By Katie Tallent
In my experience back pain seems to be the most common complaint beginning in our 30’s and approaching our 40’s and can increase in subsequent years if not properly treated. My journey in back pain began with a car accident in 2007 and I was fortunate enough to have friends point me towards a combination of chiropractic care and massage therapy. I became a believer! It was that experience that started my journey into a massage therapy career and helping others find relief in an organic way. 
This marriage has prevented me from experiencing unnecessary surgeries, medication and chronic pain. As I work on clients who receive massage to relieve their aches and pains they want to know why I suggest chiropractic care with massage in most cases. Simply put… in combination the results are exponential.
Self care will take you far in recovering from an injury and maintaining a healthy spine. According to 34,000 readers of a nonprofit consumer magazine the top ranked healing touch therapies are chiropractic care and deep tissue massage. However a plan of care with your chiropractor and massage therapist will increase quality of movement and life. Here are the nuts and bolts of it:
1.) Increased Range of Motion
Spinal adjustment and massages together increase flexibility in affected areas such as muscles, ligaments and soft tissue.
2.) Circulation Improves
Relieves pressure on subluxations allowing for blood to flow where there was once congestion and relieves lactic acid.
3). Easier Adjustments
A massage before an adjustment serves to elongate the muscles along the spine reducing the likelihood of a spasm forming.
Habits: Those consistent things we do that contribute to back pain.
1.) “I only run if I’m being chased”
poor physical fitness and carrying a few extra donuts in the midsection will cause strain on already weakened muscles.
Solution: yoga and walking will strengthen core and muscles and support the spine.
2.) Mouse Injuries
Sitting at a desk puts 40% more strain on your low back than standing.
Solution: ergonomically designed chair and work station coupled with periodically getting up and moving around will help circulation return to your overworked parts.
3.) Bedtime
33% of our lives are spent sleeping. Often times an old mattress will no longer support our structure during your 8 hours of beauty rest.
Solution: Replace your mattress every 8 years and keep a pillow between your knees if you’re a side sleeper or under your knees if you are a back sleeper.
Chiropractic care and massage approaches the body holistically. Every part serves the other and when functioning properly we have freedom of movement and pain bringing healing and comfort.
Comment:
Have you experienced these or other alternative health care modalities? Tell us how it impacted you!
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In 2008 I broke my T11, T12, and L1. I also had kyphosis, which thanks to yoga, and massage as well as changes in my diet, I no longer have. I have lost a ton of weight, and the yoga and massage combo has helped to re align my spine. Through a combo of yoga and receiving frequent massage, I have been able to eliminate almost all my back pain.
what a hopeful story, Rachel!
This is some really good information with this i can tell my clients how they are suppose to be sitting and what they can do to improve this
I have used chiropractic care im the past and miss it terribly. When i first started suffering from sciatic pain in my leg i tried everything the doctor said and could not find relief. finally i decided to try a chiropractor just to see if it would help. With the care provided by the chiropractor relief came and stayed gone. I highly recommend this form of treatment to anyone!
that’s awesome Justin!! thanks for sharing!
Wow these are some crazy facts I think they are awesome.Im definatly going to start sleeping with a pillow under my knees now.
Katie, Spring soccer has started and I have some of the issues above. Let me know if you have started up again.
good to hear from you, I sent you an email 🙂
Great post! Been reading a lot about massage and back health lately. Thanks for the info here!
For the 4th time….I use chiropractic care. It has cut headache occurrence by 75 percent for me. Between chiropractic care and massage, R.O.M. has increased from about 60 percent to 98 percent in my left shoulder after having a surgery in 2012. I hurt for days after a reflexology treatment years ago. She used too much pressure, and it was my fault for not having told her!? I take supplements recommended by an Iridologist.
After a recent injury to my back and neck I have been going to the chiropractor frequently to get adjustments and ultrasound. I have realized that water and staying hydrated have also played a huge part in my recovery. Also it is essential to have correct posture and good body mechanics while massaging when massaging as well. Thanks Katie!
Interesting I did not know you need to change your mattress every 8 years! No wonder why people’s back hurt and I bet that is why they are cranky.
I started go back to my chiropractor because no doctor was helping me. I will get better as the days go bye.
I will try using my pillows tonight. I didn’t know that just doing that simple action can reduce a lot of pain.
Thanks for the great info. I have some lower back pain but not enough that I feel like I need to see a chiropractor. I will definitely try using my pillows to see if it helps.
This is great advice because it’s true. If the help of two is needed for an accident why not go to them at the same time. Replacing the mattress is something we all need to do but are sometimes to cheap to do it, but at the end it’s worth it at the long run.
I go to the chiropractor and started drinking a lot more water and my back isn’t as bad as it’s been but it’s still really sore. So I’m gonna continue to watch my body mechanics while giving massages and drink lots of water.
I have noticed a huge difference in my body since i began my daily yoga routine. My back has always bothered me, and the 3 chiropracters ive gone to didnt impress me. The “pop” only relieves me for an hour or so, then the pain is there again. I much prefer to stretch and have my body crack naturally than being forced to. This is very helpful information katie!
Great blog. I have a bad habit of not sitting straight behind the computer, that’s one of the reasons why I have back pains. Need to be more careful about that.
Great blog! These are some great tips that I will share with my Dad
Yoga and massage can work hand in hand on many different levels. It is a great addition to any massage or chiropractic care you may be receiving.
I do a lot to maintain my back health, at minimum I do 30 minutes of stretching every morning to maintain my flexibility and help stay pain free.
I try to minimize my chair sitting time, at least taking frequent standing breaks and walking for a few seconds if nothing else.
I sometimes do the pillows under the legs. It is a good idea I need to practice more frequent.
Great information. When I was I physical therapy I received a lot of massage and often had to be realigned. The combination did wonders for helping me recover from my back injury. I’m sure seeing a chiropractor on occasion would help keep my back in good shape.
Tragically most people do not follow through with this advise! I do not understand why people do not seek out help for their pain. I believe if people with chronic pain would just give the chiropractor and massages a try, they would be overwhelmed with the decrease in the pain that they have just learned to accept and live with! Great article Katie!
i actually need to get another mattress because mine is older than ME! I need to start making myself sit properly because i do tend to lean back and slouch a lot. Thanks for the great blog!
Maintaining my neck and back away from pains & soreness has been a issue for me a few years ago. But once I understood on how to properly invest my time & money into my body it has been a huge life saver (Or neck & back saver). Chiropractic care, yoga, and a active healthy lifestyle does wonders for the human body.
Great blog!!
My bad and shoulders have been hurting me and I think it has a lot to do with the way I sleep and my posture. These habits of sleeping wrong and bad posture are so hard to break, I am going try the extra pillows while I sleep and see how that does for me. As far the posture thing I am just going to have to break that habit.
My dad uses a chiropractor for his bad back and occasionally goes to a massage therapist. I can’t wait to graduate and work with his chiropractor and his back together to help give him even more relief. I’ve never been to a chiropractor myself but I can agree that their work brings just as much relief as our work does. It’s neat to see massage transforming so much.
I’m pretty sure my back hurts a lot now because of the way I sit and sleep.