Aaron was meticulous.

He tracked his sleep, ate clean, and foam rolled like it was a competitive sport.
He’d seen multiple chiropractors, massage therapists, and trainers over the years—each one finding “a misalignment,” “a weak glute,” or “an unstable SI joint.”

Adjustments helped… for a while.
But the pain always returned.

That’s when Aaron came to see me in my Ashland office and said something I hear often:

“I just want to get my spine back into alignment.”

And I get it. When your back hurts, it’s easy to believe that something must be out of place.

But here’s the truth:

Spines aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be adaptable. And that adaptability comes from a smart, responsive nervous system.

The Myth of the Perfect Spine

Many patients are told that their pain is due to structural flaws—like leg length discrepancies, pelvic tilts, or rotated vertebrae.

But decades of research have shown:

People without pain often have “abnormal” MRIs (disc bulges, degeneration, even herniations)¹
The degree of structural change rarely correlates with pain severity
Even large deviations in posture or spinal curves are not predictive of who will develop back pain²

The spine is not a fragile stack of blocks. It’s a dynamic, self-regulating system supported by muscles, fascia, and—most importantly—the nervous system.

How the Nervous System Controls Spinal Stability

At the center of spinal control is a feedback loop:

Sensory receptors (in joints, muscles, and skin) send information to the brain about position and movement
The brain interprets that input and determines whether a movement is safe
Motor output is sent back to the spine via the muscles to either relax, contract, or brace
The cycle repeats—up to 250 times per second

This system allows your spine to adapt on the fly—stabilizing during a deadlift, relaxing while you walk, or bracing during a fall.

But here’s what happens with chronic pain:

The brain receives less accurate input from damaged or stiff joints
It begins to overestimate danger and sends protective motor signals
Muscles become tight, coordination falters, and pain increases³

This is a top-down problem, not a bottom-up one.

In other words: your pain persists not because your spine is misaligned—but because your brain is overprotecting you based on faulty or missing information.

Smart Spines vs. Perfect Spines

A “perfect” spine—if it even existed—would be motionless, symmetrical, and aligned.

But a smart spine does something far more valuable:
It responds dynamically to your environment.

A smart spine:

Knows when to move and when to stabilize
Adjusts to load without bracing unnecessarily
Communicates clearly with the brain through proprioception
Recovers from injury without getting stuck in protective loops

This is why two people can have identical MRI findings—but only one has pain.
The difference is in the nervous system’s interpretation, not the structure itself.

How We Build Smarter Spines in the Clinic

When Aaron came in, he expected to be adjusted. But what he needed was a reset of his control system.

Here’s what we did:

Restored joint motion through targeted chiropractic adjustments, improving proprioceptive input
Used low-load motor control exercises to rebuild spine-brain coordination
Integrated breathwork and vagal tone training to shift him out of sympathetic (fight-or-flight) dominance
Exposed him to graded loading—challenging movements that his body initially feared, but could handle safely with support
Taught him how to “test, not protect” his spine through gentle movement, rather than bracing or avoiding

Over time, Aaron stopped obsessing over alignment and started focusing on resilience.
He ran a half-marathon six months later—no back brace, no fear, no flare-ups.

What You Can Do Today to Build a Smarter Spine

If you’ve been told your pain is because something is out of place, here’s what I want you to know:

You are not fragile.
You are not broken.
And your spine does not need to be perfect.

What it needs is movement, feedback, and safety.

That’s what we provide here at our Ashland chiropractic office—an evidence-informed approach that prioritizes nervous system health over chasing structural perfection.

Because the smartest spine isn’t the one that never moves.
It’s the one that knows how to move when it matters most.

References

Brinjikji W, et al. Systematic review of the prevalence of lumbar spine MRI findings in asymptomatic individuals. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36(4):811–816.
Lederman E. The fall of the postural–structural–biomechanical model in manual and physical therapies: exemplified by lower back pain. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2011;15(2):131–138.
Moseley GL, Butler DS. Fifteen Years of Explaining Pain: The Past, Present, and Future. J Pain. 2015;16(9):807–813.
Pain in the Frame Course – CDI (2024). “Case Three – Low Back Pain.”
Luomajoki H, Moseley GL. Tactile acuity and lumbopelvic motor control in back pain patients. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(5):437–440.