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Why Does My Body Feel Stiffer When the Weather Changes?

By Dr. Joseph Heinecke, Mountain Valley Chiropractic – Grand Junction, Colorado

Have you ever woken up on a cold or stormy morning and felt like your body suddenly aged overnight? Your back feels tighter, your knees are stiff, or an old injury seems to start talking to you again.

Many people experience weather-related stiffness, especially when temperatures drop or a storm moves in. You may notice your back feels tighter, your knees feel stiff, or an old injury suddenly becomes more noticeable. The exact relationship between weather and pain is still being studied. There are several good reasons why changes in temperature, barometric pressure, and activity levels may influence how your body feels.

Here in Western Colorado, we can experience significant changes in temperature and weather conditions over a relatively short period of time. For people who spend a lot of time hiking, biking, walking, gardening, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors, those changes can also dramatically alter how much—and how—we move.

Barometric Pressure May Affect Sensitive Joints and Tissues

Barometric pressure is the pressure exerted by the atmosphere around us. Before a storm or major weather change, atmospheric pressure often drops.

Your joints, muscles, connective tissues, and nervous system are constantly responding to mechanical forces. Changes in atmospheric pressure have a relatively small effect on the body. However, people with arthritis, previous injuries, or sensitive joints may notice these changes more.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the weather is causing new damage. Instead, a joint or tissue that is already irritated may simply become more noticeable when conditions change.

Think of it a little like turning up the volume on something that was already playing quietly in the background.

Colder Temperatures Can Make Muscles Feel Tighter

Cold weather can also change the way your body moves.

When you’re cold, muscles tend to contract and you may naturally assume a more guarded posture. Shoulders rise, the neck tightens, and people often move a little less freely.

Lower temperatures can also make it take longer for muscles and connective tissues to feel loose and comfortable during movement.

That’s one reason your first few steps on a cold morning may feel dramatically different from walking around after you’ve been moving for 20 minutes.

Western Colorado Weather Can Change Your Activity Level

One factor that sometimes gets overlooked is that weather doesn’t just affect how your body feels—it affects what you do with your body.

Western Colorado gives us incredible opportunities to stay active. Many people around Grand Junction spend their free time hiking local trails, mountain biking, road cycling, walking, fishing, camping, or working outside.

But when temperatures suddenly drop, the wind picks up, rain or snow moves through, or daylight becomes shorter, those activities often decrease.

A person who normally spends a Saturday hiking or riding a bike may suddenly spend several hours indoors instead.

That change alone can make a noticeable difference.

When your normal routine includes a lot of movement, even a couple of less-active days may leave the hips, lower back, shoulders, or knees feeling noticeably tighter.

The opposite can also happen. After several days of bad weather, the sun comes back out and we immediately head for the trail or jump back on the bike. If your body has been relatively inactive, going straight back into a long ride or difficult hike can make an already-stiff area even more noticeable.

The goal isn’t to avoid activity. It’s to recognize that your body may need a little more warm-up and gradual movement when the weather—and your routine—changes.

We Usually Move Less When the Weather Gets Bad

Even if you’re not an avid hiker or cyclist, weather changes can alter your normal movement patterns.

When it’s cold, raining, snowing, or windy, most of us spend more time indoors and less time moving.

Instead of walking, gardening, exercising, or working outside, we may spend several hours sitting on the couch, driving, or working at a desk.

And the human body generally doesn’t love staying in one position for long periods of time.

Less movement can contribute to:

  • Muscle stiffness
  • Reduced joint mobility
  • Increased awareness of aches and pains
  • Tightness through the hips and lower back
  • Neck and shoulder tension

Ironically, when you feel stiff, your instinct may be to avoid moving. In many cases, gentle movement is exactly what helps you feel better.

Old Injuries Can Become More Noticeable

People often tell me, “I can feel that old knee injury every time a storm comes in.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean the old injury has suddenly gotten worse.

Previous injuries can leave behind changes in joint mechanics, scar tissue, inflammation, arthritis, or increased sensitivity in the nervous system. Those areas may simply have a lower threshold for becoming uncomfortable.

For the same reason, two people can experience exactly the same weather change and have completely different responses.

One person may not notice anything.

Another may immediately feel it in an old shoulder, knee, ankle, or lower-back injury.

Your Nervous System Is Part of the Equation

Pain isn’t produced by muscles and joints alone. Pain is ultimately an experience created by the nervous system.

Sleep quality, stress, activity levels, inflammation, previous injuries, and even expectations can influence how strongly the nervous system interprets signals coming from the body.

That means weather-related discomfort probably isn’t explained by one single mechanism.

It’s more likely a combination of factors involving the joints, muscles, circulation, activity level, and nervous system.

What Can You Do About Weather-Related Stiffness?

You can’t control the weather, but you can control how you respond to it.

One of the simplest things you can do is keep moving.

A short walk, gentle mobility exercises, stretching, or a few minutes of easy movement in the morning can often make a noticeable difference.

If you’re heading out for a hike or bike ride on a cold Western Colorado morning, give yourself a little more time to warm up before pushing the pace. Starting with easier movement and gradually increasing your effort gives your muscles and joints a chance to adjust.

The same principle applies after several inactive days. You don’t necessarily need to jump right back into your longest ride or hardest trail.

Heat can also be useful for muscular stiffness. A warm shower or heating pad may help muscles relax before you begin moving.

Regular exercise is even more important. Maintaining strength and mobility gives your body a greater ability to tolerate changes in activity, temperature, and everyday physical stress.

Massage and Chiropractic Care for Stiffness

Professional care can also be helpful for some people. Massage therapy may help reduce muscle tension and improve comfort, while chiropractic care can focus on joint mobility, movement, and the way different areas of the body are functioning together.

The goal isn’t simply to “fix” something because the weather changed. It’s to help keep joints moving comfortably, reduce unnecessary muscular tension, and support the mobility you need for everyday life, exercise, hiking, biking, and the other activities you enjoy.

For many patients, regular movement, strength work, and mobility exercises can help throughout seasonal changes. Massage and chiropractic care may also support comfortable movement and mobility.

And if one particular area repeatedly becomes painful or stiff whenever the weather changes, it may be worth having it evaluated. Sometimes the weather isn’t actually the underlying problem—it simply exposes a joint or movement pattern that was already irritated.

The Bottom Line

If you feel stiffer when the weather changes, you’re not imagining the sensation.

Changes in temperature, barometric pressure, activity levels, muscle tension, previous injuries, and nervous-system sensitivity may all contribute to the way your body feels.

Here in Western Colorado, changes in the weather can also mean changes in the amount of hiking, biking, walking, and outdoor activity we normally get. That sudden shift between being highly active and spending more time indoors can be part of the reason stiffness seems to appear with the weather.

But weather-related stiffness doesn’t necessarily mean something is being damaged.

For many people, the best strategy is surprisingly simple: stay active, keep your body moving, maintain your strength and mobility, warm up appropriately when returning to outdoor activities, and consider supportive care such as massage or chiropractic when needed to help maintain comfortable movement and muscle function.

And if stiffness becomes persistent, painful, or starts interfering with the activities you enjoy, having it evaluated can help determine whether something more than the weather may be contributing.

Ready to Feel & Function at Your Highest Potential?

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic in Grand Junction, we help patients address joint stiffness, muscle tension, and mobility concerns so they can stay active through Western Colorado’s changing seasons.

We offer personalized chiropractic care, massage therapy, and wellness solutions designed to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Call us today at (970) 314-9244 for more information. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to better health.

– Dr. Joseph Heinecke

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Cracking Your Own Neck vs. a Chiropractic Adjustment

By Dr. Joseph Heinecke, Mountain Valley Chiropractic – Grand Junction, Colorado

Many people try cracking their own neck when it feels tight, stiff, or uncomfortable.

As a chiropractor, I hear this question fairly often:

“Is cracking my own neck basically the same thing as getting adjusted?”

I understand why people ask. Your neck feels tight or stiff, you turn your head or apply a little pressure, something pops, and suddenly it feels a little better.

But cracking your own neck and receiving a chiropractic adjustment are not the same thing.

And the difference is about much more than who makes the joint pop.

What Is That “Pop”?

First, let’s talk about the sound itself.

The popping sound you sometimes hear when a joint moves is generally called cavitation. It occurs when a change in pressure within the joint causes dissolved gases in the joint fluid to rapidly change state.

But here’s something I explain to patients all the time:

The pop is not the adjustment.

I can create cavitation in a joint that is already moving perfectly well. Hearing a pop doesn’t necessarily mean the joint that needed attention was corrected.

That’s one of the biggest differences between cracking your own neck and having your spine evaluated and adjusted by a chiropractor.

Your Neck Will Often Take the Path of Least Resistance

When your neck feels stuck, your natural instinct may be to twist or pull it until something moves.

The problem is that the joint that pops may not be the joint that’s actually restricted.

Your body naturally tends to move through the areas offering the least resistance. If one spinal segment is restricted while the segment above or below it is already moving freely, the mobile segment may simply move farther.

Dr. Joe demonstrates how self-cracking can create movement in a different area than the joint that is actually restricted.

Meanwhile, the restricted area can remain restricted.

This is one reason some people tell me they crack their neck several times throughout the day. It feels better temporarily, but before long they feel like they need to do it again.

In those cases, they may be repeatedly mobilizing an area that already moves well rather than addressing the underlying mechanical issue.

A Chiropractic Adjustment Is Specific

When I adjust someone’s neck, my goal isn’t simply to make it pop.

Before I adjust a patient, I evaluate how the spine is moving and determine where motion is restricted, what direction the joint needs to move, and whether an adjustment is appropriate and safe for that individual.

This evaluation can also help identify areas of spinal dysfunction, often referred to in chiropractic as subluxation.

Depending on the patient, that evaluation may include orthopedic testing, neurological examination, range-of-motion assessment, palpation, health history, and other examinations.

Then I can determine where and how to make a specific adjustment.

That’s very different from turning your own neck until you hear something crack.

There Is Also a Nervous-System Component

One of the things I wish more people understood about chiropractic is that the spine isn’t simply a stack of bones.

Your spinal joints contain an enormous amount of sensory information. Movement of those joints sends information to the brain and nervous system through mechanoreceptors and other sensory pathways.

So when I evaluate someone’s spine, I’m not thinking only about whether a vertebra moves.

I’m also thinking about the neurological input associated with that movement.

Whether you approach chiropractic from a philosophical or strictly neurological perspective, I think this is an important concept:

What you do to the spine affects the nervous system one way or another, either favorably or unfavorably.

My goal with an adjustment is to provide the appropriate mechanical and neurological input at the appropriate location.

Repeatedly forcing movement through an area that is already moving too much is very different from restoring motion to an area that is actually restricted.

Why This Matters for Active Coloradans

Living in Western Colorado, we ask a lot of our bodies.

My patients hike, mountain bike, ski, golf, work physical jobs, spend weekends on the Grand Mesa, explore the Colorado National Monument, work on their properties, chase kids around, and sometimes spend long hours sitting behind a desk or driving between all of those activities.

Grand Junction gives us incredible access to everything from hiking and biking to skiing, climbing, fishing, and paddling. Staying active is part of the lifestyle here.

But all that activity, combined with everyday work and repetitive postures, can also create areas of stiffness, compensation, and altered movement.

If your neck continually feels like it needs to be cracked, I don’t just want to know that it’s tight.

I want to know why.

Can Cracking Your Own Neck Be Dangerous?

This is where I think it’s important to keep things in perspective.

Serious complications associated with normal neck movement or spinal manipulation are exceedingly rare, but the cervical spine contains structures that deserve respect, including the spinal cord, nerve roots, and vertebral and carotid arteries.

Vascular injuries such as cervical artery dissection can sometimes occur spontaneously or following otherwise ordinary activities involving neck movement. Reported associations have included activities ranging from sports and prolonged neck positioning to salon shampoo positioning and cervical manipulation.

That’s one reason I examine patients before deciding whether and how to adjust their neck.

No examination can eliminate every conceivable risk. But evaluating neurological findings, vascular warning signs, trauma, instability, and other potential contraindications is very different from twisting your own neck simply because it feels tight.

Temporary Relief Isn’t Necessarily Correction

I won’t tell you that cracking your neck can’t feel good.

It can.

Joint movement can temporarily reduce muscle tension, change sensory input, and create a feeling of increased mobility.

But feeling better temporarily and addressing the reason a problem keeps returning aren’t necessarily the same thing.

In the same way, the absence of pain doesn’t necessarily mean that every area of the spine is moving and functioning optimally.

If you’re cracking your neck once in a while because it moves and happens to pop, that’s different from feeling compelled to crack the same area five, ten, or twenty times throughout the day.

When I hear that from a patient, the question I’m interested in is:

Why does that area continually feel like it needs to be cracked?

That’s what an examination can help us understand.

You Wouldn’t Perform Your Own Root Canal

Here’s an analogy I sometimes use.

Most of us wouldn’t attempt our own root canal simply because we know which tooth hurts.

Knowing where you feel discomfort doesn’t necessarily tell you what is causing it or how it should be treated.

The same principle applies to your spine.

Knowing that your neck feels tight doesn’t tell you which joint is restricted, which direction it needs to move, whether another joint is compensating for it, or whether manipulating the area is appropriate in the first place.

Chiropractors spend years studying anatomy, physiology, neurology, biomechanics, diagnosis, and adjusting techniques for a reason.

Specificity matters.

The Bottom Line

After years of treating patients, my answer to this question is pretty simple:

Cracking your own neck and receiving a chiropractic adjustment are not the same thing.

Cracking your own neck is usually a nonspecific movement performed until a joint cavitates.

A chiropractic adjustment should involve examination, clinical judgment, identification of dysfunctional biomechanics, and a specific intervention intended to improve joint function while considering the nervous system and the individual patient’s health.

So the next time your neck feels like it constantly needs to pop, instead of asking:

“How can I crack this?”

I’d encourage you to ask a different question:

“Why does it keep feeling like it needs to be cracked?”

That’s often the more important question.

Ready to Feel & Function at Your Highest Potential?

Whether you’re seeking relief from pain, looking to improve your mobility, or simply investing in your long-term health, my team and I are here to help.

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic, we offer personalized chiropractic care, massage therapy, and wellness solutions designed to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Call us today at (970) 314-9244 for more information. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to better health.

– Dr. Joe Heinecke

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Back-to-School & Fall Reset: Is Your Spine Ready?

By Dr. Joseph Heinecke, Mountain Valley Chiropractic – Grand Junction, Colorado

As summer winds down, life starts shifting gears. Kids head back to school, fall sports begin, work schedules get busier, and families settle back into their routines.

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic, this is also a time when I start seeing the effects that those changing routines can have on the body.

We spend a lot of time getting backpacks packed, schedules organized, and everything ready for the school year, but it’s worth asking one more question:

Is your spine ready for the change in routine?

Back to School Means New Stress on Growing Bodies

For kids, going back to school means much more than homework. After an active summer, they’re suddenly spending hours sitting in classrooms, carrying backpacks, looking down at books and devices, and often jumping right into fall sports.

Growing bodies are constantly adapting, and some of the everyday stress I see include heavy backpacks, poor posture, long periods of sitting, sports-related bumps and falls, and rapid growth spurts.

For more specific tips on choosing, fitting, and wearing a backpack properly, you can also read our guide to backpack safety for kids.

Kids also don’t always tell us when something doesn’t feel quite right. Sometimes parents notice changes in posture, stiffness, headaches, or that their child simply isn’t moving as comfortably as usual.

That’s one reason I believe it’s important to pay attention to spinal health even when there isn’t an obvious injury.

Adults Feel the Fall Shift, Too

Parents, you’re not off the hook.

Summer in Grand Junction often means travel, hiking, camping, yard projects, and plenty of time outdoors. Then fall arrives and many of us are right back to longer hours at a desk, driving kids to activities, juggling work and school schedules, and spending more time sitting.

That’s when I commonly hear about tight necks and shoulders, low back discomfort, headaches, stiffness, and muscle tension.

Sometimes these issues seem to appear overnight, but often they’ve been building gradually as the body compensates for stress and changes in movement.

Why I Pay Attention to the Spine

Your spine does much more than hold you upright. It protects your spinal cord and plays an important role in how your body moves and functions every day.

As a chiropractor, one of the things I’m looking for is how well the joints of the spine are moving and whether restrictions or imbalances may be affecting the way your body is functioning.

I’ve had many patients tell me they didn’t realize just how stiff they had become until they started moving better.

You Don’t Have to Wait Until You’re Hurting

One thing I remind my patients at Mountain Valley Chiropractic is that chiropractic care doesn’t have to begin with significant pain.

We routinely maintain plenty of other things that are important to us before there’s a major problem. I think our bodies deserve that same attention.

Whether you’re a student starting another school year, an athlete heading into a fall sports season, a parent managing everyone’s schedule, or someone who spends most of the day behind a desk, this is a great time to pay attention to how your body is moving and feeling.

Make Your Health Part of the Fall Reset

Fall gets busy quickly. Before we know it, school is in full swing and the holidays are around the corner.

As you’re getting everyone else’s schedules organized, don’t forget to make your own health part of the plan.

If it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, or you’ve noticed stiffness or discomfort that you’ve been putting off, I’d be happy to take a look and see how you’re doing.

Here’s to a healthy, active fall in Grand Junction!

Ready to Feel & Function at Your Highest Potential?

Whether you’re seeking relief from pain, looking to improve your mobility, or simply investing in your long-term health, my team and I are here to help.

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic, we offer personalized chiropractic care, massage therapy, and wellness solutions designed to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Call us today at (970) 314-9244 for more information. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to better health.

– Dr. Joe Heinecke

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Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care: Why They Work Better Together

By Dr. Joseph Heinecke, Mountain Valley Chiropractic – Grand Junction, Colorado

One of the questions I’ve been hearing a lot lately is:

“Should I get a chiropractic adjustment or a massage?”

My answer is often…

Why not both?

Now that we’re offering massage therapy here at Mountain Valley Chiropractic in Grand Junction, I’m excited because we can care for our patients in an even more complete way. Michelle Lee, LMT brings a thoughtful, patient-centered approach to massage therapy that complements chiropractic care beautifully. Chiropractic care and massage therapy aren’t competing treatments. They’re partners. Each addresses a different piece of the puzzle, and together they often help people feel and function even better.

It’s Not Just About Pain

When someone comes into my office with neck pain, low back pain, headaches, or tight shoulders, I’m not just looking at where it hurts. I’m looking at how their body is moving as a whole.

Your muscles, joints, ligaments, and nervous system all work together. If one part isn’t functioning well, another part often has to compensate.

That’s why it’s so common for tight muscles and restricted joints to go hand in hand.

What Massage Therapy Does

Massage therapy is excellent at addressing the muscles and soft tissues. Research from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) suggests massage therapy may help reduce stress, improve relaxation, and provide relief for certain types of musculoskeletal pain. It can help:

  • Relax tight muscles
  • Improve circulation
  • Reduce muscle tension
  • Increase flexibility
  • Promote relaxation

Many of my patients notice they simply move easier after a massage.

What Chiropractic Care Does

My role as a chiropractor is a little different.

I’m focused on restoring healthy motion to the joints of the spine and extremities while helping the nervous system function as efficiently as possible.

When joints aren’t moving the way they’re designed to, surrounding muscles often tighten up in an effort to protect the area. Restoring proper movement can reduce unnecessary stress throughout the body.

Why Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care Work So Well Together

Think of it this way.

If your muscles are extremely tight, they can make your joints more difficult to move comfortably.

If your joints aren’t moving properly, those muscles often tighten right back up.

Massage therapy helps prepare the muscles.

Chiropractic care helps restore healthy joint movement.

Together, they help address both sides of the equation.

Who Can Benefit?

Many of the patients I see in Grand Junction may benefit from combining chiropractic care and massage therapy, including those dealing with:

  • Neck and back pain
  • Headaches
  • Shoulder tension
  • Hip discomfort
  • Muscle tightness from exercise
  • Sports injuries
  • Poor posture
  • Long hours at a desk
  • Physically demanding jobs

Of course, every patient is different, which is why I always begin with a thorough examination before making recommendations.

My Philosophy

I’ve always believed our goal isn’t simply to get people out of pain.

Pain is often the last symptom to appear and the first symptom to disappear.

My goal is to help your body function the way it was designed to function.

When your joints move better and your muscles aren’t constantly fighting to compensate, everyday activities become easier. Patients often notice improvements in flexibility, posture, mobility, recovery after exercise, and overall quality of life.

We’re Excited to Offer Both Under One Roof

One of the things I’m most excited about is being able to offer chiropractic care and massage therapy together here at Mountain Valley Chiropractic.

Whether you’re recovering from an injury, dealing with chronic muscle tension, or simply looking to move and feel your best, combining these two services may provide a more complete approach to your care.

If you’ve been wondering whether chiropractic care, massage therapy, or a combination of both might be right for you, we’d love to help.

Our team is here to answer your questions, evaluate your individual needs, and create a care plan that’s right for you.

We look forward to helping our Grand Junction community move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Ready to Feel & Function at Your Highest Potential?

Whether you’re seeking relief from pain, looking to improve your mobility, or simply investing in your long-term health, my team and I are here to help.

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic, we offer personalized chiropractic care, massage therapy with Michelle Lee, LMT, and wellness solutions designed to help you move better, feel better, and live healthier.

Call us today at (970) 314-9244 or visit mtnvalleychiro.com for more information. We look forward to partnering with you on your journey to better health.

– Dr. Joe Heinecke

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Understanding Leaky Gut and Inflammation

Leaky Gut Syndrome: Could It Be the Cause of Inflammation and Chronic Health Problems?

By Dr. Joseph Heinecke, Mountain Valley Chiropractic – Grand Junction, Colorado

When thinking about bodily ailments, our natural inclination is to try to isolate exactly where a problem is coming from. What do I mean by this? Shoulder pain must equal shoulder dysfunction. Joint pain must equal joint dysfunction. If I get sick, it must be the bacteria or virus that caused it.

The point is, we tend to isolate symptoms into isolated causes. This is especially common in Western medicine. While this approach can be accurate in some cases, for example, a rotator cuff injury clearly causing shoulder pain, it does not always explain what is going on in the body.

Often, I hear patients say, “I don’t even know what I did.”

So, what about cases where there is no clear mechanism of injury, yet a person experiences daily joint pain (localized or widespread), low energy, chronic inflammation, frequent illness, autoimmune conditions, skin problems, food sensitivities, brain fog, headaches, difficulty concentrating, or digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea or painful bloating and gas?

What could all of these seemingly unrelated conditions have in common?

The Common Thread: “Leaky Gut” (Intestinal Permeability)

The answer may be “leaky gut,” also known as intestinal permeability.

Leaky gut syndrome is a condition involving damage to the lining of the small intestine. This damage can allow incompletely digested nutrients, toxins, bacteria, and waste to pass through the intestinal barrier (tight junctions) and enter the bloodstream.

When the intestinal lining is compromised, it may also fail to produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion, leading to poor nutrient absorption and further imbalances throughout the body. Over time, this can contribute to hormone imbalances, immune dysfunction, and systemic inflammation.

As foreign substances enter the bloodstream, the body may trigger immune responses, leading to inflammatory and allergic reactions. These can present as respiratory issues, digestive problems, headaches, joint pain, skin conditions, and more.

When this happens, the liver is forced to work harder to filter these substances. Over time, this increased burden can contribute to conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As liver function becomes compromised, toxins and metabolic waste may recirculate in the bloodstream, affecting muscles, connective tissue, and other organs, contributing to widespread dysfunction.

Contributing factors to leaky gut may include chronic stress, excessive sugar intake, low-fiber diets, alcohol consumption, NSAID use, and food sensitivities.

The Gut as the Center of the Immune System

Research shows that approximately 80% of the immune system is associated with the gut. This dense concentration of immune activity is primarily housed in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), making the digestive tract the body’s largest immune organ. (1)

With that in mind, it becomes easier to understand how immune dysregulation stemming from gut dysfunction can lead to increased susceptibility to illness, infections, and even autoimmune conditions.

The Gut and the Brain Connection

Learn more about the gut-brain connection: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23006-gut-brain-axis

We also know that approximately 80–90% of mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are produced in the gut, not the brain. (2)

This helps explain why medications such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) often come with significant side effects and may not address the root cause of the imbalance. They focus on a small portion of neurotransmitter activity while ignoring the gut environment that produces most of these chemicals. This can have a very big influence on mood and mental health.

The Gut-Joint Connection

Emerging research also supports a gut–joint axis. Conditions such as early-onset degenerative joint disease (DJD) rheumatoid arthritis, Spondylarthritis and disc degeneration may be influenced by inflammatory processes originating in the gut. (3)

This inflammation can contribute to premature wear and tear on joints, cartilage damage, and degeneration of intervertebral discs, the shock-absorbing structures of the spine. Over time, this may contribute to earlier-than-expected joint breakdown, joint pain, and may be associated with progression of degenerative joint changes in some individuals.

The Gut-Brain Barrier and Neurodegeneration

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are among the most devastating conditions affecting both patients and their loved ones.  Some researchers have referred to Alzheimer’s as “type 3 diabetes,” highlighting its metabolic and inflammatory components. While it’s not officially recognized as a standalone diabetes diagnosis, more research points to overlapping mechanisms between the two. Dysfunctional insulin signaling contributes to the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are the hallmark brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease. A compromised blood-brain barrier has been closely linked to the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. (4)

Importantly, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier may begin years before cognitive symptoms appear, acting as an early marker of disease progression, not merely as a symptom of the disease itself. One can see how the health of the blood-brain barrier, which is closely tied to gut barrier integrity, is of critical importance for brain health and may be a major factor in preventing cognitive decline.

A leaky gut can contribute to this process through a cascade of events:

First, microbial translocation occurs, where undigested food particles, toxins, and bacterial byproducts such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) enter the bloodstream. This triggers a chronic immune response and elevated inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-1 and IL-6).

Over time, these inflammatory compounds can reach the brain and disrupt the tight junction proteins (such as occludin and claudin-5) that maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Once this protective barrier is compromised, the risk of neurodegenerative conditions increases significantly.

My Perspective as a Healthcare Provider

As a healthcare provider, one of my greatest challenges is helping patients navigate the constant exposure to oversimplified, and often misleading, health messaging, particularly through pharmaceutical advertising.

The long list of side effects often presented in these commercials should be enough to encourage people to look deeper, yet this is not always the case.

This is why I consider educating patients and teaching them how their body truly works, not what a commercial suggests, to be a frontline responsibility. In fact, the word “doctor” comes from the Latin root docere, meaning “to teach.”

I have also personally experienced gut health struggles, which is part of why I am so passionate about helping others restore their digestive health. Based on the growing body of research, I believe gut health must be placed at the forefront of healthcare.

Our Approach at Mountain Valley Chiropractic

Participating in the comprehensive program we offer in our office to support and restore my own gut health has been truly life-changing. I have experienced meaningful improvements in many areas of my health and overall well-being.

In our office, we now offer tools, education, and a comprehensive approach designed to help patients restore optimal gut health. Our goal is to address leaky gut syndrome in a way that supports both current symptoms and long-term health.

Please take your health seriously, not just for yourself, but for the people around you. When you improve your health, you improve your ability to show up fully in your life. It truly makes the world a better place.

Take the Next Step

If you are struggling with digestive issues, low energy, joint pain, brain fog, or other chronic health concerns and want to explore a root-cause approach to your health, we invite you to learn more.

At Mountain Valley Chiropractic, right here in Grand Junction, CO, we are committed to helping you understand what your body is telling you and supporting your journey back to optimal health.

📞 To schedule a complimentary metabolic consultation, call us at (970) 314-9244

🌐 To read more about our services, visit:
https://mtnvalleychiro.com/metabolic-health/

This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

References

  1. Wiertsema, S.P., Bergenhenegouwen, J.V., et al.
    The Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and the Immune System in the Context of Infectious Diseases Throughout Life and the Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Treatment Strategies.
    Nutrients. 2021 Mar 9;13(3):886. doi: (add DOI if available)
  2. Appleton, J.
    The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health.
    Integrative Medicine (Encinitas). 2018 Aug;17(4):28–32.
  3. Longo, U.G., Lalli, A., et al.
    Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondyloarthritis: An Update on the Gut-Joint Axis.
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024 Mar 13;25(6):3242.
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