Case-series · August 7, 2026
Chiropractic Care for Chronic Back Pain: A Retrospective Case Series from Best Life Chiropractic
Abstract
Background: Chronic back pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition impacting quality of life. This case series investigates the outcomes of chiropractic care for patients presenting with chronic back pain at a single clinic. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on seven patient cases at Best Life Chiropractic in San Diego, CA, who received various chiropractic techniques for chronic back pain. Outcome measures included patient-reported pain reduction percentages and qualitative descriptions of improvement. Results: Across seven cases, the mean pain reduction was 91% (median 91%). Patients reported improvements in daily activity, spinal function, and sustained relief over periods ranging from three weeks to several months. Specific cases demonstrated resolution of pain present for years or decades. Conclusions: Chiropractic care, including adjustments, spinal decompression, and soft tissue therapies, may contribute to significant pain reduction and improved function in individuals experiencing chronic back pain. These findings suggest the potential for chiropractic interventions to offer substantial relief in such cases.
Methods
This study is a retrospective case series analyzing outcomes of chiropractic care for chronic back pain patients at Best Life Chiropractic in San Diego, CA. The practice, led by Dr. Gerald Palmes, employs a range of techniques including Neuropathy treatment, Spinal Decompression, Shockwave Therapy, Chiropractic Adjustments, Soft Tissue Therapy, and Laser therapy. Seven de-identified patient cases were included based on documented chronic back pain as a chief complaint and recorded outcomes following treatment. Inclusion criteria for this series were patients who presented with chronic back pain and had documented improvements in their condition at Best Life Chiropractic. Data was extracted from existing patient records, focusing on chief complaints, duration of symptoms, treatment timeframes, and reported pain reduction percentages or qualitative descriptions of improvement. Pain reduction was typically assessed via patient self-report, where available, or inferred from narrative outcomes. Mobility improvement, while acknowledged as an important outcome, was not systematically tracked or quantified in this series. The cases reviewed represent a cross-section of patients treated for chronic back pain, ranging in age from adult to over 60, with varying durations of chronic pain from several years to over two decades. The primary limitation of this methodology is its retrospective design, relying on existing clinical notes and patient-reported outcomes without standardized, objective baseline and post-treatment metrics for all cases.
Discussion
The consistent and substantial pain reduction observed in this retrospective case series suggests that chiropractic care, as practiced at Best Life Chiropractic, may be an effective intervention for individuals suffering from chronic back pain. The mean pain reduction of 91% (median 91%) reported across seven cases indicates a high degree of patient satisfaction and symptomatic improvement, aligning with anecdotal evidence and some research suggesting the efficacy of spinal manipulative therapy for back pain. The individual case vignettes further illustrate this potential, with patients experiencing long-standing chronic pain, some for decades, reporting significant or complete resolution of symptoms within relatively short treatment durations. These outcomes are particularly noteworthy given the often recalcitrant nature of chronic back pain and the challenges associated with its long-term management. The application of diverse techniques, including chiropractic adjustments, spinal decompression, and soft tissue therapies, allows for a comprehensive approach tailored to individual patient needs, which may contribute to the favorable results. While this case series cannot establish causality due to its design, the observed improvements suggest that chiropractic interventions could play a vital role in conservative care pathways for chronic back pain. The consistent achievement of substantial pain relief and improved function in patients with chronic conditions, some of whom had suffered for many years, implies that these chiropractic approaches may offer a viable alternative or adjunctive therapy when other treatments have failed or are undesirable. These findings warrant further investigation through more rigorous study designs.
Limitations
This retrospective case series presents several limitations inherent to its design. Firstly, as a single-site study conducted at Best Life Chiropractic, the generalizability of these findings to a broader population or other chiropractic practices may be limited. Secondly, the retrospective nature means that data collection was not standardized across all cases; patient-reported metrics were primarily used for pain reduction, and objective measures of mobility were not consistently tracked. This reliance on self-reported outcomes introduces potential for recall bias and subjective interpretation. Thirdly, the absence of a control group prevents direct comparison of chiropractic care outcomes against other interventions or no intervention, precluding definitive conclusions about efficacy. Fourthly, there is an inherent selection bias, as cases included in this series represent individuals who sought chiropractic care and completed a course of treatment, potentially excluding those who did not respond or discontinued care. Finally, the relatively small sample size (n=7) limits the statistical power and robustness of the aggregate findings.