We Came to the Chiropractor for the Back Pain. We Stayed for the Calm.
GOOD NEWS FOR YOUR SPINE — AND MAYBE YOUR MOOD
The surprising link between hands-on care and how you feel mentally
Most people walk through our doors at Hollstrom & Associates Inc with back pain or neck pain — and leave feeling something they didn't exactly expect. Lighter. Calmer. Just... better. We've heard it for years, and now science is finally putting words to it.
THE BODY-MIND CONNECTION IS REAL
We tend to treat the body and mind as distinctly different things — the chiropractor manages the back, the therapist handles the stress. But your nervous system doesn't see it that way. More and more, researchers are finding that physical, hands-on approaches like the gentle delivery of spinal manipulation with Cox® Technic here at Hollstrom & Associates Inc may have farther-reaching effects on how we feel emotionally and mentally, too.
WHAT THE RESEARCH IS FINDING
We've been keeping a close eye on the research, and three recent reviews are really worth talking about. A 2026 systematic review by Schulz & Huzij looked specifically at manual therapy and depression, finding encouraging patterns across multiple studies. (1) West & Huzij published a companion review dedicated to anxiety, with similarly hopeful outcomes. (2) A 2025 analysis by Gordon and colleagues looked across multiple trials and found something pretty wonderful — people receiving hands-on care were feeling meaningfully better, with real reductions in anxiety, depression, and stress. (3) These aren't small, outside-the-norm studies — they are rigorous reviews of multiple trials, and the findings are regular enough to get people in the research world genuinely excited.
A QUICK, HONEST NOTE
We want to be upfront: this research is promising, not a prescription. Chiropractic care isn't a replacement for mental health treatment — especially if you're working with a therapist or psychiatrist, keep doing that. What this research does hint at is something many of us already feel intuitively: taking care of your body is part of taking care of your whole self. Whether you're a longtime chiropractic patient at Hollstrom & Associates Inc or just curious, we're always happy to talk about how chiropractic care fits into your bigger picture of health — mind included.
CONTACT Hollstrom & Associates Inc AND COME AS YOU ARE
Come as you are — seriously. Stiff neck, anxious mind, or just a general sense that you haven't felt like yourself lately — all of it is welcome here. We'll take it from there.
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Christine Goertz, esteemed chiropractic researcher currently at Duke University, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she discusses how to “take your back back” with chiropractic care. You’ll be ready to chat about help for your spine and and mind!
Make your Largo chiropractic appointment soon. Our gentle, safe treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may well lower your pain which in turn calms your mind.
