Ask the Doctor: I Have Some Neck and Shoulder Pain and Tightness, Should I See a Chiropractor or Get a Massage?

Thanks for the question, reader!  This is a question that many of my patients (who are obviously already seeing a chiropractor) ask.  The answer really depends on your individual condition, which cannot, and I repeat, CANNOT be determined or diagnosed by a massage therapist.

Visit a chiropractor, better yet, find one with a massage therapist in his or her office.  The chiropractor can evaluate your condition and do an examination to properly assess what the underlying structural disfunction may be.  The chiropractor can adjust your spine, according to your injury.  A massage therapist can then work with the injured soft tissues to help relieve muscle spasms and decrease pain.  If your spine or extremities are misaligned, however, only going to a massage therapist will usually result in a recurrance of pain.  Massaging tight muscles will not do anything to put your spine back in line!

A treatment by a person licensed in massage can be very therapeutic for tight musculature.  However, in the State of Iowa, it is 100% ILLEGAL for a massage therapist to give medical advice.  They simply do not have the training or knowledge to be able to do so.  If you are seeing a massage therapist who does this, stop immediately.  The following list is comprised of examples of things that are ILLEGAL for a massage therapist to say or do:

1. Practice massage without a license granted by the State of Iowa
2. Say "Take ibuprofen" (or aspirin, or ANY other OTC pain medication).  Since when is a massage therapist trained in pharmaceuticals?  And P.S.  Just so you know, chiropractors are not trained or licensed in pharmaceutical prescription either.
3. Say "Well I think it could be ____________" (insert injury here).  Not a chance, LMT...you aren't trained in the evaluation, management, diagnosis, recognition or treatment of injuries or medical conditions.
4. Say "I am doing a 'medical massage'".  Uh-Oh.  Not without a license to practice medicine you aren't.  If the massage therapist IS doing this...we call that a felony.
5. Prescibe stretches or other therapeutic exercise with you to treat an injury.
6. Adjust your, for lack of a better word, bones.  I have heard of two massage therapists in the Des Moines area that do this.  I am sure there are more.  This is not only fraudulent, but extremely dangerous!  If I knew who these people were or where they worked, I would report them immediately before they hurt someone (if they haven't already).

Here is what a massage therapist CAN do, according to the law makers down at the Capitol building.

"Massage therapy" means performance for compensation of massage, myotherapy, massotherapy, bodywork, bodywork therapy, or therapeutic massage including hydrotherapy, superficial hot and cold applications, vibration and topical applications, or other therapy which involves manipulation of the muscle and connective tissue of the body, excluding osseous tissue, to treat the muscle tonus system for the purpose of enhancing health, muscle relaxation, increasing range of motion, reducing stress, relieving pain, or improving circulation.

Massage therapy is a great adjunctive procedure to chiropractic treatment!  Furthermore, for those who want a relaxation or "spa" like experience, by all means, see a massage therapist.  For a specific condition or injury, however, try combining the two.  For example, in my office, as I am treating a patient I decide whether therapeutic massage will be beneficial in the healing process or aid in preventing a future injury.  I then suggest to my patient that he or she schedule an appointment with our in-house LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist).

If you have any questions regarding massage therapy, chiropractic care or the benefits of combining the two, feel free to contact me at 515-278-1218 or karrie@vandersluischiropractic.com.  As always, in our Urbandale chiropractic office we offer free consultations based on your individual needs!  Thanks for reading!