Move Differently. Hurt Less. Here's the Science. Brain and Spine.
Whether your back pain has been quietly nagging you for years or you're just beginning to think seriously about your long-term spinal health, here's something worth knowing: researchers are zeroing in on real answers, and the nervous system continues to steal the spotlight.
YOUR BRAIN IS PART OF THE PAIN PROBLEM (AND THE SOLUTION)
The science has a genuinely interesting answer: back pain isn't always just a structural issue. A lot of what you feel is formed by how your nervous system handles pain signals — and that handling can be trained as the 2026 pilot study published in Pain Management by Billens and colleagues explains. 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 calculated how participants' nervous systems were handling pain. The results? Individual responses suggested reduced 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 dulling pain signals. Small study, yes, but a persuasive early signal that how hard you exercise may impact how loudly your body broadcasts pain. (1) We want to remind you that this is new info, and that we encourage movement. Period. Walking is great! Maybe working up to more intense exercise would be a goal for you…or not! Hollstrom & Associates Inc 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 your body's built-in emergency responder — helpful when you actually need it, exhausting when it never clocks out. Useful when a bear is chasing you. Less useful when it's chronically triggered by stress, poor sleep, and a sedentary lifestyle. Turns out, animal studies suggest that elevated sympathetic nervous system activity can accelerate 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 combines high-intensity resistance and impact training with mind-body exercise (think: tai chi), testing whether calming the nervous system while loading the skeleton generates 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 in conjunction with high-intensity resistance and impact training. The results are still coming, but the premise alone is worth getting excited about. (2)
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR BACK?
Different studies, different methods, same conclusion: your nervous system, your skeleton, and your movement habits are not distinct conversations. 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 — improving spinal alignment, reducing nervous system irritation, and getting you moving in ways that are actually therapeutic rather than just exhausting.
CONTACT Hollstrom & Associates Inc
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 advantage of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management as it affects the nervous system.
And then schedule your chiropractic appointment with Hollstrom & Associates Inc. We'd love to help you get to a place where your spine stops being the loudest thing in the room.
