**Updated for 2026

For years, most people have viewed chiropractic through a narrow lens: back pain, neck pain, stiff joints, or the occasional headache. Helpful, yes — but limited.

But a growing body of research tells a different story. When your spine moves and aligns the way it was designed to, your nervous system works at a higher level. When your nervous system performs better, everything improves — strength, balance, focus, digestion, immunity, recovery, and even long-term longevity.

One early study on university baseball players opened the door to a simple idea:

Optimizing the spine may help optimize human performance.

And today, with advanced methods like Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP), we have stronger evidence than ever.

What the Baseball Study Found — and Why It Still Matters

A group of university athletes were measured before, during, and after 14 weeks of chiropractic adjustments. The results were striking:

• Muscle strength increased

• Standing long-jump distance improved

• Resting blood pressure dropped

• Resting pulse rate dropped

• Pulse rate after treadmill activity was lower

In the control group — the athletes who did not receive chiropractic care — these same measures actually worsened.
(1)

This wasn’t a mindset trick. It wasn’t training volume. It wasn’t nutrition.

The only major difference was the state of the nervous system.

If you can improve the body’s command centre, you can often improve the body’s performance.

Why This Matters Beyond Sport

Most people reading this aren’t competing for scholarships or chasing professional dreams. They’re trying to:

• Get out of bed without pain

• Keep up with their kids

• Think clearly at work

• Sleep better

• Boost their energy

• Stay active long into their 70s, 80s, and 90s

Here’s the good news:

The same nervous-system improvements that help athletes also help families live healthier, more vibrant lives.

At 100+Living, we often see:

• Kids who get sick less often

• Parents who feel more resilient and energetic

• Adults who sleep more deeply

• People with better balance and stability

• Faster recovery from workouts

• Fewer digestive flare-ups

• Reduced stress responses

This is performance too — everyday performance.
Performance that changes your quality of life, not just your score on a field.

CBP and the Nervous System: Why Structure Shapes Function

To understand how chiropractic improves performance, we need to understand one simple principle:

Posture affects neurology, and neurology affects everything.

Your spine is the protective system for the spinal cord and the nerves that connect your brain to every cell, tissue, and organ. When the spine shifts out of its ideal shape — forward head posture, dropped shoulders, scoliosis, hyperkyphosis, or loss of lumbar curve — the nervous system becomes stressed.

This stress can change:

• Muscle firing patterns

• Breathing

• Circulation

• Hormonal output

• Recovery time

• Immune function

• Digestive activity

• Sleep cycles

• Pain signals

• Mental focus

This is why at 100+Living, we use Advanced Chiropractic BioPhysics, the most researched structural correction method in chiropractic. Unlike general chiropractic care, CBP focuses on restoring the spine toward its ideal 3-D alignment, giving the nervous system the best opportunity to function well.

Athletes love this because they feel stronger, more coordinated, and more explosive. But everyday patients often notice benefits long before that: better posture, more energy, clearer thinking, calmer breathing, and improved resilience.

Athletic Performance Starts With a Healthy Nervous System

Ask any coach what matters most for performance and you’ll hear the same things:

• Eat well

• Train consistently

• Rest deeply

• Repeat

All true — but something important is missing.

None of these work as well as they should when the nervous system is under strain.

Nutrition Only Works When the Nervous System Works

Your digestive system is controlled by nerves. If the nerves aren’t functioning well, your body can’t absorb nutrients efficiently. That means even a perfect diet won’t deliver the results you expect.

Strength Gains Only Happen With Strong Neurological Input

Muscles don’t fire themselves. The brain fires them.
When the spine is aligned properly, nerve signals reach muscles more efficiently, allowing you to:

• Lift more

• Jump farther

• Move faster

• Maintain balance under fatigue

This is the difference between feeling “stuck” in training and breaking through a plateau.

Motivation Comes From the Brain, Not the Willpower Fairy

A stressed nervous system makes it harder to focus, harder to commit, and harder to stay consistent.
A calm, well-regulated nervous system makes training feel easier — not because the workout changed, but because your brain did.

Why Today’s Chiropractic Is Different From the Past

Chiropractic has evolved.
At 100+Living, we don’t rely on guesswork or assumptions. We use:

• Digital X-rays

• Posture analysis

• Nerve-system scans

• Functional strength and balance testing

• 3-D traction

• Mirror-image adjustments

• Structural rehab plans based on CBP protocols

This is why we see measurable changes — often in weeks, not months.

This is also why athletes, parents, seniors, and kids all benefit.
Because the goal is simple:

Restore the spine. Improve the nervous system. Watch the body perform.

Sport Performance Is Predictable When the Nervous System Is Strong

If you give an athlete:

• Smart nutrition

• Quality rest

• Efficient training

• Skill coaching

• A healthy nervous system

You will outperform your competition consistently.

Maybe not today.
Maybe not tomorrow.

But over time, your body becomes the predictable winner because biology is predictable when the nervous system is functioning as designed.

This is why long-term chiropractic patients often say:

• “I don’t get sick as often.”

• “My recovery is faster.”

• “I feel more balanced.”

• “I’m sleeping through the night again.”

• “I have more energy than I’ve had in years.”

These aren’t miracles. They’re physiology.

What Everyday Patients Notice First

Most people come to us for pain.
But the first improvements they feel are often unrelated to pain at all:

1. Better Sleep

When the nervous system calms down, the body shifts out of “fight-or-flight” and into “rest-and-digest.”
Deep sleep becomes easier and more consistent.

2. Improved Digestion

The vagus nerve — a major player in digestion — travels through the upper spine.
When the upper cervical spine functions better, many patients notice less bloating, fewer flare-ups, and more regularity.

3. Stronger Immune Function

Your immune organs communicate with your brain through the nerves.
As structure improves, this communication becomes more clear and coordinated.

4. More Stable Mood

A regulated nervous system reduces stress hormones.
Patients feel calmer, more grounded, and more focused.

5. More Energy

Efficient nerve flow means efficient muscle function, organ function, and metabolic function.
Energy increases naturally — without stimulants.

These improvements are just as important as the athletic gains. In fact, they may matter more for long-term health and longevity.

Why Structural Correction Should Be a Foundation for Longevity

At 100+Living, our mission is to help families live long, strong, and vibrant lives well beyond 100 years.
You can only do that when your nervous system is healthy and adaptable.

Research in posture and longevity shows strong connections between spinal structure and:

• Cardiovascular health

• Balance and fall risk

• Lung capacity

• Cognitive function

• Stress resilience

• Mobility into older age

This is why we say:

Posture = Neurology = Longevity.

Correcting your spine now helps protect your performance in every decade of life.

Putting It All Together: Your Nervous System Is Your Competitive Advantage

Whether you’re an athlete, a parent, a desk-worker, or a retiree, one truth remains:

A healthy nervous system makes everything in your life work better.

Chiropractic doesn’t replace good nutrition, exercise, or rest.
It enhances them.

It doesn’t claim to cure or treat diseases.
It supports the system that helps your body function at its best.

This is what today’s chiropractic is truly about.

It’s not just pain relief — it’s human performance.
In sport.
In daily life.
In long-term health.
In resilience as you age.

When your nervous system performs well, you perform well.

Ready to See How Your Body Can Perform?

If you’re curious about how CBP-based corrective chiropractic can improve your strength, focus, recovery, and everyday energy, we would be honoured to help.

Book your $97 New Patient Experience at our Kelowna 100+Living Health Center
Includes: digital X-rays, full posture scan, nerve-system testing, and a custom corrective plan.

References

1. Schwartzbauer J, Kolber J, Schwartzbauer M, Hart J, Zhang J. Athletic Performance and Physiological Measures in Baseball Players Following Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care: A Pilot Study. J Vertebral Subluxation Res. 1997;1(4):33-39.

2. Harrison DE, Harrison DD, Troyanovich SJ. Structural rehabilitation of the spine and posture. CBP Press; 2002.

3. Nansel D, Szlazak M. Somatic dysfunction and respiratory function. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

4. Bakris G, Dickholtz M. Atlas vertebra realignment and arterial blood pressure. Journal of Human Hypertension. 2007.

5. Chen J, et al. Cervical alignment and cognitive function in older adults. Spine Journal.

6. Oakley P, Harrison D. The relationship between forward head posture and muscle strength. Clinical Biomechanics.