Forest Hills chiropractor Dr. Boris Nektalov explains how nervous system dysfunction drives chronic back pain, sciatica, and fatigue — and how chiropractic care combined with nutrition can help you heal for good.

You've tried the stretches. You've taken the ibuprofen. Maybe you've even had an MRI that came back inconclusive. And yet you still wake up stiff, still get those headaches behind your eyes by mid-afternoon, still feel like your body is working against you.

If that sounds familiar, I want to offer you a different way of looking at what's happening.

I'm Dr. Boris Nektalov, chiropractor and enzyme nutrition specialist at Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness in Forest Hills, Queens. In over a decade of practice, one pattern comes up again and again: patients who have tried everything for their back pain, their neck pain, their sciatica — and haven't gotten lasting relief — are almost always dealing with an underlying nervous system problem that no one has addressed.

This article explains what that means, why it matters, and what you can actually do about it.

Your Nervous System Controls More Than You Think

Most people think of the nervous system as what lets you feel pain or move your arm. That's true — but it's only a fraction of what it does.

Your nervous system is the master communication network of your body. It regulates your heart rate, digestion, sleep cycles, stress response, immune function, and the speed at which you heal from injury. It does this in constant partnership with your endocrine (hormonal) system — together, they maintain what's called homeostasis, your body's internal balance.

When that balance is intact, your body is remarkably good at healing itself. When it's disrupted, symptoms appear — and they often show up in places you wouldn't immediately connect to your spine or your nerves.

The Warning Signs Most People Dismiss

Patients who come to our Forest Hills clinic often report the same cluster of symptoms, and they're frequently surprised to hear they're related:

  • Morning stiffness that takes an hour or more to work out
  • Headaches that start at the base of the skull
  • Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
  • Fatigue that doesn't improve with sleep
  • Heightened anxiety or difficulty handling stress
  • Digestive issues — bloating, constipation, irregular bowel habits

These aren't random complaints. In many cases, they're the nervous system raising its hand. The body is telling you that communication between the brain and the rest of the body is being disrupted somewhere.

How a Misaligned Spine Interferes with Nerve Function

One of the most common — and most overlooked — causes of nervous system dysfunction is spinal misalignment.

When the vertebrae shift out of their proper position, they can place direct pressure on the nerves that exit the spinal column. Think of it like a garden hose with a kink in it: the water doesn't stop entirely, but the flow is reduced. The same happens to nerve signals traveling between your brain and your organs, muscles, and tissues.

This is why patients who come to us for pinched nerve treatment or sciatica relief in Queens often find that their other symptoms — the fatigue, the poor sleep, even the digestive issues — also improve once spinal alignment is restored. We're not treating five separate problems. We're restoring one communication system.

The Two Modes Your Nervous System Operates In

Your autonomic nervous system has two settings, and understanding them helps explain why so many people struggle to heal.

The sympathetic nervous system is your "fight or flight" mode. It's designed for short-term threats — it floods your body with adrenaline, tightens your muscles, elevates your heart rate. It's lifesaving in a genuine emergency.

The parasympathetic nervous system is your "rest and repair" mode. This is when healing happens. When you digest properly, recover from exercise, sleep deeply, and regenerate tissue — all of that requires your body to be in parasympathetic mode.

Here's the problem: in today's world, most people are running in sympathetic mode almost constantly. Work stress, phone notifications, traffic, financial pressure — your nervous system doesn't distinguish between a deadline and a predator. It responds the same way.

When you're chronically stuck in fight-or-flight, healing becomes physiologically difficult. Patients often tell me they're doing everything right — eating well, exercising, even sleeping more — but still feel stuck. This is frequently why. You cannot heal in a state of constant stress.

Chiropractic adjustments help shift the nervous system back toward parasympathetic dominance. Multiple studies have found that spinal manipulation reduces cortisol levels and activates the parasympathetic response — which is why many patients leave an adjustment feeling noticeably calmer, not just physically relieved.

Why Nutrition Is Part of the Equation

Structural care alone doesn't complete the picture for every patient. Your nerves are biological tissue — they need specific nutrients to function and repair.

The ones I see most commonly depleted in patients with chronic nerve symptoms are:

  • B vitamins (B1, B6, B12): Essential for nerve signal transmission. Deficiency in B12 in particular is directly linked to tingling, burning sensations, and numbness in the extremities — symptoms many patients assume are coming from their spine.
  • Copper and healthy fats: The myelin sheath — the protective coating around each nerve fiber — is largely made from fat and requires copper to maintain its integrity. Without it, nerve signals lose speed and accuracy.
  • Digestive enzymes: This one surprises most patients. You can eat a perfect diet and still be malnourished if your digestive system isn't breaking down and absorbing what you eat. Many patients come to us focused entirely on what they're eating, without realizing how well they're digesting it is equally important.

This is why our approach at Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness includes enzyme nutrition therapy alongside spinal care. We look at the structural, neurological, and nutritional factors together — because treating only one often means the others pull you back.

What Patients Actually Experience

Maria, a 47-year-old teacher from Forest Hills, came to us after two years of lower back pain and sciatica that had stopped responding to physical therapy. Within eight weeks of combined chiropractic care and nutritional support, she reported an 80% reduction in pain — and, unexpectedly, her persistent insomnia had resolved as well.

James, a 38-year-old who works in finance in Manhattan, had been experiencing daily headaches and chronic neck stiffness for three years. He'd seen two neurologists and had a normal MRI. After six adjustments, his headaches decreased from daily to roughly once a week. He later told us: "I didn't realize how much I'd gotten used to feeling terrible."

Results vary from patient to patient, and we'll be honest with you about what we can and can't address. But these outcomes are consistent with what we see routinely — because we're addressing root causes, not just symptoms.

Simple Changes That Support Your Nervous System Daily

Chiropractic care works best when it's supported by everyday habits. A few changes that make a meaningful difference:

  • Reduce processed sugar and refined carbohydrates. Blood sugar swings trigger cortisol release, keeping you in sympathetic overdrive.
  • Stay hydrated. The intervertebral discs that cushion your spine are 80% water. Chronic dehydration accelerates disc degeneration.
  • Prioritize sleep consistency over sleep duration. Going to bed and waking at the same time matters more than how many hours you get.
  • Limit caffeine after noon. Caffeine has a half-life of five to seven hours and directly suppresses the parasympathetic state your body needs to repair overnight.
  • Move gently every hour. Sustained static posture — especially at a desk — is one of the fastest ways to create spinal stress and nerve irritation.

These aren't dramatic overhauls. They're the kind of small, consistent changes that compound over weeks and months into real improvement.

When to Seek Immediate Medical Care

Chiropractic care is appropriate for a wide range of chronic musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms — but some situations require urgent medical attention. Please seek emergency care immediately if you experience sudden loss of bladder or bowel control, severe headache of sudden onset ("thunderclap"), weakness or numbness following a fall or accident, or fever accompanied by back pain. These may indicate conditions outside the scope of chiropractic care.

What to Expect at Your First Evaluation

A first visit to Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness in Forest Hills takes approximately 45 minutes. We conduct a thorough review of your health history, a postural and spinal assessment, and where appropriate, a nutritional intake evaluation. You'll leave with a clear picture of what we're seeing and a straightforward plan for addressing it — no pressure, no commitment required at that first visit.

We serve patients throughout Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, and the surrounding Queens neighborhoods.

The Bottom Line

If you've been treating your back pain, your neck pain, or your chronic fatigue as isolated problems — and you haven't gotten lasting results — it may be time to look at the system that connects them all.

Your nervous system governs how your body communicates, adapts, and heals. When it's functioning well, the body is extraordinarily capable of recovery. When it isn't, even the best treatments tend to offer only temporary relief.

Our job at Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness is to figure out exactly what's interfering with that function — structurally, neurologically, and nutritionally — and help you address it.

Ready to take the first step? Call our Forest Hills office to schedule your initial evaluation, or request an appointment online. Your first visit includes a full assessment and a no-obligation care plan review.

Dr. Boris Nektalov is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic and certified enzyme nutrition specialist with over a decade of clinical practice in Forest Hills, Queens. He completed his chiropractic degree at Life University College of Chiropractic and holds advanced certification in enzyme nutrition therapy. Nektalov Chiropractic & Wellness serves patients across Queens, NY.