Case-series · July 28, 2026

Changes in Spinal Health Scores Following Corrective Chiropractic Care: A Retrospective Case-Series

Abstract

Background: Patients seek chiropractic care for a variety of musculoskeletal complaints, with treatment success often measured by subjective pain reduction. Objective scoring systems can provide a more comprehensive view of spinal health changes. This study assesses changes in a proprietary Spinal Health Score for patients at a single chiropractic clinic. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-series of 34 patients at Corrective Chiropractic - Buckhead. Data including initial and final Spinal Health Scores, chief complaints, and care duration were extracted from de-identified patient records. The primary outcome was the percentage change in the Spinal Health Score, a metric where higher scores indicate better spinal function. Results: The cohort of 34 patients demonstrated a mean improvement of 18% in their Spinal Health Score, with a median improvement of 15%. Patients presented with complaints including neck pain, low back pain, and extremity pain. Individual outcomes varied, with score improvements ranging widely across different timeframes. Conclusions: In this retrospective case-series, patients undergoing corrective chiropractic care showed, on average, a positive change in their Spinal Health Score. The lack of a control group and the single-clinic setting limit the generalizability of these findings. Further controlled research is needed to establish causality.

Methods

This study was designed as a retrospective case-series to analyze patient outcomes at a single chiropractic center. All data were collected from existing, de-identified patient records at Corrective Chiropractic - Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. The clinic's providers include Dr. Austin Cohen, Dr. Samaira Dumpson, and Dr. Taylor Jackson. The inclusion criteria for this analysis required patients to have a complete record of both an initial and a final Spinal Health Score measurement. A total of 34 patient files met this criterion. The patient cohort presented with a variety of chief complaints, including neck pain, low back pain, and extremity pain. The primary outcome measure was the percentage improvement in the Spinal Health Score. This score is a proprietary, composite metric used by the clinic, where an increase in the numerical score indicates an improvement in overall spinal health. The score change was calculated as: [(Final Score - Initial Score) / Initial Score] * 100. Data extracted for analysis also included patient age range, gender, chief complaint, and the timeframe of care between the initial and final scores. Specific treatment protocols for each patient were not available for this retrospective analysis, although the clinic utilizes techniques such as Corrective Chiropractic Care, Spinal Decompression, and Therapeutic Massage. Statistical analysis was limited to descriptive statistics, including the calculation of mean and median improvement for the entire cohort (n=34).

Discussion

The findings of this retrospective case-series suggest that patients who underwent a course of corrective chiropractic care at the subject clinic demonstrated positive changes in their Spinal Health Score. The mean improvement of 18% across a cohort of 34 patients indicates a trend toward improved spinal health as defined by the clinic's proprietary metric. This aligns with the clinical goals of chiropractic care, which aim to enhance function and reduce symptoms by addressing musculoskeletal and neurological integrity. The use of a composite Spinal Health Score, rather than solely a pain scale, reflects a clinical focus on holistic function and structural integrity. The positive changes observed in this score may represent improvements in factors beyond subjective pain, though the specific components of the score were not defined in this dataset. The results, while positive, must be interpreted with caution. The improvements seen here are consistent with general clinical expectations for patients completing a chiropractic care plan. However, without a control group, it is impossible to attribute these changes solely to the interventions provided. Factors such as the natural history of the conditions, placebo effects, patient expectations, and concomitant lifestyle changes could have contributed to the observed outcomes. The variability in individual results, with improvements ranging from 8% to 49% in the sample cases over timeframes from 5 to 110 weeks, underscores the individualized nature of patient response to care. This highlights the complexity of managing spinal conditions and suggests that patient-specific factors heavily influence outcomes.

Limitations

This study has several important limitations. First, its retrospective design relies on clinical records that were not collected for research purposes, which may lead to inconsistencies or missing data. Second, as a case-series, there is no control or comparison group, making it impossible to determine causality. The observed improvements in the Spinal Health Score cannot be definitively attributed to the chiropractic care received, as they could be influenced by natural disease progression, placebo effect, or other unmeasured confounders. Third, the study was conducted at a single clinic, Corrective Chiropractic - Buckhead, so the findings may not be generalizable to other patient populations, clinical settings, or chiropractic techniques. Fourth, the primary outcome measure, the Spinal Health Score, is a proprietary metric, which limits the ability to compare these results with other studies in the literature. Finally, the cohort consists only of patients with complete initial and final scores, introducing a potential selection bias that may exclude patients who discontinued care for any reason, including lack of improvement.