Massage therapy supports chiropractic for back pain, neck pain, headache

April 29, 2012 — Molly Kallenbach, DC, says that the use of massage therapy enhances the effects of chiropractic spinal adjustments in the treatment of back pain, neck pain and headache.

Citing several recent studies from the American Massage Therapy Association demonstrating the effectiveness of massage against musculoskeletal pain, stress, and inflammation, Kallenbach says that her patients report that their conditions improved faster when massage and chiropractic care were combined.

The clinic offers several different types of massage designed to treat different conditions, including massage tailored toward helping expectant mothers, and also for patients going through rehabilitation for many types of injuries.

Kallenbach says that massage therapy provides numerous medical benefits. “Massage’s stress-lowering benefits are amazing in and of themselves. Considering that stress worsens so many health problems like high heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, depression, etc, it’s clear that lowering stress levels is critical for good health. Hundreds of studies also show how massage helps accelerate recovery for injured tissues. It improves the effects of spinal adjustments, so I recommend it for almost all of my patients experiencing back pain, headache or neck pain.”

Kallenbach cites several studies showing how massage relieves pain and accelerates healing times. One study performed on athletes illustrates how massage inhibits the cellular inflammatory response in tense, overworked muscles. This enables muscles to recover faster. Several other studies demonstrate how massage increases circulation to injured tissues in need of nutrients, while also inducing the body to produce more endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Other studies have also shown that specialized pregnancy massage can help expectant mothers find relief from lower backaches and prepare them for an easier childbirth.

Kallenbach’s chiropractic clinic employs licensed massage therapists trained to offer several different types of massage. The type of massage offered to each patient depends on their condition. For example, explains Dr. Kallenbach, a patient going through physical therapy for whiplash needs a different type of massage than a pregnant woman. They provide pregnancy massage, Swedish massage, hot stone therapy, deep tissue and Ashiatsu massage. She often suggests Swedish massage for patients suffering from migraines, tension headaches and other stress-related problems, while often recommending Ashiatsu, in which the therapist uses her feet, for patients with lower back trouble.

Kallenbach says she believes everyone could benefit from massage. “Massage is a great whole-body and mind treatment that naturally alleviates pain, stress, illness and injury on many levels. It is an enormous complement to chiropractic care because, like spinal adjustments, massage encourages the body’s internal healing mechanisms without drugs or artificial means. I really do recommend it for pretty much everybody.”

Source: Thrive Chiropractic, doctormolly.com