Can massage therapy replace chiropractic care for back and neck pain? Not usually — massage relaxes tight muscles and improves blood flow, but it doesn't correct the joint misalignment or nerve compression often driving the pain. Combining chiropractic adjustments with massage therapy addresses both sides at once, and research suggests patients getting combined care report more improvement than chiropractic care alone.
Why Massage Alone Often Isn't Enough
Muscle tightness is often a symptom, not the root cause. When a spinal joint is misaligned, surrounding muscles tense to protect it — and stay tense even after a massage, because the joint problem hasn't been addressed.
How They Work Together
Chiropractic adjustment corrects the joint misalignment. Massage relaxes the surrounding muscles and helps the adjustment hold longer. Used together, each treatment supports the other.
What the Research Shows
A 200-patient randomized clinical trial from Northwestern Health Sciences University found patients receiving chiropractic combined with massage and other integrative therapies reported significantly more pain reduction and satisfaction with care at both 12 weeks and one year1.
What to Expect
Dr. Michael C. Karr, D.C. — a UCLA Kinesiology graduate who completed a postgraduate program in radiology — has treated patients throughout West LA, Santa Monica, Culver City, Venice, and Westwood for over 35 years. Massage therapy is offered in-office alongside chiropractic adjustment.
Individual results vary. Not medical advice.
Sources:
1. Bronfort G, et al. “Individualized Chiropractic and Integrative Care for Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Northwestern Health Sciences University, NCT00567333. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3373345/
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Originally published at: westlosangeleschiropractic.com/chiropractic-massage-therapy-west-los-angeles