How Your Spine Affects Everything
Why Spinal Health Is About So Much More Than Back Pain
When people think about their spine, they usually associate it with posture or back pain. Maybe you’ve blamed your uncomfortable office chair, a bad mattress, or a long car ride for your latest bout of stiffness. But your spine isn’t just about comfort; it’s at the very core of your overall health.
The truth is, your spine plays a vital role in nearly every function of your body. And when it’s not in good shape, it can quietly affect far more than just your ability to sit or stand comfortably.
Let’s take a closer look at how your spine affects everything: from your nervous system to your digestion, energy, and even your mood.
Your Spine: The Highway of Your Nervous System
Your spine houses and protects your spinal cord, which is essentially the main communication line between your brain and the rest of your body. Think of your brain as your body’s control center, constantly sending instructions to your muscles, organs, and tissues through the spinal cord and nerves.
When your spine is properly aligned, this communication flows easily and efficiently. But if there’s a misalignment (also known as a subluxation) it can put pressure on the nerves and interrupt those signals. Even a slight disruption can throw off how your body functions.
What Happens When Your Spine Is Out of Alignment?
Subluxations can be caused by everyday stressors: poor posture, injuries, repetitive motion, or even emotional stress. When they occur, the nervous system may not operate as effectively, leading to a variety of symptoms that might not seem spine-related at all.
Here are just a few ways spinal misalignments can affect your health:
1. Chronic Pain and Tension
Obvious? Yes. But back and neck pain are often the tip of the iceberg. Misalignments can lead to muscle imbalances, joint inflammation, and nerve irritation that build up over time. [1][2][9][10]
2. Headaches and Migraines
When nerves in the upper spine are compressed, it can lead to tension headaches or migraines. Many patients report fewer and less severe headaches after chiropractic care. [3][12][13]
3. Digestive Issues
Believe it or not, spinal nerves influence your digestive system too. A misalignment in the mid-back can affect how your stomach and intestines function, sometimes leading to issues like bloating, constipation, or acid reflux. [4][5]
4. Fatigue and Low Energy
When your body is constantly compensating for poor alignment, it uses more energy than it should. Over time, this can leave you feeling drained - even if you’re sleeping well and eating right. [6][7][9]
5. Poor Immune Function
The nervous system and immune system are closely connected. If your brain and body aren’t communicating properly, your body may not respond as effectively to illness or inflammation. [8][9]
6. Mood Swings and Brain Fog
Your mental and emotional health can also take a hit. Misalignments that interfere with nerve function can affect your body’s ability to regulate hormones and neurotransmitters; leading to irritability, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating. [9][11]
What Chiropractic Care Can Do
The good news? You don’t have to live with these symptoms. Chiropractic care focuses on identifying and correcting spinal misalignments, restoring proper nerve flow, and helping your body return to its natural state of balance and health.
Benefits of chiropractic care may include:
Reduced pain and tension
Better posture and mobility
Improved digestion and sleep
Enhanced mood and energy
Stronger overall body function
Listen to Your Spine
In short, if you keep your spine happy, the rest of you might just follow suit.
Your body is smart; and it’s always sending signals when something is off.
Pain, fatigue, headaches, or other unexplained symptoms you've been treating without lasting relief, it might be time to look at the foundation of it all: your spine.
Chiropractic care isn’t just about feeling better: it's about functioning better.
Because when your spine works, everything else can, too.
References
[1] Gevers-Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Descarreaux, M., De Mues, A. O., & Piché, M. (2021). Clinical effectiveness and efficacy of chiropractic spinal manipulation for spine pain. Frontiers in Pain Research, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2021.765921
[2] Blanchette, M., Stochkendahl, M. J., Da Silva, R. B., Boruff, J., Harrison, P., & Bussières, A. (2016). Effectiveness and Economic evaluation of chiropractic care for the treatment of low back pain: A Systematic Review of Pragmatic studies. PLoS ONE, 11(8), e0160037. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160037
[3]Bryans, R., Descarreaux, M., Duranleau, M., Marcoux, H., Potter, B., Ruegg, R., Shaw, L., Watkin, R., & White, E. (n.d.). Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults With Headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 34(5), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2011.04.008
[4] Angus, Katherine et al. “What effect does chiropractic treatment have on gastrointestinal (GI) disorders: a narrative review of the literature.” The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 59 2 (2015): 122-33. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/What-effect-does-chiropractic-treatment-have-on-a-Angus-Asgharifar/f456b42c5fcb927864127532dd4911a18bd7feda
[5] Aa, Pikalov and Kharin Vv. “Use of spinal manipulative therapy in the treatment of duodenal ulcer: a pilot study.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 17 (1994): 310.
[6] Wi, D., Steffen, A. D., Flynn, D. M., Ransom, J. C., Orr, K. P., McQuinn, H. M., Snow, T. J., Burke, L. A., Park, C., & Doorenbos, A. Z. (2024). Fatigue and Sleep-related Impairment as Predictors of the Effect of Nonpharmacological Therapies for Active duty Service Members With Chronic Pain: A Secondary Analysis of a Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae513
[7] Kingston, J., Raggio, C., Spencer, K., Stalaker, K., & Tuchin, P. J. (2010). A review of the literature on chiropractic and insomnia. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 9(3), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2010.03.003
[8]Haas, A., Chung, J., Kent, C., Mills, B., & McCoy, M. (2024). Vertebral Subluxation and Systems Biology: An Integrative review exploring the salutogenic influence of chiropractic care on the Neuroendocrine-Immune system. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.56223
[9]Haavik, H., Niazi, I. K., Amjad, I., Kumari, N., Ghani, U., Ashfaque, M., Rashid, U., Navid, M. S., Kamavuako, E. N., Pujari, A. N., & Holt, K. (2024). Neuroplastic responses to Chiropractic care: Broad impacts on pain, mood, sleep, and quality of life. Brain Sciences, 14(11), 1124. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14111124
[10] Gevers‐Montoro, C., Provencher, B., Descarreaux, M., De Mues, A. O., & Piché, M. (2021). Neurophysiological mechanisms of chiropractic spinal manipulation for spine pain. European Journal of Pain, 25(7), 1429–1448. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1773
[11]Neurobiological basis of chiropractic manipulative treatment of the spine in the care of major depression. (2020). Acta Bio-medica Dell’Ateneo Parmense/Acta Biomedica, 91(13-S), e2020006. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i13-s.10536
[12]Bryans, R., Descarreaux, M., Duranleau, M., Marcoux, H., Potter, B., Ruegg, R., Shaw, L., Watkin, R., & White, E. (2011). Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 34(5), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2011.04.008
[13]Jull, G., Trott, P., Potter, H., Zito, G., Niere, K., Shirley, D., Emberson, J., Marschner, I., & Richardson, C. (2002). A randomized controlled trial of exercise and manipulative therapy for cervicogenic headache. Spine, 27(17), 1835–1843. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200209010-00004