El Paso Head and Neck Injury Nutrition Support Strategies

El Paso Head and Neck Injury Nutrition Support

Abstract

A concussion or whiplash injury can affect much more than the head or neck. Trauma may influence the nervous system, muscles, joints, sleep, digestion, metabolism, inflammation, and even the microorganisms living in the digestive tract. This helps explain the growing interest in the gut-brain-spine connection.

The gut and brain constantly communicate through nerves, hormones, immune signals, metabolic pathways, and the gut microbiome. After an injury, supporting this communication may become an important part of recovery. A protein-forward diet, healthy fats, colorful plant foods, adequate hydration, proper sleep, and carefully selected supplements can provide nutrients the body needs for tissue and neurological repair.

At Injury Medical Clinic PA in El Paso, Texas, Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CCST, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, uses his chiropractic, nurse practitioner, rehabilitation, and functional medicine training to consider both structural injury and whole-body health. Medical oversight is provided through collaboration with Dr. Maria Guadalupe Cardenas, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician, the clinic’s medical director, and a collaborative physician.

The goal is not to treat every injury with one therapy. It is to determine what is damaged, identify factors that may slow recovery, and build a personalized plan involving nutrition, rehabilitation, chiropractic care, medical evaluation, and, when appropriate, regenerative or interventional options.

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Understanding the Gut-Brain-Spine Connection

The gut-brain axis is a well-established two-way communication system between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain.

The Cleveland Clinic explains that communication takes place through several systems, including:

• The vagus nerve
• The enteric nervous system inside the digestive tract
• The autonomic nervous system
• Hormones
• Immune signals
• The gut microbiome
• Metabolic products made by intestinal bacteria

(Cleveland Clinic, 2023).

The intestinal tract contains hundreds of millions of nerve cells. Gut microorganisms also produce compounds that can influence inflammation, immunity, metabolism, and nervous-system signaling (Gwak & Chang, 2021).

The term gut-brain-spine connection can be useful as an integrative clinical model. Research strongly supports the gut-brain axis, while the “spine” portion recognizes that the spinal cord, autonomic nerves, cervical structures, muscles, joints, movement patterns, and pain signals are also part of the larger nervous system.

In other words, the body does not recover in isolated pieces.

A painful neck can interfere with sleep. Poor sleep can affect inflammation and appetite. A concussion can alter activity and eating habits. Stress can influence digestion. Poor nutrition can make it harder to meet the body’s increased nutritional needs.

These factors can form a cycle.

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What Happens After a Concussion or Head Injury?

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, or mTBI.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a concussion can happen when a blow to the head or body causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. This may produce chemical and metabolic changes in brain cells (CDC, 2025).

Symptoms may include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Brain fog
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Light or noise sensitivity
• Changes in mood
• Balance problems
• Sleep problems

The brain also goes through a period of increased metabolic demand following injury.

That is one reason nutrition matters.

A systematic review by Finnegan et al. (2022) found that nutrition may play a supportive role during recovery from acute mild traumatic brain injury. Researchers noted potential roles for adequate calories and protein, as well as nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin D, and N-acetylcysteine. However, the researchers also stressed that current human evidence is too limited to create one universal supplement protocol for every concussion patient.

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A Brain Injury Can Also Affect the Gut

One of the more interesting areas of traumatic brain injury research involves what happens in the digestive system after brain trauma.

Researchers have found that traumatic brain injury may affect:

• Gut motility
• Autonomic nervous system function
• Intestinal immune activity
• Gut microbial populations
• Intestinal barrier function
• Systemic inflammatory signaling

(Zhu et al., 2018).

Research on the brain-gut axis has also found that traumatic brain injury may contribute to dysautonomia and changes in intestinal permeability. Many of these mechanisms are much better established in laboratory and severe-TBI research than in people recovering from routine concussion, so they should not be overstated (Ma et al., 2021).

Still, the research provides an important lesson:

A head injury can become a whole-body recovery problem.

This is why nutrition, sleep, movement, stress control, gastrointestinal health, and metabolic health may deserve attention along with the injured neck or brain.

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Protein-Forward Nutrition for Injury Recovery

Protein provides amino acids that the body uses to build and maintain:

• Muscle
• Connective tissue
• Enzymes
• Immune proteins
• Neurotransmitter-related compounds
• Structural proteins involved in tissue repair

Patients recovering from significant trauma can have increased protein requirements. Clinical nutrition literature for more serious traumatic injuries commonly emphasizes adequate protein intake and monitoring of nutritional status (Lee et al., 2023).

That does not mean every person with a mild concussion needs very high-dose protein.

Instead, the goal is to prevent under-eating and provide steady amounts of quality protein throughout the day.

Helpful protein foods may include:

• Eggs
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Fish
• Lean beef
• Greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Beans
• Lentils
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Protein shakes when normal food intake is difficult

A clinician or registered dietitian can adjust protein intake for a person’s age, body size, injury severity, activity level, kidney function, and other medical conditions.

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Feed the Gut While Supporting the Brain

Nutrition should not focus only on protein.

Plant foods supply fiber and natural compounds that beneficial intestinal bacteria use. These microbes can turn certain fibers into short-chain fatty acids that participate in intestinal and immune signaling (Gwak & Chang, 2021).

A recovery-oriented plate may include:

• A quality protein source
• Vegetables
• Berries or other fruit
• Beans or whole grains when tolerated
• Nuts and seeds
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Avocado
• Fatty fish
• Fermented foods when appropriate

Highly processed foods, excess added sugar, heavy alcohol intake, and chronic under-eating may work against metabolic and nutritional goals.

The goal is not a “perfect diet.”

It is to consistently give the body the raw materials it needs.

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What About Supplements After a Concussion?

Supplements can be useful in selected patients, but they should not replace food, medical evaluation, sleep, rehabilitation, or appropriate concussion care.

Several nutrients are being studied.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

DHA and EPA are omega-3 fats commonly found in fatty fish and fish-oil supplements. DHA is an important component of brain cell membranes.

Research on nutritional interventions following mTBI suggests omega-3 fatty acids are promising, but researchers have not yet established an ideal concussion-specific dose that applies to everyone (Finnegan et al., 2022).

Vitamin D

Vitamin D contributes to bone, muscle, immune, and neurological health.

Instead of automatically taking large doses, testing may help identify deficiency. Supplementation can then be matched to the patient’s needs.

Magnesium

Magnesium participates in hundreds of biochemical reactions involving nerves, muscles, energy production, and cellular function.

It is also being studied in brain-injury recovery, but supplementation should be individualized.

Probiotics and Prebiotic Foods

Because traumatic brain injury may influence the microbiome, researchers are studying probiotics as a possible tool.

Human evidence remains early. For example, a randomized trial in severe TBI patients found that probiotics influenced some nutritional measures but did not significantly improve several tested oxidative-stress biomarkers (Abbaszadeh et al., 2025).

That means probiotics should not be advertised as a proven concussion treatment.

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Sleep Is Part of Neuro-Recovery

Nutrition cannot overcome poor sleep.

Sleep difficulties are common after concussion. Research has also linked poor sleep during the early period after concussion with poorer longer-term recovery outcomes (Ludwig et al., 2020).

The CDC recommends practices such as:

• Maintaining regular sleep and wake times
• Limiting screens before bed
• Reducing bright light and loud noise when they trigger symptoms
• Getting adequate nighttime sleep
• Using rest breaks when fatigue becomes significant

(CDC, 2025).

For persistent sleep problems, investigate the cause rather than simply telling the patient to “sleep more.”

Pain, stress, breathing disorders, medications, headaches, hormonal issues, and disrupted sleep schedules may all play a role.

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Movement Matters Too

Older concussion advice sometimes encouraged prolonged complete rest.

That approach has changed.

After a brief period of relative rest, carefully controlled activity is generally encouraged as symptoms allow. A systematic review found that physical activity and prescribed exercise were associated with faster recovery in sport-related concussion populations compared with prolonged rest strategies (Leddy et al., 2023).

The CDC similarly recommends gradually returning to light activity after the first day or two, while reducing activity if symptoms significantly worsen (CDC, 2025).

Recovery may include:

• Walking
• Balance training
• Vestibular rehabilitation
• Cervical rehabilitation
• Progressive aerobic activity
• Strengthening
• Postural rehabilitation

The program should match the patient’s symptoms and stage of healing.

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Where Integrative Chiropractic Care Fits

Whiplash can injure muscles, ligaments, joints, discs, and other structures around the cervical spine.

The goal of chiropractic care in this setting is not to claim that a spinal adjustment cures a concussion or directly repairs the intestinal barrier.

Instead, appropriately selected chiropractic and manual care may be part of a broader program addressing the musculoskeletal portion of the injury.

Clinical guidelines for neck pain and whiplash support multimodal approaches that can include mobilization, manipulation in selected patients, exercise, education, and other rehabilitation strategies (Bussières et al., 2016).

Newer evidence also supports guided, neck-specific exercise to reduce pain and disability after whiplash (Muñoz Lazcano et al., 2024).

This may help patients work on:

• Cervical range of motion
• Muscle guarding
• Joint mobility
• Posture
• Strength
• Balance
• Movement confidence
• Functional activity

Importantly, suspected concussion must first receive appropriate medical evaluation, and aggressive cervical manipulation may be inappropriate when fractures, instability, vascular concerns, severe neurological findings, or other contraindications are present.

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Regenerative and Interventional Options for Neck Injury

Some patients continue to experience pain even after conservative rehabilitation.

In carefully selected cases, a medical team may consider interventional or regenerative approaches based on the actual injured structure.

These may include treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for certain cervical joint or ligament problems.

Early research has been encouraging but should be interpreted carefully.

A small case series involving regenerative cervical injections reported improvements in pain and function, but it included only 14 patients and no control group (Williams et al., 2021).

More importantly, a randomized clinical trial published in 2026 compared cervical facet PRP with corticosteroid injections. Both treatments produced similar overall improvements in cervical facet pain during six months of follow-up. PRP demonstrated some early advantages, but it was not clearly superior across all outcomes (Allison et al., 2026).

Therefore, PRP should be viewed as a possible targeted treatment for certain cervical pain generators, not as a treatment that heals a concussion itself.

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Laser and Photobiomodulation: Different Uses Need Different Evidence

Laser-based therapy is also used in musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

A meta-analysis found that low-level laser therapy may reduce myofascial neck pain in some patients (Tehrani et al., 2022).

That evidence should not be confused with transcranial photobiomodulation for concussion.

Research directly involving the brain remains mixed. One randomized placebo-controlled trial involving persistent concussion symptoms found no significant advantage over placebo after adjustment (Taylor et al., 2024).

A smaller 2025 randomized crossover study reported improvements in several cognitive and symptom measurements after transcranial photobiomodulation, showing why this area continues to be studied (Lee et al., 2025).

At this stage, it is best described as an emerging therapy, not an established cure for post-concussion syndrome.

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A Multidisciplinary Model at Injury Medical Clinic PA

Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CCST, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, brings together chiropractic care, advanced-practice nursing, rehabilitation, and functional medicine in El Paso, Texas. His professional materials emphasize looking at structural injury alongside nutrition, metabolic health, inflammation, movement, and lifestyle factors.

The practice identifies Dr. Maria Guadalupe Cardenas, MD, as its medical director and collaborative physician. She is listed as board-certified in internal medicine, with NPI #1164426749 and Texas Medical License #J2933. The practice also describes her as bringing more than 40 years of internal medicine experience to the multidisciplinary team.

Together, this model allows care to combine:

• Chiropractic evaluation and treatment
• Medical oversight
• Functional medicine
• Nutritional assessment
• Personal injury care
• Rehabilitation
• Diagnostic review
• Management of medical risk factors
• Referral when specialty treatment is needed
• Interventional or regenerative options when medically appropriate

Dr. Jimenez’s clinical observations emphasize that patients with similar neck injuries do not always recover at the same rate. Sleep quality, nutrition, metabolic health, previous injuries, stress, physical conditioning, pain, gastrointestinal problems, and other health conditions may influence recovery. His clinical approach therefore focuses on finding modifiable factors that may be slowing progress rather than simply treating the painful body part.

Clinical observations can guide individualized care, but they should be considered alongside examination findings, imaging when appropriate, established clinical guidelines, and published research.

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Putting the Gut-Brain-Spine Recovery Plan Together

A practical recovery strategy may look like this:

1. Identify the injury

Determine whether symptoms are coming from concussion, cervical joints, muscles, discs, nerves, vestibular problems, or several areas at the same time.

2. Rule out dangerous conditions

Head and neck trauma sometimes requires emergency imaging or specialist evaluation.

3. Build a nutritional foundation

Prioritize protein, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, fiber-rich foods, and adequate calories.

4. Check for metabolic barriers

When clinically indicated, laboratory testing may help evaluate problems such as nutrient deficiencies, blood-sugar abnormalities, anemia, thyroid dysfunction, or other conditions that could interfere with recovery.

5. Protect sleep

Consistent sleep supports neurological and physical recovery.

6. Restore movement gradually

Begin safe activity and rehabilitation rather than staying inactive for long periods.

7. Treat the neck appropriately

Use chiropractic care, manual therapy, exercise, and rehabilitation when indicated and medically safe.

8. Consider advanced treatments selectively

PRP, laser therapy, interventional procedures, or other advanced therapies should target a clearly defined clinical problem and should be used according to the patient’s diagnosis, risks, and available evidence.

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The Bottom Line

The gut-brain-spine connection offers a useful way to think about recovery after whiplash, concussion, and other head or neck injuries.

The strongest scientific evidence supports a true two-way relationship between the brain and digestive system through neurological, immune, hormonal, metabolic, and microbial pathways.

Nutrition can provide the energy and building materials needed during recovery. Protein, omega-3-rich foods, vegetables, fruit, fiber, hydration, healthy fats, and correction of true nutrient deficiencies can support the body’s healing environment.

At the same time, nutrition is only one piece.

A comprehensive recovery program may also require cervical rehabilitation, carefully selected chiropractic care, graded exercise, sleep restoration, medical evaluation, metabolic assessment, and, in selected cases, regenerative or interventional treatments.

This is where a multidisciplinary model can be especially valuable. Instead of asking only, “Where does it hurt?” the care team can also ask, “What is keeping this person from recovering?”

That broader question is central to functional, integrative, and root-cause-oriented care.

Medical note: A new or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, increasing confusion, weakness, numbness, slurred speech, unusual behavior, unequal pupils, loss of consciousness, or inability to awaken after a head injury requires emergency medical evaluation.

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References

Allison, D. J., Ebrahimzadeh, S., Muise, S., Joseph, S., Roa Agudelo, A., Lawson, A., Billias, N., Tran, J., Smith, A., & Loh, E. (2026). Intra-articular corticosteroid injections versus platelet-rich plasma as a treatment for cervical facetogenic pain: A randomized clinical trial. Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 51(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2024-105889

Bussières, A. E., et al. (2016). The treatment of neck pain-associated disorders and whiplash-associated disorders: A clinical practice guideline. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). About mild TBI and concussion.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). What to do after a mild TBI or concussion.

Cleveland Clinic. (2023). The gut-brain connection.

Finnegan, E., Daly, E., Pearce, A. J., & Ryan, L. (2022). Nutritional interventions to support acute mTBI recovery. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 977728. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.977728

Gwak, M.-G., & Chang, S.-Y. (2021). Gut-brain connection: Microbiome, gut barrier, and environmental sensors. Immune Network, 21(3), e20. https://doi.org/10.4110/in.2021.21.e20

Jimenez, A. (n.d.). The gut-brain connection. DrAlexJimenez.com.

Jimenez, A. (2026). Dr. Alexander Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN. LinkedIn.

Ludwig, R., D’Silva, L., Vaduvathiriyan, P., Rippee, M. A., & Siengsukon, C. (2020). Sleep disturbances in the acute stage of concussion are associated with poorer long-term recovery: A systematic review. PM&R.

Muñoz Lazcano, P., Rojano Ortega, D., & Fernández López, I. (2024). Effects of a guided neck-specific exercise therapy on recovery after a whiplash: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 103(11), 971–978.

Taylor, A. M., Mannix, R., Zafonte, R. D., Whalen, M. J., & Meehan, W. P., III. (2024). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating transcranial photobiomodulation as treatment for concussion. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 56(5), 822–827.

Tehrani, M. R., et al. (2022). Efficacy of low-level laser therapy on pain, disability, pressure pain threshold, and range of motion in patients with myofascial neck pain syndrome. Lasers in Medical Science, 37(9), 3333–3341.

Williams, C., Jerome, M., Fausel, C., Dodson, E., Stemper, I., & Centeno, C. (2021). Regenerative injection treatments utilizing platelet products and prolotherapy for cervical spine pain: A functional spinal unit approach. Cureus, 13(10), e18608. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.18608

Zhu, C. S., Grandhi, R., Patterson, T. T., & Nicholson, S. E. (2018). A review of traumatic brain injury and the gut microbiome: Insights into novel mechanisms of secondary brain injury and promising targets for neuroprotection. Brain Sciences, 8(6), 113.