Chiropractic, Massage Therapy, or Physical Therapy:

Today we will continue yesterday's discussion about the different types of care for pain relief. Being a personal trainer/massage therapist who has worked in both chiropractic and physical therapy, gives me a unique vantage point to discuss these.

Obviously, these are my opionions and you know what they say - everyone has one. I happen to believe in both chiropractic and physical therapy. Chiropractors focus on subluxations of the spine - based on the idea that a vertebrae out of place interferes with the nerve that flows from the spine.

Nerve flow that is blocked or interfered with in any way means that the body isn't working as efficiently as possible. This blocked nerve flow can also create pain, so they adjust the vertebrae to eliminate this nerve interference. Some chiropractors focus all their efforts on this subluxation, while others add different treatments and modalities to treat the muscles and connective tissues.

Having worked for two highly skilled and busy chiropractors, I can say that the patients that I performed massage, stretching, and corrective exercise with, definitely needed my services, and without these additional treatments, wouldn't have had as much benefit to their overall health.

I believe that there are times that someone only needs an adjustment, I also believe that these people are in the minority. Meaning, most people have excess tension in the muscles surrounding (connecting to) the joints, that needs to be addressed. In my opinion, this is why you have to continually receive these adjustments, is because the muscles aren't being treated.

Nerves can be pinched or interfered with as they flow from the vertebrae, but they can also be interfered with by the muscles and connective tissue. A muscle that is too tight from overuse, poor posture, or injury can press down on the nerves and blood vessels that lie underneath them, causing pain.

So if the nerve is fine where it leaves the vertebrae, but is being interfered with by excess tension in the muscles, you have to treat the muscles that are imbalanced. Various forms of massage and stretching is needed in this case.

In most cases, this is not the relaxation type of massage, but a specific treatment done by someone who understands how all the muscles work together.

You need a balance of tension in the muscles surrounding the joints. Enough stability, combined with the right amount of mobility. If someone spends their week sitting in poor posture and doesn't move their joints enough, all the chiropractic treatments will be of limited value.

In closing, I believe strongly in the need for highly skilled soft tissue treatment with most people who have pain. In many cases, this works well with the chiropractic adjustment, so that the combined effects are stronger than either one on their own. I also believe that corrective exercise is needed in most cases.

Stay tuned, as we will discuss this issue further.