A Reddit user has reported substantial relief from a decade-long battle with chronic back pain, crediting the AI tool ChatGPT for the breakthrough. Greg Brockman, co-founder of OpenAI, highlighted this case as a testament to AI’s potential in personal health management. “We still have a long way to go,” he noted, “but shows how AI is already improving people’s lives in meaningful ways.”
According to the Reddit post, struggling with conflicting diagnoses from various physiotherapists, the user sought an alternative by inputting their medical history and exercise plans into ChatGPT.
From this data, the AI provided personalised explanations and a progression plan, leading to a significant improvement and a renewed ability to engage in physical activities once thought impossible.
The user’s post, titled “After a decade of low back pain, ChatGPT helped me finally fix it,” details their journey through years of confusing diagnoses and inconsistent advice. According to the user, “Every therapist had a different theory. One said it was a lateral imbalance, another blamed my deep core muscles, another said dry needling was the solution.” These conflicting perspectives left the user at a standstill, trying various exercises without clarity or consistent results.
A partial breakthrough occurred when the user discovered the Low Back Ability (LBA) programme, which focuses on strengthening rather than resting the back. This programme offered some relief, but the user found the explanations lacking in detail. “Maybe not everyone’s brain works like this, but I need to fully understand: why it hurts, why the imbalances, why and how each exercise helps,” they explained.
Turning to ChatGPT provided the clarity they were seeking. The user described how they fed extensive data into the AI, including their entire history, pain triggers, and every attempted exercise. “ChatGPT broke down the pain triggers, explained the function of each exercise, and offered a progression plan customised to the user’s experience and questions.” This comprehensive approach finally made everything click, leading to consistent improvements.
Over the weeks following this intervention, the user noted a remarkable 60–70% reduction in tightness and pain. They are now planning a cautious return to physical activities previously thought to be out of reach. “And… it’s working. My back feels the best it has in years,” they stated.
