Move Differently. Hurt Less. Here's the Science. Brain and Spine.

Back pain has a way of showing up unasked-for and overstaying its welcome — but if you're eager to do something about it, the science is getting excitingly specific about what works, and your nervous system is a bigger part of that story than most people realize.

YOUR BRAIN IS PART OF THE PAIN PROBLEM (AND THE SOLUTION)

The science has a truly interesting answer: back pain isn't always solely a structural issue. A lot of what you feel is modeled by how your nervous system manages pain signals — and that managing can be trained as the 2026 pilot study published in Pain Management by Billens and colleagues points out. They put sedentary adults through one of two programs: a moderate-intensity running program or a high-intensity strength program for 10 weeks. Then researchers gauged how participants' nervous systems were responding to pain. The outcomes? Individual responses suggested decreased pain inhibition following moderate-intensity training and enhanced pain inhibition after high-intensity training — meaning the higher-intensity group showed signs that their nervous systems got better at dampening pain signals. Small study, yes, but a persuasive early signal that how hard you exercise may impact how loudly your body transmits pain. (1) We want to remind you that this is new info, and that we support your moving in whatever fashion you choose. Period. Walking is great! Maybe making more intense exercise would be your goal…or not! Johnson Chiropractic is here to share interesting new info!

NOW, ABOUT YOUR SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (YES, THIS GETS INTERESTING!)

Okay, bear with us here — because this part is actually kind of wild. Your sympathetic nervous system is the part of your biology that kept your ancestors alive — always ready, always on alert. Useful when a bear is chasing you. Less useful when it's chronically activated by stress, poor sleep, and a sedentary lifestyle. Turns out, animal studies suggest that higher sympathetic nervous system activity can quicken bone loss — and the human story is probably not that different. (2) That's the basis behind CHILL BONES — yes, that's the actual name of a real clinical trial — described in BMJ Open in 2025 by Collier, Beck, Sabapathy, and Weeks. The trial mixes high-intensity resistance and impact training with mind-body exercise (think: tai chi), testing whether calming the nervous system while loading the skeleton makes better bone and spinal outcomes than either approach on its own. Among the outcomes being tracked: lumbar spine bone mineral density. Mind-body exercise may be utilized to modify sympathetic activity, which could have an additive benefit for skeletal adaptation when used alongside high-intensity resistance and impact training. The full results aren't in yet, but the thinking behind it is genuinely exciting. (2)

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BACK?

Taken together, both studies are telling the same story: your spine, your nervous system, and how you move are all tangled up in each other. Pain isn't just mechanical. Bone health isn't just about calcium. And "just rest it" is rarely the answer. Chiropractic care works with that whole system — refining spinal alignment, reducing nervous system irritation, and getting you going in ways that are actually therapeutic rather than just exhausting.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

If your back has been speaking to you lately, maybe it's time to listen – to it and to this podcast with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the benefit of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management as it affects the nervous system.

And then make your chiropractic appointment with Johnson Chiropractic. We'd love to help you build a spine that's strong, resilient, and a lot quieter.