Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care: Which One is Better?

massage-therapy-and-chiropractic-Norman-O'Dell

It’s a question many people ask themselves: which type of therapy is better, massage or chiropractic care? The answer to this question varies from person to person. It can depend on the individual’s needs and what they are looking for in a therapist. For example, chiropractic care may be more beneficial if you have back pain because it can help with chronic back pain.

If you want an alternative option that focuses on relaxation and stress relief, then massage therapy could be the best choice for you. Chiropractors focus on manipulating the spine, while massage therapists focus on fascia-release techniques that promote muscle relaxation. Both types of treatment have their benefits and drawbacks; however, both therapies are worth trying out.

What Is The Difference Between Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care?

chiro doing foot massage

Massage and chiropractic care are two different forms of treatment that offer their benefits. Massage therapy is a natural way to relieve stress, but it also provides many other health benefits such as headaches relief. Chiropractic care focuses on manipulating the spine to correct poor posture, chronic back pain, nerve impingement, and even scoliosis.

When deciding which type of therapist you want to see for your needs, make sure you evaluate all factors that may be relevant to your situation before making an appointment with either person. 

Although both treatments have their pros and cons, they can still work together if needed or desired by the patient/client. If there is confusion about what will benefit them most, seeking advice from a professional is always an option.

The Debate Between Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care

chiro pushing down on leg

Many people have debated the benefits of massage therapy versus chiropractic care in recent years. Still, they can work together to provide relief for patients with any pain. Patients should speak with their doctor about which treatment would be best for them—whether it’s one or both types—to determine what will help them achieve the results they want most from their healthcare routine.

For example, if you’re looking to treat chronic back pain, opting out of chiropractic care may be wise because this form of treatment could prove beneficial in reducing your discomfort. However, just like anything else, some risks come with either type of treatment.

Both treatments have the potential to cause headaches and pain relief. Still, chiropractic care can also lead to nerve impingement in rare cases if not done correctly or administered by an unqualified doctor.

To ensure you’ll have appropriate treatment, spinal alignment, or manipulation, you need to seek well-versed chiropractors in Webster or Rochester, NY, like Dr. Norman O’Dell of O’Dell Family Chiropractic.  He has intensive experience with chiropractic care, and patients are coming back to him for help with back pain, neck pain, and even headaches. 

You can also visit this website: https://odellfamilychiro.com/ to give you a better overview of how chiropractic care can help alleviate your pain and discomfort, as well as other benefits of this treatment.

Facts About Massage Therapy

Rubbing back spinal column

Massage therapy is one of the best ways to treat muscle tension or soreness in your body if you have frequent headaches or shoulder stiffness due to stress regularly. If this is the case, then massage may be an excellent option because it can offer relief by improving blood circulation and increasing flexibility throughout all of your muscles. 

Massages are also recommended after any physical activity that causes strain, so they’re not just used exclusively for therapeutic purposes–massaging helps relieve tightness from overexertion too.

Besides relief from muscle stiffness, massage therapy is also known to promote mental health and overall well-being. The relaxing nature of massage therapy has been shown to reduce stress levels, anxiety, depression, anger and help people sleep better. 

A recent study showed that regular massages could be a highly effective treatment option for fibromyalgia patients who have extreme pain in their muscles due to muscle spasms caused by the disease.

Many experts agree this is one of the best ways to treat fibromyalgia because it helps release all those tight spots where chronic tension lives. Making your symptoms feel less severe than they would if you didn’t get regular massages done consistently. Massage therapists also use hydrotherapy techniques such as hot stones or even heated oils to help increase blood flow and eliminate pain. 

This is one of the reasons it’s so popular with people suffering from chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia–it makes their symptoms more tolerable because they’re getting treated regularly.

What You Need To Know About Chiropractic Care

chiro pushing down on leg

When it comes to a drug-free and non-invasive treatment, chiropractic care is a popular option for many people. Chiropractors specialize in giving adjustments and using hands-on therapy to help restore mobility, relieve pain, improve function and reduce stress on the spine.

Various benefits come with regular chiropractic visits such as improved posture and movement of joints, increased energy levels due to better range of motion around your neck and back, reduction or elimination of discomfort from headaches or fatigue-related issues like insomnia – to name a few.

Chiropractors are experts at diagnosing causes of pain and discomfort, as well as providing effective treatments. They have also gained a reputation for being more affordable than other health care providers because they are usually trained to diagnose the problem and provide treatment without relying on expensive diagnostic tests or prescriptions.

Due to increased interest in chiropractic care from consumers who want an alternative way to manage their wellness needs, there is a tremendous surge in medical schools teaching this discipline worldwide. Some estimates say that by 2020 one out of every three licensed doctors will be a chiropractor.

Chiropractic care is known to provide a variety of benefits to your health and wellness level.

  • Improved posture & mobility
  • Decreased pain around the joints, neck & back
  • Reduced headache frequency or severity
  • Increased energy levels due to a better range of motion in the spine
  • Alleviation or elimination of discomfort from things like insomnia, fatigue-related issues
  • Reduced risk of complications from injuries
  • Improved range of motion in the joints
  • Decreased need for prescription medications
  • Known to help treat carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Promotes weight loss
  • Increases your ability to focus and improves memory recall

Chiropractic care is known to provide various benefits to your health and wellness level, but it’s also essential to establish trust with your chiropractor. Having someone who listens and understands what you are going through empowers you to take control over how quickly and effectively you heal, so make sure when choosing a practitioner, make sure they have:

  • Reliable hours
  • Affordable rates
  • Knowledgeable staff
  • Convenient location.

A reliable chiropractor will provide affordable care no matter the time of day or week, which is especially helpful if managing pain becomes an issue for those living on a budget. They should also offer convenient locations, so patients don’t find themselves traveling too far from work, home, or school just for them to get treatment.

And lastly, their knowledgeable staff should answer all your questions and concerns about their chiropractic services.

Benefits Of Massage Therapy And Chiropractic Care

rubbing shoulder

Massage therapy is a type of touch that has been known to relieve muscle pain and stiffness. It also helps the body heal faster by reducing stress levels, anxiety, depression which can all contribute to chronic pain. Massages are often used to rehabilitate those who have suffered injuries (e.g., sports-related or other).

They may be given before exercise to loosen tight muscles and increase the range of motion around joints or after an injury/activity to accelerate recovery from minor muscular tears without having surgery. Chiropractic care focuses on relieving pressure on nerves created by misaligned bones—usually vertebrae.

A person’s sense of well-being is greatly improved with chiropractic care because it heals the body and helps people live a more active lifestyle. It is also suitable for pregnant women because it can help alleviate lower back pain that many experiences during pregnancy.

On the other hand, the massage therapy does not usually align misaligned bones but offers relief from muscle tension and inflammation, which may cause chronic pain or discomfort.

How To Choose Between The Two

chiro doing massage therapy on shoulder

Many people are confused about the difference between massage therapy and chiropractic care, even though they’re both forms of healing. To help you decide which one might be best for your needs, here’s a brief rundown of each approach.

Massage Therapy

  • A Swedish massage involves applying pressure to soft tissue with long strokes that promote relaxation in tense muscles or joints while stimulating circulation and lymph flow at the same time.
  • A deep-tissue massage addresses chronic pain by targeting muscle knots using slow strokes combined with deeper pressure along the length of the muscle fibers.
  • The hot stone technique uses heated stones applied to relaxed skin over large areas like the back or entire body to promote a deep sense of relaxation.

Chiropractic Care

  • A chiropractor manipulates the spine and other joints using gentle hand pressure to relieve pain or correct abnormal alignment.
  • The difference between massage therapy and chiropractic care comes down to one word: manipulation. Chiropractors will manipulate your body into proper alignment, while massaging therapists won’t touch you more than necessary for comfort during their sessions.
  • If you’re having trouble deciding which type might be best for you, consider this: Do I have strange aches that can only be fixed by manipulating my bones? If yes, then go with chiropractic; if not, go with the less intense Swedish massage.

Chiropractors and massage therapists both specialize in helping people with chronic pain or injury. Still, chiropractic care is a more hands-on approach to healing that might be better if you’re having trouble getting around.

Massage therapy can help those who suffer from stiffness related to injuries and overuse of muscles due to intense physical activity like running or cycling for extended periods. Chiropractors don’t offer these types of massages because they are too focused on joint manipulation techniques instead.

Some patients will find it easier than others to choose between the two based solely on their symptoms, but other considerations include cost and location.

Risk And Eligibility: Massage Therapy And Chiropractic Care

woman holding lower back

Massage therapy and chiropractic care are two different types of treatments that have been used for centuries. Massages can help to relieve stress, enhance blood flow, improve the immune system and promote relaxation. 

Chiropractors believe in treating diseases by realigning spinal vertebrae discs out of place because they see them as contributing factors to pain problems. Which one is better? The answer is both! They work very well together too when it comes to improving your health.

The back muscles are stimulated during a massage which helps loosen tight muscle knots caused by tension or injury. At the same time, many people feel relief from their chronic neck or shoulder pain after a session with a professional trained in therapeutic techniques. Yet another benefit: It helps some people with insomnia.

Chiropractic care is also a great stress reliever. It helps reduce pain and improve overall health by removing the source of pressure or irritation from your body while promoting better alignment in spinal vertebrae discs. This may help you decide which type of treatment will provide more relief for different symptoms that you are experiencing- say chronic back pain vs. neck pain.

Or maybe you have an injury like a sprain or strain where massage therapy would offer temporary relief, but chiropractic methods could work better in relieving the symptoms.

Why is Chiropractic Care A Better Alternative?

chiro doing back work

The word chiropractic comes from the Greek words “cheir,” which means hand, and “praktikos,” which translates to treatment. Chiropractors are healthcare providers specializing in non-surgical interventions for neuromusculoskeletal injuries or conditions of the nerves that control muscles. By applying a variety of manual treatments, they can help restore function and health without surgery.

They may also advise diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes to promote healing and other types of therapy such as physical rehabilitation programs including ultrasound therapy, electrotherapy (e.g., TENS, laser therapy, etc.). 

The diagnosis they make is based on information provided by you about your symptoms, along with any mobility problems before their examination begins. They may ask you to move your joints into different positions and test the strength of specific muscles.

A chiropractor will examine a person using hands-on techniques, including palpation (feeling with one’s fingers), percussion (tapping on body parts), and other manual methods such as muscle testing or joint movement/positioning tests. 

After this history is taken, they can recommend various treatment options like soft tissue manipulations, spinal manipulation therapy, or lifestyle changes to experience relief from any pain they are experiencing.

Chiropractors have been shown to help people who suffer from back problems because it gives them a way to fully rehabilitate without surgery which often comes with serious side effects that can’t be reversed.

Does Massage Help Chiropractic Adjustments?

baby feet

Some believe that massage therapy is complementary to chiropractic adjustments. Massage can help stretch the tight muscles and provide relief for soreness, while a chiropractor will also focus on muscle spasms by manipulating bones in your back or neck. 

A combined approach may be best if you’re experiencing lower-level pain with no numbness or tingling. Your doctor will evaluate your condition before making any recommendations about which treatment plan would work best for you.

In conclusion, there has been an increase in the number of people looking into alternative therapies such as massage due to long-term effects from sports injuries and chronic stressors like sitting at desks all day long. But it doesn’t mean they should replace traditional medical treatments like chiropractic adjustments.

If you’ve been experiencing pain in your lower back, neck, head, shoulders, arms, and hands but don’t want to go through surgery just yet- then it’s essential to get an evaluation from a medical professional. 

Your doctor will assess what might be causing the issue(s) before deciding which treatment plan is best. One thing they’ll include is either massage therapy or chiropractor visits; both are great at relieving muscle spasms and easing pain due to chronic stressors.

Final Words

chiro back massage

In the end, they are one of a few professions that can bring care to people who need it without surgery and its accompanying risks. Chiropractors have been shown to help people who suffer from back problems because it gives them a way to fully rehabilitate without surgery which often comes with serious side effects that can’t be reversed.

It is called manipulative therapy or chiropractic adjustment for short. When this type of treatment is combined with other therapies such as physical rehabilitation programs, including ultrasound therapy, electrotherapy (e.g., TENS), laser therapy, etc., their patients experience relief from any pain they are experiencing. This combination has also proven successful in children – providing some relief for kids with neuropathic pain.

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O’Dell Family Chiropractic

Primary Location
853 Ridge Rd
Webster, NY 14580
(585) 671-9210

Secondary Location
144 Metro Park
Rochester, NY 14623 US
(585) 671-9210