Benefits of Combining Chiropractic Care and Massage Therapy

Chiropractic is based on the belief that your body can keep itself healthy if your spine, neck, and head are properly aligned and healthy. Murray Utah Chiropractors work with spinal structures, correcting abnormalities or injuries to speed healing of nerve, joint and muscular problems that arise from the misaligned bones. But the spine is also surrounded by soft tissue – muscle and tendons that control the movement and flexibility of the spine, and may either cause or exacerbate the structural problems. "Tight" muscles or torn ligaments can prolong spinal problems and postpone healing. Massage therapy can be useful in relieving these kinds of soft tissue problems.

In the simplest terms, chiropractors work with bones and massage therapists work with muscles. But as treatment modalities, they are both compatible and complementary. Massage is often recommended along with chiropractic treatment, either before an adjustment or afterwards, as part of a longer treatment regimen. This combination of treatments often produces much more effective results, and much faster healing in the patient. One of the reasons for this is that both chiropractic and massage share a similar goal – helping you to achieve a state of total well-being, not simply relief from immediate symptoms.

Massage is often recommended as a preparation for a chiropractic adjustment because it relieves the muscle tension that may be pulling joints out of alignment and makes it easier to move them back into place. Massage is also relaxing, and a relaxed body is easier for the chiropractor to work with. In addition, as the chiropractor corrects the structural problems that are causing pain or limiting your mobility, massage can complement the healing process by stretching and relaxing muscles that have been aggravated by these structural problems, making it easier for you to stretch and exercise, and thus more quickly achieve a state of normal well-being.

Many chiropractors work hand-in-hand with massage therapists because their treatment modalities are so complementary. Patients who sought relief from massage therapists for pain, but find that it persists, may often be helped by receiving chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic patients often find that their treatment proceeds faster and with less discomfort when the soft tissue has been relaxed with massage. Recovery – especially from conditions that cause pain – is normally faster and more complete when multiple components of that pain are addressed simultaneously, the chiropractor working to resolve the structural problems and the massage therapist working to resolve the soft tissue problems. Most chiropractors and massage therapists who work together collaborate to find the proper combination of chiropractic adjustments and massage to get you back to a feeling of health and well-being as quickly as possible.

Both chiropractic and massage therapy are holistic treatment modalities because they share a common goal of treating the whole body, helping you to achieve this state of well-being without drugs or surgery. Both focus on trying to resolve the underlying cause of your pain or discomfort rather than treating isolated symptoms. When they are used in combination, a synergy occurs that is often far more effective than either approach on its own.

Anatomy of the Sacrum and Lower Back

The human spine is divided into three sections, based on the anatomy and function of spinal vertebrae. The upper seven vertebrae are known as the cervical spine and make up the neck region, which supports the base of the skull. The middle portion, or thoracic spine, comprises the twelve rib-forming vertebrae, which house many of the important internal organs of the chest. The lowest part of the spine consists of the five lumbar vertebrae. Each of the 24 vertebrae is labelled based on the section of the back in which they are located, and their position within that section. The seven cervical vertebrae are thus named C1-C7, with C1 being uppermost, the twelve thoracic vertebrae are T1-T12, and the five lumbar vertebrae take the labels L1-L5.

Spinal vertebrae become progressively larger and heavier from top to bottom as a consequence of how much weight they have to bear. The lumbar vertebrae are therefore the largest and strongest bones in the spinal skeleton. The intervertebral discs (rings of tissue that act as shock absorbers for the spine as well as allowing movement) are also correspondingly large.

Directly beneath the lumbar spine, five vertebrae fuse to form the sacral bone, or sacrum. These are labelled in similar convention to the remainder of the spine as S1-S5. The sacrum supports the much larger pelvic bone, and the hip joints are located on either side of the sacral vertebrae. Because of its position, it is the link between the upper torso and lower limbs of the body.

The sacrum forms a wedge shape that decreases in width from top to bottom and, just as there are gender-based differences in pelvic skeletal anatomy, so the female sacrum is shorter and wider than is found in male subjects. The front of the sacrum is marked by five transverse (horizontal) lines, which delineate the boundaries between the five vertebrae.  To the rear is a ridge of bone called the median sacral crest, which runs vertically down the center of the back of the sacrum. This is the result of the fusion of the transverse processes of the sacral vertebrae. Fusion of the sacral bones typically starts to occur at some point in the late teens and is usually completed by age 30.

The lowest end of the spine is completed by a structure known as the coccyx, or tailbone. This is a small bone shaped like an upside-down triangle, which is formed by the fusion of the four coccygeal vertebrae (Co1-Co4) during the third decade of life. In females the coccyx points to the rear, in males to the front.

About The Author:

Dr. Matt Ramirez graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Human Biology in 2004 and received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in 2006. He specializes in auto injury recovery and rehabilitation and has enhanced and improved thousands of lives as well as treated people of all ages over the years. He is also an expert in health and wellness, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and more...