Chiropractic care and massage are both phenomenal treatment options when it comes to pain relief. They are both natural therapies that are utilized to provide pain relief for the body. Common conditions that are commonly treated include neck pain, low back pain, headaches, and shoulder dysfunction.
Aside from pain, these therapies provide other benefits to the body. Some of the benefits include improved joint range of motion, decreased tissue inflammation, improved blood circulation, reduced musculoskeletal adhesions, improved posture, and have a relaxing effect on the nervous system. All of these positive effects help reduce stress and improve overall body function.
Why Massage and Chiropractic Adjustments Help One Another
The honest answer is sometimes you need one therapy more than the other but you will typically more effective relief by utilizing both. For instance, if you are suffering from severe headaches and neck pain, you typically will be presented with tight muscles that support the neck. Naturally, most of us would say tight muscles indicate that you need a massage to reduce the muscular tension and therefore reduce neck pain.
However, what caused those muscles to get tight in the first place? If your neck is seized up and movement of the head creates pain, that is a good indication that there is likely dysfunction in the joints that make up your neck. Often times your neck muscles tighten in order to protect an unstable joint and protect that joint from further damage. Joint dysfunction is most effectively treated by restoring proper alignment through a chiropractic adjustment. After the joint is returned to proper alignment, the muscles will begin to relax but often hold residual excess tension which continues to restrict movement and perpetuates discomfort.
How Overly Tight Muscles Pull Joints out of Alignment
Receiving massage therapy along with the adjustment will release the tight muscle fibers and maximize your healing potential. It can be difficult to successfully treat chronic musculoskeletal issues without treating both the muscle tension and the joint. By combining massage and chiropractic care together, you are eliminating both the joint dysfunction and compensation for this dysfunction which in this case is neck pain and muscular tension.
It can be difficult to determine if overly tightened muscles pulled the joint out of alignment or if the misalignment caused the muscles to tighten in response. Regardless of which came first, both problems will always occur together. Treating one problem but not the other will prolong symptoms and often times lead to chronic instability. Our mindset at Spine Body Collective is “let’s treat both together to reduce pain and create long-lasting stability moving forward”.
We have worked closely together for over 6 years and most of our clients receive care from both of us to optimize their overall health. Working in Colorado, and especially in the Denver tech center, we have seen a whole host of different issues that can cause neck and back pain. Our opinion is that treating pain together reduces recovery time and improve results quicker than just doing one treatment over the other.
Apr 22, 2022 at 11:15 AM
I like when you said that when it comes to pain reduction, chiropractic and massage are both excellent solutions. My aunt has been having pelvic pains recently and wants to visit a chiropractor. Thanks for the article and I will forward your article to my aunt so that she can get the best chiropractor for herself! https://www.sircychiropractic.com/services.html