THE ACTIVE SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
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This makes up a large proportion of people I see in clinic. Unfortunately this seems to be a large determinant in cases of ‘non-specific lower back pain’.
Stagnant postures cause neuroplastic changes within the brain.
This is the ‘use it or loose it’ phenomenon. The brain only has a certain amount of realestate and it is constantly reorganising cortical maps to make space.
Connections that are frequently used and reinforced by experience, learning and ACTIVITY become stronger.
Connections that are seldom or never used become weak and are marked for removal by Glial Cells (the immune cells in our brain). This is a process called ‘Synaptic Pruning’.
Real estate in the primary motor cortex is hot property 🔥
When we sit stagnant for 8-10 hours, we fail to utilise our smaller intrinsic muscles of the spine, muscles that are responsible for coordinating complex movements such as bending, twisting and rotating.
We loose the ability to be able to depend on them, through lack of use they become harder to recruit and then become deconditioned. This is where we go to pick up something off the floor or go to the gym and feel a pinch in our lower back.
WE HAVE LOST NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL AT A SEGMENTAL LEVEL.
Without this, larger more global muscles which are meant for gross motor movement (such as the erector spinae) take over the role of the stabiliser.
THIS IS PRIMARILY WHY YOUR LOWER BACK IS TIGHT.
WHY CHIROPRACTIC WORKS
When we adjust the lumbar spine, we adjusting at the segmental level. At this level, there is a large proportion of mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors which when stimulated via high velocity low amplitude adjustment, creates afferent input (a transmission of nerve impulses sent from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system to be integrated by the brain.
SENSORY INTEGRATION
This is where the magic happens. The afferent input at the spinal segmental is enough to start firing those connections in the brain and start taking back realestate within the primary motor cortex and somatosensory cortex.
The adjustment is like a workout for your small intrinsic muscles (multifidus)
With the increased sensory integration we get
Increased efficiency of motor control
Greater coordination of movement
Decrease in joint position error
Decrease in faulty motor patterns
More importantly, your lower back isn’t tight because your erector spinae can go back to doing there designated job rather than trying to stabilise your lumbar spine during complex movements.
Think about your body as if it where an iPhone.
IPHONE 17 Max Pro = Spine (The Hardware)
IOS 26.2.1 Operating system = Brain ( The software)
When you adjust the spine, your creating neuroplastic changes within the brain, your updating the outdated operating system because when you sat for 8 hours in front of the computer, no connections of the intrinsic spinal muscles were used. No updates were made.
Remember “if you don’t use it, you loose it.”
Now regular exercise does provide good afferent imput but unfortunately you can’t isolate vertebral segments during exercise. Unfortunately no pilates or gym routine can achieve this.
Once neuromuscular control is restored, exercise is the answer.
Think about exercise as Spinal Hygiene.
Think about brushing your teeth.
You brush them every day — usually twice. It’s not dramatic, it doesn’t feel life-changing in the moment, but it prevents decay, gum disease, and long-term damage.
Now imagine brushing your teeth only once a week. Technically you did brush them… but plaque accumulates daily. Bacteria don’t wait for Sunday. By the time you finally brush, the damage is already building.
Some things in life work the same way:
Movement for your joints
Hydration
Managing stress
Communication in relationships
Skill practice in sport
They rely on frequency and consistency, not occasional intensity.
It’s not about doing something big once a week — it’s about doing something small and effective every day. This video encapsulates this so effectively. It addresses broader benfits which includes cardiovascular health but will likely be a key driver in reducing ‘non-specific low back pain’ within the population.
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE. MOVE FREQUENTLY
From now on 10 air squats, on the hour every hour if you find yourself stuck at the desk.