Chiropractic, Massage Therapy and Stretching:

As the 2008 Olympics have recently wrapped up, there were some amazing stories especially in swimming. While Michael Phelps drew much of the attention with his amazing performances, 41 year old Dara Torres was also an interesting participant.

At an age when most athletes have become "soccer moms," Torres earned a silver medal in swimming. In watching a special on her training, it was interesting to see how much time and money were spent on keeping her healthy.

$100,000 a year to be exact! This included her support team of personal trainers, massage therapists who also provided stretching, regular chiropractic treatments, and nutrition.

More and more athletes continue to perform at a high level at ages when most athletes have already retired. Increased knowledge in physical training and injury prevention have certainly played a large role in this phenomenon.

But aside from the hard work spent in training for their sport, recovering from all this exercise is especially important for the older athlete, whether you are a professional or recreational athlete who runs 10k's or marathons.

This support crew had a lot to do with the success of Torres, though she obviously still put in all the hard work of training. Skilled massage therapy combined with stretching can help you deal with past injuries and increase your sports performance, especially when combined with a quality resistance (strength) training program.

As a massage therapist, I've worked with a few runners and some semi-pro athletes who benefitted from skilled soft tissue therapy and stretching. Some of this has occurred while working in a chiropractic clinic and some of it occurred in the locker room before the game.

I believe strongly in the combination of chiropractic, massage therapy, and stretching when applied together. I've also met several people who are not into chiropractic care for one reason or another. For those people I would suggest finding a clinic where these services are combined by skilled professionals.

Otherwise, you can look for a massage therapist who incorporates some type of stretching and also someone who is knowledgeable in strength training. Even runners can benefit from a good resistance program that increases their core strength and reduces their risk of injury, while making them more efficient runners.

Tools for Self Massage:

So why would a massage therapist talk about self massage? Simple, I know very few people that have the time or money to get massaged as often as they need. Massage therapy can be important in recovering from exercise and helping avoid injuries.

Two different devices I like to use for self massage are the Stick and the Tiger Tail massager. The Stick has been around longer and is more widely used. The Tiger Tail came out about 6 months ago.

The Stick is a long, flexible bar with plastic rollers that conform to the shape of your muscles. I like to use it prior to exercise or stretching. It brings blood flow to the muscles and helps loosen them up. You can use slow movements with deeper pressure or faster ones to help stimulate the muscles. I use it on my legs and then go through my warmup.

The Tiger Tail is a one piece rolling massage device, similar to the Stick. It is shorter and has a firmer pressure. I like both of them and they both work pretty well, in my opinion. The Tiger Tail may be a little easier to take with you in your gym bag, because it is smaller.

Neither one replaces a good massage therapist, but gives you the benefits of massage on a more regular basis. The Tiger Tail can also be used on the arms and upper body. Once again, because it is smaller, it is much easier to do this by yourself.

Other methods can include a tennis ball, foam roll, or massage ball. The foam rolls have become popular in athletic training centers as part of the warmup. They can be fairly painful the first few times, though. If you have no injuries and a high pain tolerance, be my guest.



If you would like to read more, go to my articles on Self Massage for Pain Relief and Prevention.

Chiropractic and Massage Therapy for Pain Relief:

Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy is a great combination for pain relief. Recently, I've read a few chiropractic magazines which featured articles dealing with soft tissue injuries. These soft tissues would include your muscles and connective tissues. I believe in chiropractic, but I believe that you also need to treat these soft tissues, in most cases.

As a massage therapist and personal trainer, I have spent almost 4 years working in two chiropractic clinics. Skilled massage therapy can be a great adjunct to the chiropractic adjustment. It makes sense that by removing excess tension from the muscles, the adjustment will be easier and likely have longer lasting effects.

There are various forms of massage therapy. Most people may only think of massage as relaxing, something you go to a spa for, or as a way of pampering yourself. Yes, it can definitely be used this way to help relieve stress and increase your circulation. But there are also specific techniques that deal with pain and injuries.

One of these is myofascial release. Myofascial release is a form of therapeutic stretching developed by a physical therapist named John Barnes in the '60's. I have used it many times while working in chiropractic settings with good results. Sometimes MFR and the chiropractic adjustment were all that was done. Other times, it was combined with deep tissue massage for more permanent results.

The two doctors of chiropractic I worked for were both highly skilled - one conducts seminars nationally and the other works with a professional sports team. When I worked with their patients, those patients saw even further benefits than they would have received from just the adjustments. Many times the bones can be misaligned because of the surrounding muscles and connective tissues.

Sometimes these tissues are too tight and pull too much on the bones, and other times they may not be pulling enough - they are too weak. Often these muscles need some strengthening exercises to help support the joints. Many chiropractors use soft tissue therapy to make changes in these tissues, whether its some form of massage or therapeutic stretching.

They may do this themselves or have a massage therapist do this. General relaxation massage is not what is most effective in these cases, but more specific techniques are needed. I have seen many times where someone I was working with or a colleague, got better results than physical therapy did. You should know that obviously I believe in exercise, particularly to help support the joints.

In these cases, often a greater amount of soft tissue therapy was done to get these results. In an article I recently found, a chiropractor talked about having some upper back pain that got relief from the adjustments, but came back here and there. He received a myofascial release treatment to the muscles of his chest, which were too tight, pulling him out of alignment.

The pain left and had not returned. Two things to take from this - one, that skilled soft tissue therapy is often needed along with the chiropractic adjustment, and two, our bodies need to be balanced front to back, side to side, etc. Myofascial release seeks to treat the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles, called fascia.

This fascia can become tight from trauma, inflammation, and chronic poor posture. There's that P -word again. Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy can do a lot to improve your posture, but ultimately you have to retrain yourself to stand and move while properly aligned with gravity. You will also need some proper core training to stabilize your spine.

For more information on myofascial release, click here.

New Device for Self-Massage:

I recently came across a new device for self-massage that you might find interesting. It's called "Tiger Tail" and is similar to "the Stick" which I have talked about on my website. It was recently shipped from the Perform Better company, which focuses on sports and exercise equipment.

Even though I think the Stick is a great product, I owe it to my clients to see if there is something better, since this is a little cheaper than the Stick. The Tiger Tail works fine and may be a little better than the Stick in some ways.

Both of these products have handles with rollers that massage your muscles, the movement is similar to a rolling pin as you roll the devices back and forth over your muscles, at the desired speed and pressure.

The Tiger Tail I purchased is slightly shorter than the Stick, which makes it easier to fit into a workout bag and take with you. You can then use it prior to exercise to help loosen up the muscles, making them easier to stretch. The shorter length of 18 inches still allows full coverage on larger muscles.

Since it is a little cheaper and currently on sale at www.performbetter.com, it is something to think about. Obviously, if you have had past injuries or are currently suffering from some injury, consult with your doctor first.

Another massage tool I frequently use is a tennis ball. In certain large muscles, this can be a great massage tool to pinpoint areas of excess tension. It also works well with the feet.

For example, you can place it under your foot while seated and roll it under the bottom of your foot. This will help keep the connective tissues in your feet more flexible. This can also be done while standing. Roll it under your foot for 30-60 seconds.

To see what the Stick looks like and how it is used, go to my website article on self massage for prevention. Tiger Tail is a one piece roller with a firm pressure, a little more pressure than the Stick, which has individual rollers to conform to the shape of your muscles.

I've asked someone to try out the Tiger Tail and give me their opinion, so check back to hear what someone else thinks about this self massage device.

Chiropractic, Massage and Physical Therapy part II:

So you know that I believe in chiropractic, having seen and felt its positive results. I also believe that most people need some form of treatment for their muscles, in the form of specific massage. I also believe in physical therapy.

Obviously, you aren't going to go to a chiropractor after knee replacement or ACL surgery, you go to a physical therapist. When dealing with non-surgical problems, such as low back pain, I believe in a combination of treatment.

Meaning, you need to treat the bones, muscles, and nervous system. I have seen more than a few people with back pain, where someone got better results by combining chiropractic with skillful massage therapy and stretching, than they did in physical therapy. People that I worked with personally and those who worked with associates of mine.

However, these people still needed specific exercises to help correct these problems and keep them from coming back. Skilled soft tissue work, whether it be deep tissue massage, NMT (neuromuscular therapy), ART (active release) or Myofascial Release is usually needed to release unnecessary tension in the muscles.

Of course, physical therapists practice some form of these treatments. I think in some cases, they don't have the time necessary to do as much as is needed, sometimes. In situations where only modalities such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation are used, and little or no hands on work, is where you see the poor results.

A chiropractor I used to work with, who was also a massage therapist, had a patient who was going to physical therapy for a work related injury. They only did ultrasound treatments and little else, and he got little relief. Combining massage therapy with chiropractic got much better results.

If you are someone who isn't into chiropractic for whatever reason, skilled soft tissue treatments combined with joint mobility movements, posture and corrective exercise will do nicely. Again, working towards prevention with these items is much easier than trying to fix something after it's already broke.

In my opinion, if you don't have good soft tissue quality before trying to start exercising, you might not get all the results you want. If you have knots and excess tension in the muscles, you need to deal with that up front.

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.

Massage Therapy for Shoulder Pain:

Went to a massage therapy seminar on how to work with shoulder problems. It was a good seminar that served as review for techniques that I had learned before. You always pick up something new or are reminded of something you used to do and forgot about. As far as the shoulders, it was a strong reminder that where pain is felt isn't necessarily where the problem is.

For example, many people will have soreness or pain in between the shoulderblades. However, many times the cause is related to too much tightness in the muscles that attach to the front of the shoulder, and too much stretch to the muscles in back. The muscles being stretched are actually weak and need to be strengthened.

This gets back to the balanced body approach where you need to focus on good posture and make sure that the muscles on the front and back are working correctly. Because most of us work with our hands out in front of our body, whether typing, driving, or whatever, these muscles in front are prone to becoming tight and throwing this balance off.

So you need to be sure that you are doing something to keep these muscles flexible, while ensuring that you keep the muscles on the opposite side of the body strong.

This should also serve as a reminder that just because you feel pain somewhere, this might be the effects and not the cause. I have worked on many who complained of one-sided back or hip pain/tightness, when I checked the other side to compare, was just as tight or worse.

They may have been compensating for the side that wasn't moving properly and caused pain on the other side. Problems can also occur at another joint on down the line.

Such as an elbow problem that stems from a shoulder restriction, where there is a loss of movement in the shoulder, the elbow can become stressed over time, as it seeks to pick up the slack (lost shoulder motion).