• Roecker CB
• Sleiman A

• Adult
• Chronic Pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Male
• Open Access Document
• Veterans

Objective: To describe a multimodal course of chiropractic care for a Veteran with fibromyalgia.

Clinical Features: A 34-year-old male U.S. Veteran was referred for chiropractic management of chronic widespread spinal pain and intermittent paresthesia at a VA health care clinic. Previous care emphasized passive treatment strategies, which provided only temporary symptom relief. Diagnostic imaging and electrodiagnostic testing were unremarkable. The patient met diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and exhibited features consistent with nociplastic pain.

Intervention and Outcomes: Over 7 months, the patient attended 11 chiropractic visits that included pain neuroscience education, lifestyle counseling, graded activity and exercise, soft-tissue therapy, and spinal manipulation. Referrals were also made to pain psychology and aquatic physical therapy. The patient reported reductions in average pain intensity (from 7/10 to 3/10), improved activity tolerance, decreased cane use, and lower pain catastrophizing scores. He engaged consistently in self-care and described feeling “much more in control” of his condition.

Conclusion: In this case, chiropractic care was integrated into a multidisciplinary approach to fibromyalgia management. Emphasis was placed on education, self-efficacy, and graded exposure to activity. These strategies supported the patient’s transition from passive to active coping and were associated with improvements in pain and function.

Author keywords: Chiropractic; Management, Pain; Pain, Chronic; Widespread Chronic Pain; Interdisciplinary Health Teams; Fibromyalgia; Central Sensitization; Pain, Back; Pain, Neck; Biopsychosocial

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