Chiropractic vs. Massage Therapy: What’s the Difference – And Do YOU Need Both?

Welcome back to this week’s blog post!

A question I am often asked is, “Is my pain/discomfort coming from my muscle, joint, or nerve?” The answer is “Yes—all.” The nerves send bidirectional messages to and from muscles and joints, which allows the brain to control joint position through muscle contraction, making minor adjustments. Think of it like a triangle, where the corners are 1) Joint, 2) Muscle, and 3) Nerve. Take away any piece and the structure fails; change the angle or position of any of them, and the other two adjust accordingly.

Chiropractic focuses mainly on joint movement, and massage therapy focuses mainly on muscle; both send calming messages to the brain that allow muscles that act on the joint to relax, allowing for more fluid movement.

When a joint’s movement is restricted, the muscles surrounding the joint can compensate for a time, but once those muscles become fatigued, that emphasis is shifted back to the joints. One of the functions of a muscle in the body is to act as a shock absorber, cushioning the joints so that the joints are not taking the full impact of your movement. When a muscle and/ or fascia (muscle lining) is not gliding or moving fluidly, we develop areas of increased stress within the muscle, leading to trigger points, fascial distortions that impede our movement capabilities. To combat this, massage therapy (cupping included) helps to reduce these areas of muscle and fascia restrictions.

This relaxation of muscle and fascia allows the chiropractic adjustment to flow more easily as we seek to change how your body patterns function. This is not a “one-and-done” situation, as improper movement patterns and muscle memory must be reset and retrained to function more optimally once again. For this reason, we typically recommend more frequent treatment and as your body adapts, we decrease the frequency of care to match your body’s requirements as you progress. This typically looks like one or two chiropractic adjustments per week coupled with once per week, or every other week massage therapy sessions, thus allowing us to attack the dysfunctional neural patterns causing your pain and biomechanical dysfunction. So, a sample treatment plan may appear as follows:

Please keep in mind that this is merely a sample treatment plan and is not what everyone could/ should require to optimize their wellness. The frequency and duration of your unique and individualized treatment plan is based on YOUR body’s requirements and is based on YOUR evaluation and what fits YOUR lifestyle most effectively.

We want to help you achieve your health goals! It is our honor and privilege to walk with you in your healthcare journey.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Grant Shelton, DC

Doctor of Chiropractic at Peace of Health Chiropractic Wellness Clinic