Back pain, neck pain and headaches are just a few of the painful and distressing conditions that affect most of us at some time. Chiropractic and massage therapy, used in combination, form a powerful healing approach that addresses your pain on many levels. Whether your pain is the result of a traumatic injury, overuse or stress, chiropractic and massage combined can greatly speed your return to a pain free productive life.

Chiropractic Care for your pain

Both long term muscle tension and sudden impacts, such as a fall or car accident, can pull and hold your joints out of normal alignment. These misalignments called subluxations, can disrupt nerve transmissions, especially in the spine which houses nerves affecting the entire body. The result is pain or other symptoms, such as numbness or tingling, both at the site of the misalignment and frequently at related sites elsewhere in the body.

Your chiropractor uses manipulations to return your joints to its normal position and restore joint mobility. Often, this restores balance within your body, allowing a return to optimal, pain free health.

Soft tissue components of you pain

Joint subluxations, troublesome enough on their own, are almost always accompanied by tension or injury in your soft tissue: muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia (connective tissue that permeates muscles and forms protective sheets throughout your body).

Soft tissue pain can actually spread because it causes protective muscle tightening in surrounding areas. Over time, tight, inflamed muscles and fascia (together called myofascia) suffer poor circulation and can develop glue like myofascia adhesions which prevent muscles from lengthening completely. Painful trigger points can also develop, often referring pain or tingling to other areas in the body. In extreme cases, tight muscles can compress nerves just as painful as subluxation.

Why soft tissue is important

Addressing soft tissue problems is an important complement to chiropractic care. This is because muscles move joints, while ligaments and fascia support them. If a subluxation is adjusted without addressing related soft tissue problems, you may still experience pain. In addition, your tight muscles and shortened fascia can pull your joint out of alignment again.

Massage for healthy soft tissue

Massage therapists use a variety of techniques to address soft tissue problems. Gentle kneading and stretching lengthens contracted muscles and fascia. Techniques such as sustained pressure, ice massage and stretching can release trigger points. Painful sprains and strains, as well as myofascial adhesions, can be addressed directly with massage techniques that improve circulation and stimulate healthy separation and realignment of injured fibers.

In general, massage increases circulation. this reduces painful swelling and inflammation and promotes healing by removing waste products and bringing nutrients to your tissue. Like a sponge absorbing water, both fascia and muscles begin to soften and lengthen.

Maintaining everyday good health

Both massage and chiropractic offer preventive care to support your ongoing good health and well being. A timely visit to your chiropractor can reestablish normal alignment and mobility before secondary soft tissue problems develop.

Regular massage can release chronically contracted muscles and fascia, improving the balance among muscle groups and promoting healthful circulation. Your body will be more resilient in the face of daily stress, less prone to injury and subluxation.

Finally, massage triggers the body's relaxation response, interrupting a cycle of stress and muscle tension that can build in response to life's challenges. Feeling relaxed and rejuvenated after a massage, you are less likely to slip into patterns of tension that can contribute to soft tissue problems and subluxation.

Supporting your home care

To the extent that both chiropractic and massage therapy help resolve your pain and improve mobility, you may find it easier to stretch and exercise. This can help you maintain and even improve the flexibility, strength and balance needed to prevent tension, injury and new subluxations.

Massage is also a powerful tool for helping you become aware of areas of chronic tension or postural problems and to understand how these affect your body mechanics. You can then take preventative measures on your own before pain develops.

Massage supports chiropractic...

You can benefit in a number of ways by adding massage therapy to your chiropractic care program.

Recovery is normally faster and more complete when you address multiple components of pain.

Chiropractic treatment often proceeds more easily with less discomfort, when soft tissue has been relaxed with massage.

You may be less anxious and more ready to receive chiropractic adjustment after a relaxing massage.

Adjustments frequently last longer when muscle tension is released that might otherwise pull your joints out of alignment again.

And chiropractic supports massage

If your seeking massage therapy for pain but find your pain persists, recurs or even worsens after your massage, chiropractic could help in these ways:

If your pain involves a subluxation, chiropractic adjustment may give immediate relief as your joint is restored to alignment and mobility.

You may find that surrounding soft tissue heals quickly once it is no longer subjected to the stress of misaligned joints.

The joint movement in chiropractic adjustments can sometimes relax deep layers of soft tissue that can be difficult to reach with massage.

Your chiropractor can use x-rays and manual diagnostic techniques to evaluate other possible causes for your pain and can make appropriate referrals if necessary.

Which should I do first

Chiropractic and massage therapist generally agree that your adjustment should be scheduled as closely together as possible. Consult your chiropractor to determine his or her preferred order. Whatever the order, the two therapies will build on each other over time to resolve problems and support your general good health.

Your total well being is the goal