Long Term Back Pain, Neck Pain, and Leg Pain Helped by Chiropractic

A case study published by Cureus on January 3, 2024, and appearing on the National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information website documented the improvement of chronic widespread pain with chiropractic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers chronic pain to be pain lasting more than 3 months. Many people have pain that has been present much longer than that.

The CDC reports that, "During 2021, an estimated 20.9% of U.S. adults (51.6 million persons) experienced chronic pain, and 6.9% (17.1 million persons) experienced high-impact chronic pain." They also note that chronic pain is linked with depression, dementia, substance abuse, and a higher rate of suicide. The U.S. National Institutes of Health states that "Chronic pain is highly persistent, with almost two-thirds (61.4%) of those who reported chronic pain in 2019 still reporting chronic pain a year later."

As bad as the problem of chronic pain is, this study documents a patient who suffered from chronic pain for 48 years before receiving chiropractic care. In this case, a 60-year-old man presented himself at a chiropractic office. His history revealed that at age 12 he was injured while lifting hay bales on a farm. For years, he treated the pain by taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Eventually, the OTC medications stopped giving any relief and the man was developing GI problems from continually taking these medications.

Upon going to the chiropractor, the man reported long-term pain in multiple areas. These included his upper back and shoulders, neck, lower and mid back pain, and leg pain. He had been suffering with these pains for continually for 48 years. As a result of these problems, the man reported a significant reduction in his physical abilities.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included a postural assessment, range of motion tests, orthopedic testing, pain assessment testing, and spinal x-rays. The findings from the examination and x-rays showed multiple positive results including abnormal spine alignment, and disability due to the pain. Based upon this, it was determined to start a program of specific chiropractic care.

The results of the chiropractic care were recorded on a re-assessment examination performed after 12 visits. A number of objective tests were performed which showed improvement to the point where most of the tests no longer showed any restrictions or positive findings. At that time, the man reported that his worst pain, which was his lower back, was 90% improved. He also reported that his leg pain was totally gone, as was his mid-back pain and his neck and shoulder pains. One year later, a follow-up was done which showed that all his improvements were still present.

In summing up this case and how chiropractic can have a beneficial affect on people suffering from long term pain, the authors of the study stated, "The aim of this study is to present the successful treatment in a patient suffering from pain and disability due to long term results of injury as teen. This study can provide clinicians with a treatment option for treating patients suffering with chronic pain."