13 / Post-concussion & TBI

Concussion and Impact on Specific Glands: Endocrine Strain & Cranial Sutural Misalignment

Cranial Solutions27 February 20266 min read

If you have had a concussion or whiplash, your symptoms may extend beyond headaches or dizziness to include fatigue, temperature changes, unusual anxiety, brain fog or disrupted sleep. When scans come back normal, patients are often told the brain has healed, yet subtle hormonal changes may linger. While traumatic brain injury can directly affect hormone-producing tissue, an often overlooked factor is mechanical strain on the sphenoid bone and the sella turcica.

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Cranial Impact and the Glands at the Skull Base

Step 1: Impact forces may twist the sphenoid bone and the sella turcica, where the pituitary gland sits.
Step 2: Suture restriction may slow venous drainage through the cavernous sinus, altering blood flow around key glands.
Step 3: Nasal RX uses gentle, brief inflations that aim to mobilise the sphenoid seams and ease pressure at the skull base.

Ongoing symptoms after a concussion? See our Post-Concussion Symptoms & TBI page.

Mechanical Cranial Strain vs. Direct Gland Injury

Primary cause

Direct gland injury: Direct tissue injury or bleeding within the gland.
Mechanical cranial-sutural strain: Impact restricting the sphenoid and temporal sutures.

Glands involved

Direct gland injury: Pituitary, hypothalamus, pineal.
Mechanical cranial-sutural strain: Pituitary (sella turcica tension), pineal (tentorial traction).

Mechanism

Direct gland injury: Cell and receptor injury.
Mechanical cranial-sutural strain: Sella turcica compression and slowed cavernous sinus drainage.

Standard imaging

Direct gland injury: May show changes in severe injury.
Mechanical cranial-sutural strain: Often appears normal on CT or MRI.

Care focus

Direct gland injury: Medical management, such as hormone therapy.
Mechanical cranial-sutural strain: Gentle structural care such as Nasal RX, alongside medical care.

Clinical feature	Direct gland injury	Mechanical cranial-sutural strain
Primary cause	Direct tissue injury or bleeding within the gland.	Impact restricting the sphenoid and temporal sutures.
Glands involved	Pituitary, hypothalamus, pineal.	Pituitary (sella turcica tension), pineal (tentorial traction).
Mechanism	Cell and receptor injury.	Sella turcica compression and slowed cavernous sinus drainage.
Standard imaging	May show changes in severe injury.	Often appears normal on CT or MRI.
Care focus	Medical management, such as hormone therapy.	Gentle structural care such as Nasal RX, alongside medical care.

How Impact and Concussion Affect the Sphenoid Bone

The Sphenoid as the Structural Keystone

The sphenoid bone is often described as the keystone of the skull. It sits at the centre of the skull base, forming the mid-floor of the braincase, and connects directly with almost every major cranial bone - including the occiput, temporal, parietal, frontal and ethmoid bones - helping distribute forces across the skull.

At the centre of the sphenoid is a cup-shaped hollow called the sella turcica (Latin for 'Turkish saddle', named for its raised front and back walls). Within this protected saddle sits the pituitary gland, the main regulator of the hormone system, involved in growth, metabolism, stress adaptation, thyroid output and reproductive signalling.

How Impact Forces Travel to the Skull Base

During a concussion, acceleration-deceleration event or direct head impact, energy travels quickly across the skull. Rather than spreading evenly, it tends to follow natural structural pathways into the skull base.

Because the sphenoid forms small joints (sutures) with the surrounding bones, impact force may restrict or twist these delicate seams. When the sphenobasilar junction (where the sphenoid meets the occiput) or nearby temporal-sphenoid sutures are held in a mild twisted pattern, the central saddle may lose its neutral position.

How Sphenoid Restriction Is Associated With Gland Strain

When the sphenoid is held in an uneven or restricted pattern, it may place ongoing strain on the delicate tissues resting within it:

Sella turcica compression: slight twisting of the sphenoid body may alter the shape of the saddle and the space around the front and back lobes of the pituitary, associated with local pressure and reduced blood flow.
Pituitary stalk traction: the pituitary connects to the hypothalamus above by a slender stalk called the infundibulum. When the sphenoid tilts or rotates, it may place pull along this stalk, associated with disrupted hormone signalling.
Cavernous sinus congestion: on each side of the sella turcica are the cavernous sinuses, venous channels that drain blood from the brain and nearby glands. Suture restriction is associated with congestion here, which may reduce nutrient delivery and waste clearance around the gland network.

Learn how these patterns are assessed on our Post-Concussion Symptoms & TBI page. Also read

Why Upper Neck Stiffness & Base-of-Skull Knots Accompany Migraines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a concussion affect hormone balance?

It can. Impact forces may directly affect hormone-producing cells, and sphenoid restriction is associated with mechanical strain and venous congestion around the pituitary gland and sella turcica. Discuss hormonal symptoms with your GP. Learn more on our Post-Concussion Symptoms & TBI page.

How does Nasal RX differ from conventional concussion care?

Conventional care focuses on rest, cognitive rehabilitation and medication for symptoms. Nasal RX looks at the physical restriction of the sphenoid and cranial sutures at the skull base, and can sit alongside your medical care.

Is Nasal RX suitable for someone who had a concussion months or years ago?

It may be. Long-standing post-concussion symptoms are sometimes associated with suture restriction that has not eased. Suitability is discussed after individual assessment and safety screening, and outcomes vary.

For the full overview, visit our Post-Concussion Symptoms & TBI page.

Related: The "Old Impact" Paradox

For safety, comfort and appointment steps, read Is Nasal RX Safe?

Learn about our clinical approach.

Browse the published studies on our Research page.

References

01McCrory P, et al. Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 5th international conference on concussion in sport. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(11):838-847.
02Castellani RJ, et al. The pathology of trauma: traumatic brain injury and neurodegeneration. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2015;41(8):1001-1016.
03Gazzaniga MS, et al. Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind. 5th ed. W. W. Norton & Company; 2019.
04AHPRA / Advertising Guidelines for Health Services. Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Compliance Standards. AHPRA; 2026.

Learn how our non-surgical endonasal protocol is used to evaluate suitability for conservative management, and how cranial base structural mechanics guide an individual care plan.