common long-term MTBI symptoms—including headaches, migraines, dizziness, brain fog, cognitive decline, sleep disruption, and persistent fight-or-flight responses.</p><p>• <strong>Understand</strong> why Dr. Slininger believes the upper cervical spine deserves greater attention after blast exposure, concussions, airborne injuries, vehicle accidents, and other high-force events common in military service.</p><p>• <strong>Learn</strong> how neurological communication, blood flow, and cerebrospinal fluid flow factor into his theory about the relationship between the upper neck and brain function.</p><p>• <strong>Explore</strong> the veteran MTBI research he's building—from an initial 10-person pilot to a planned 400-person randomized controlled trial comparing brain-focused and craniocervical interventions, including former NFL players as a comparison group.</p><p><strong>About Dr. Chris Slininger</strong></p><p>Dr. Chris Slininger is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran who deployed to Kuwait in 2004–2005 and served in both the Engineer Corps and Medical Corps. His exposure to service members dealing with blast-related injuries helped drive his focus toward brain health and the invisible wounds associated with MTBI.</p><p>Today, his clinical work focuses on complex neurological conditions and the craniocervical junction. He is leading research examining whether upper cervical correction can affect persistent symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injury in veterans.</p><p><strong>Learn more:</strong><br>cerebralchiropractic.com<br>mtbiresearch.com</p><p><strong>Support VET