Why Low Back Pain Starts in the Brain (And What That Means for Your Recovery)
- Julian Simpson
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Why Low Back Pain Starts in the Brain (And What That Means for Your Recovery)
Low back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek healthcare — and it often starts much earlier in life than most realise. Many adults who struggle with recurring or chronic back pain actually experienced their first episode as teenagers or young adults.
So why do some people fully recover, while others develop a lifetime of flare-ups, fear of movement, and ongoing discomfort?
Emerging research suggests the answer may lie not just in the spine — but in the brain.
Low Back Pain: Not Always a “Structural” Problem
Most people with ongoing low back pain do not have a clear injury or structural damage visible on scans. This is known as non-specific low back pain. Despite the lack of visible damage, movement — especially involving the core and pelvis — often triggers symptoms.
What clinicians consistently observe is:
Altered posture and movement patterns
Poor coordination of core muscles
Increased muscle tension or guarding
Fear or hesitation during certain movements
This suggests the issue isn’t only in the tissues — it’s in how the brain controls movement.
How the Brain Adapts After Back Pain
Modern neuroscience shows that pain can change the way the brain processes movement, balance, and body awareness. These changes can persist even when pain is not present.
In recent studies on young adults with a history of low back pain (who were pain-free at the time of testing), researchers found:
Increased brain activity during simple leg-lifting tasks
Changes in areas responsible for body awareness, movement planning, and postural control
Altered activation in regions linked to fear, attention, and self-perception
In other words, the brain continues to “protect” the body long after the original pain episode has passed.
What This Means for Posture and Core Control
When the brain perceives the lower back as vulnerable, it may:
Reduce the normal activation of deep abdominal muscles
Shift load to other areas (hips, legs, or spine)
Increase stiffness instead of efficient movement
Create inefficient or guarded movement patterns
Over time, this can lead to:
Recurrent flare-ups
Reduced confidence in movement
Poor posture and stability
Greater risk of chronic pain
Fear of Movement Matters More Than You Think
One of the strongest findings in this research is the link between pain-related fear and changes in brain activity.
People who fear re-injury or “doing damage” often show:
Greater brain activation during simple movements
Altered body awareness (“my back feels fragile”)
Avoidance of healthy, necessary movement
This reinforces why pain education, reassurance, and guided movement are just as important as hands-on care.
I see this a lot in my patients, and always here to help you through the process. It's not about how quickly you overcome this, as everyone heals on their own time.
Why Chiropractic Care Looks Beyond the Spine
At Health Wise Chiropractic, we don’t just focus on where it hurts — we focus on how your body and brain are working together.
Effective care for low back pain includes:
Improving spinal mobility and joint function
Restoring healthy posture and core activation
Re-training movement patterns
Reducing fear and building confidence in movement
Supporting long-term nervous system health
Chiropractic adjustments, combined with targeted rehab exercises and education, help “reset” faulty movement signals between the brain and body.
Early Care Can Prevent Chronic Pain
One of the most important takeaways from this research is that brain changes happen early — even in young, active adults with minimal disability.
This means:
Early assessment matters
Waiting for pain to become “serious” isn’t ideal
Addressing posture, movement, and nervous system function early may reduce the risk of long-term pain
The Bottom Line
Low back pain isn’t just a mechanical issue — it’s a brain-body issue.
The good news?The brain is adaptable. With the right care, movement strategies, and support, it can relearn healthy, confident movement.
If you’ve experienced recurring back pain — even if you’re currently pain-free — now is the perfect time to address the root cause and prevent future flare-ups.
📍 Book an assessment with Health Wise Chiropractic and take a proactive step toward long-term spinal health.
For more information about how we can help YOU with your pain and improve your underlying dysfunction so the problem doesn’t come back .
Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!
We are also really proud to offer our patients an APP for their Mobile- iPad. With access to your rehab exercises and our health tip blogs with over 600 articles.
Chiropractic has moved online. We offer our online program -STAND CORRECTED- To help you through the day.
We have over 30 programs on different health conditions
Each program contains
- Information about the conditions
- things to do and things to avoid
- nutrition advice
- all the stretches that are needed to help
Smith JA, Tain R, Sharp KG, Glynn LM, Van Dillen LR, Jacobs JV, Cramer SC. Abnormalities in sensorimotor brain function are related to chronicity of low back pain. Neuroimage. 2025 Dec 19:121651. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121651. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41423165.
Comments