Chiropractic and Mental Health: How Spinal Care May Help Your Mind

Most people visit a chiropractor because their back or neck hurts. In fact, studies show the top five reasons for adults to seek chiropractic care are low back pain, neck pain, arm or leg pain, general wellness, and hip pain. Kids often go for tummies that hurt, too much crying, earaches, or headaches. But did you know that chiropractic adjustments might also play a role in mental health?

A growing field of research explores how misalignments in the spine—called vertebral subluxations—and hands-on spinal adjustments could influence your nervous system, and in turn affect feelings of depression, anxiety, even addiction recovery. Let’s travel back in time, then dive into the brain-and-body science that might explain these surprising connections.

A Brief History of Chiropractic and Mental Health

• 1895: D.D. Palmer performed the first chiropractic adjustment in Iowa. His idea? Misaligned vertebrae could pinch nerves and harm the body’s “innate intelligence.”

• Early 1900s: Chiropractic spread rapidly—some practitioners even set up mental health hospitals or wards. They believed spinal care could ease not only pain, but also mental distress.

• Mid–20th Century: Medicine moved toward drugs and surgery. Chiropractic focused mostly on pain relief again.

• Late 20th to Early 21st Century: Researchers began to revisit the nervous system links. Could adjusting the spine really change how the brain and body talk to each other?

Though the historical claims were often anecdotal, modern science now offers several neurobiological mechanisms—ways your brain and body interact—that may underlie chiropractic’s mind–body effects.

Mechanism #1: Autonomic Nervous System Balance

Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is like the body’s autopilot. It has two branches:

1. Sympathetic (“fight or flight”) – revs you up during danger or stress.

2. Parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) – calms you down for resting, healing, and digestion.

When vertebrae misalign (subluxations), they can irritate the nerves that feed into the ANS. Spinal adjustments may reduce that irritation, helping the two ANS branches talk more smoothly. A balanced ANS means fewer stress reactions, better sleep, and improved mood—key factors in resilience against depression and anxiety.

Mechanism #2: Biological Oscillators & Heart Rate Variability

Inside your body are clocks called biological oscillators. One of these clocks controls your heartbeat patterns. Healthy hearts don’t tick like a metronome—they vary their beat slightly in response to breathing, stress, or activity. This variation is called heart rate variability (HRV).

• High HRV: Good flexibility—your body adapts easily to stress.

• Low HRV: Rigid response—linked to higher anxiety, depression, and even addictions.

Several studies find that chiropractic adjustments can boost HRV. By freeing nerve interference, your body’s internal clocks sync up better, increasing resiliency and adaptability. In plain terms: your mind and body become more “flexible” under pressure.

Mechanism #3: Neuroplasticity—Rewiring Your Brain

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change its connections. Think of it as brain rewiring: new habits, new pathways, new ways of healing. Physical touch—such as spinal adjustments—can trigger small electrical signals in your spinal cord and brain. Over time, repeated adjustments may strengthen healthy neural pathways linked to mood regulation.

• Example: Adjustments may increase the release of brain chemicals like endorphins and serotonin—natural mood lifters.

Neuroplastic changes also support long-term mental health strategies, helping your brain adapt after trauma, stress, or addictive behaviors.

Mechanism #4: Polyvagal Theory & Social Engagement

Polyvagal theory, introduced by Dr. Stephen Porges, describes how the vagus nerve controls our sense of safety and social engagement. When the vagus nerve is active in its “rest and digest” mode, we feel calm, empathetic, and connected to others. This state helps fight off depression and social isolation.

Because spinal adjustments may ease nerve tension, including the vagus nerve roots in your neck, it might help dial up your social-engagement system. In practice, a more active vagus nerve can improve:

• Emotional regulation

• Sense of safety

• Ability to connect with friends and family

Mechanism #5: Neurovisceral Integration—Mind and Body as One

The neurovisceral integration model shows how brain areas, nerves, and internal organs work together to manage stress and emotion. Key players include the prefrontal cortex (decision-making), the amygdala (fear center), and ANS pathways.

Chiropractic care interacts at multiple points:

1. Spinal adjustments reduce nerve irritation.

2. Improved ANS balance reduces fight-or-flight responses.

3. Higher HRV signals better adaptive capacity.

4. Polyvagal activation boosts feelings of safety.

Together, these effects form an integrated mind-body network that fights stress, supports emotional health, and builds resiliency—the ability to “bounce back” from challenges.

Clinical Evidence: What Do the Studies Say?

• Depression & Anxiety: Small trials show that patients receiving spinal adjustments report lower anxiety scores and improved mood compared to those on waiting lists.

• Addiction Recovery: Some addiction treatment centers incorporate chiropractic adjustments to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings—likely via ANS regulation.

• Hospital Settings: A handful of hospitals have added chiropractic services for patients with musculoskeletal pain complicated by psychological distress. Improved pain control often correlates with lower anxiety and depression.

While more large-scale studies are needed, early research suggests chiropractic care can be a valuable adjunct (addition) to standard mental health treatments.

Salutogenesis: Focusing on Health, Not Just Disease

Traditional medicine often follows a pathogenesis model—studying how disease starts and how to stop it. Salutogenesis, by contrast, studies how to build and maintain health.

Chiropractic aligns closely with salutogenesis by:

• Enhancing adaptability (through HRV improvements)

• Boosting resiliency (via neuroplastic changes)

• Encouraging self-regulation (through better ANS balance)

• Strengthening social engagement (via polyvagal activation)

Rather than waiting for mental health disorders to appear, chiropractic care may help you stay mentally strong and adaptable over a lifetime.

Practical Takeaways for Patients:

1. Integrate Care: For patients with anxiety or depression, consider adding chiropractic visits to your treatment plan—always alongside counseling or medication if prescribed.

2. Track Progress: Use simple tools like smartphone HRV apps to measure changes in your stress resilience over weeks of care.

3. Collaborate with Clinics: Mental health professionals, primary care doctors, and chiropractors can work together to design holistic plans.

4. Encourage Lifestyle Support: Combine adjustments with exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, and social activities to maximize neuroplasticity and resiliency.

Conclusion: The history of chiropractic and mental health reaches back more than a century. Early pioneers observed that spinal care sometimes eased more than just pain—it also lightened the mind. Today, science is uncovering neurobiological mechanisms that may explain how spinal adjustments influence:

• The autonomic nervous system, balancing fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest states

• Biological oscillators, improving heart rate variability and stress adaptability

• Neuroplasticity, rewiring brain pathways for better mood regulation

• Polyvagal theory, enhancing social engagement and emotional safety

• Neurovisceral integration, knitting together mind and body for overall health

While chiropractic is not a stand-alone treatment for mental illness, it can be a powerful adjunct—helping build the body’s own “health resources” in line with salutogenesis. By reducing nerve irritation, boosting resiliency, and promoting adaptability, spinal care may carve out a new frontier in integrative mental health support.