Massage or chiropractor........

[NervGS]

Hi all,

I've been doing martial arts and to a degree, gymnastics for the last 15+ years of my life. About 5 years ago, I sprained my ankle doing move in the air and I've never really gotten it back till now, I'm able to do it on a springy gymnastics floor (at times), but not on solid concrete or even a mat, though part of this does come from a psychological fear that I'll sprain it again.

Anyways, I've never had any type of massage therapy or chiropractic service done for me in these 15+ years I've been training. What do you all recommend that have gone through this sort of thing? My body has been stiff for the last couple of years, but I've neglected to do anything about it till now.

-glenn

[HyperTek]

make sure its a good deep tissue massage, my mom is a license therapist and she says not all places are good, alot of them are too soft. Visit some good places. We got some info on our site on which massages are good Come visit us! (http://mymassageworks.com/massages.html)

[RiversideS13]

I think a lot of message therapy and chiropractic out there are just scammer. you better spend time to find one that is reputable

[Brian]

hey Glenn, I have never used any of these, BUT in my opinion I think chiropractors are bullshit.

I don't doubt that they can make you feel better, BUT, I think they make it a point to make sure you continue to come back. Kind of like Smoking, you get hooked.

[ALTRNTV]

Make sure you get a happy ending.

[zylvia213]

you can do both but i really think you meet need some physical therapy in the end. You probably need muscle relaxers.... every night you should fill the tubb up with warm/hot water (not so hot where it will burn you) sit in ther for like 20-30 minutes. But definately see your doctor have him referr you to physical therapy.

[325irollin]

I plan to get the "Tokyo Massage" at the Park Hyatt Tokyo after I land in early 2010.

[coww-cho!!!!!]

they both come in hand in hand

a lot of places are usually near eachother like the one i go to they have both in same office. i have never gotten a massage but my mom did both and said the chiro is great but the massage therapist suck but my chiro recommends to get a massage to loosen your muscles as those vibrating massagers they put on your back doesnt do much

i usually visit once every 4 months so 3 times a year does it for me

Good luck

[RightWheelDrive]

How does your sprained ankle relate to a chiropractor?

I've had major and minor sprains to my ankle before. During recovery, your body compensates with an irregular posture, so you can limp and such. Once I healed completely, I still noticed that I would unevenly distribute my weight on my feet because I was so use to limping.

I've been to chiropractors before and most back pain and body tension is attributed to poor and incorrect posture. Something very important to consider before giving your hard earned money to some old dude that is going to tell you the same thing I just did.

I've also gotten MANY massages and they only make you feel good for a short period of time. The cause of pain or tension will still be there and come back.

[Element_on_20s]

I threw my back out of wack this week, I went to a "Therapeutic Healer" and she got everything back in shape.

Hurt like a motherfucker during the process, though.

[drift freaq]

Glenn, Chiropractors are not bullshit to the point that when your spine and bones are out of alignment they do work.

I have used Chiropractors in the past and it has helped. Once for whiplash from being rear ended by a Chevy Cheyenne pickup that plowed into me at 50 mph when I was a dead standstill. My neck was toast. I went to a Chiropractor for a year. Before I ever went my neck would get sore when it was cold outside after treatment that shit never happened again.

The thing is some Chiropractors give it a bad name by trying to sell you a maintenance program after the initial injury has been taken care of. This gives the whole thing a bad name.

Over all its really hard to say with you. It could be a combination of factors. You could even have torn a ligament.

[eli_eli]

something you should definetly give a try are the ankle supports, i sprained my ankle playing soccer 9 years ago, and then broke it 3 years later, cause it never healed right...seems you have a similar case, means your ligaments are bad...it takes years for them to heal...but try those ankle supports, they have all different kinds...i like the simple elastic ones...only 5 bucks at big5...and they have the leather ones that you tie with laces...no way to sprain it then, but you have limited movement...but the elastic ones help, plus they give you the phycological support ;) but for ligament damage, i heard running on the beach is best, so barefoot on the dry sand...thats if your by a beach, didnt see your location haha...anyway good luck bud, ive been there for years now...but if i had to choose the two you mentioned, tough choice...massages might help temporarily but chiropractor might help in long run, but a long road...

[ZX88]

special messasge.
gfud

[Black R]

well I didn't understand your initial post:

are you asking about your sprained ankle rehab or about chiropractic and/ or massage therapy in general?

here's my take on both:

1. I have a persistently weaker ankle due to skateboarding for 19+ years.

When / If I sprain my ankle then I go through the usual regimen of R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation); then I move on to the strengthening of the ankle and the best way to do that is with a theraband (google it). Another thing you can do (and I learned this from an Osteopath) is to stand on your strong foot with your other foot in the air. Easy right? Do it for 30 seconds. Still easy? Good. Now do it with your eyes closed. Not so easy. At first 30 seconds is difficult even with your good foot. Move on to a 60 second or longer interval. I usually alternate feet. You can do this while listening to music (eyes closed remember?) or in the shower or whatever. This causes the nerves to grow back because they have been torn/ damaged when your sprained your ankle. Now your foot has become more clumsy and more prone to another sprain or injury. But by doing this exercise, it causes the foot to relearn it's 'feel.' Other exercise you can do: get a balance ball / board and stand on that for extended periods. Also try tracing the alphabet in the air using only your ankle. IMO, the standing on one foot with your eyes closed is the best - you can definitely feel how much the muscles have to work to relearn. The other excercises are just as important though.

While your sprained foot is still weak, make sure you tape it or wear a lace up ankle brace. I've tried a lot of different methods, but the good ones have a lateral strap that goes across from the outside of your foot back over to your inner ankle. This lateral support serves to prevent another sprain. There are two problems with a brace or tape though - they inhibit your range of motion AND they prevent your ankle from getting up to it's true strength potential because of this lack of range of motion. So it's important to do the aforementioned exercises to strengthen your ankle and help it relearn it's dexterity. :)


2. Now for the massage vs chiropractic question:

I recommend both in addition to exercise.

Most people (even 'strong' ones) have a weak back. That's because we sit a lot at our jobs, have poor posture, and generally don't exercise our backs like we do our other muscles. You can't really 'flex' your back to show it off on the beach, etc, so it kind of goes unnoticed perhaps. There are some good exercises that you can do which will strengthen your back. I can scan a sheet of them if you like. (I've also been through debilitating back injuries as well...) Some things strengthen your back that you wouldn't realize - like doing crunches, leg lifts, situps, etc. Pretty much if it strengthens your abdomen, it strengthens your back. Think of it as an internal girdle - all connected and all related. You can also google 'CORE exercises' to find a list of exercises which will help your back out. A weak back can get injured more easily and as a result have an inflammation that will start to pull on your bones...

Anyway, chiropractic kind of moves the spinal column back into place when a muscle is pulling it out of place. Even if the muscle heals, the bones in your back can still be out of place a bit and sometimes won't go back on their own like they should. A chiropractor tries to 'adjust' these bones back through a physical manipulation. When they get too far out of wack, the spine can press on the spinal cord (you know that thing that sends the messages from all over your body back and forth to your brain?) Would you want a mixed signal to or from your feet, hands, liver, kidneys, etc? Well then go see a chiropractor! Just like any other doctor, some are better than others, so shop around and ask questions. You'll find one that's a right fit.

Massage is good also because it attends to the muscles that kind of hold in stress, toxins, etc. Sometimes they can't relax like they should, so they need to be worked out. I recommend you shop around for a massage therapist and see if it 'feels' right to you. Look for one who is experienced in Cayce/ Reilly massage (Edgar Cayce' s A.R.E. (http://www.edgarcayce.org/)), reflexology and accupressure.

If you're not to faint-hearted, I can also attest to the healing effects of acupuncture. :)

*Oh yeah, you mentioned that you're getting more stiff (which comes naturally with age to a certain degree) - I'd also recommend you check out yoga; it's a great way to get some flexibility back - that'll prevent injuries! And it never hurts to be in a room with lots of hot women doing splits and all sorts of arousing poses!

I hope that wasn't too long-winded. I'm nursing a mild ankle sprain right now myself!

Send me a pm if you want any further info.

[RiversideS13]

a friend of mine just graduated from chiropractor school in Whittier and he did some adjustment and therapy on my neck.... which had been bothering for past 9 years. he made huge difference and taught me many home therapy techniques to help me improve. I saw 3 chiropractor for the neck problem in the past and none of them makes any difference. So I guess it just like finding a right tuner for your ecu... one has to really know his shits and passionate in doing it.

[drift freaq]

well I didn't understand your initial post:

are you asking about your sprained ankle rehab or about chiropractic and/ or massage therapy in general?

here's my take on both:

1. I have a persistently weaker ankle due to skateboarding for 19+ years.

When / If I sprain my ankle then I go through the usual regimen of R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation); then I move on to the strengthening of the ankle and the best way to do that is with a theraband (google it). Another thing you can do (and I learned this from an Osteopath) is to stand on your strong foot with your other foot in the air. Easy right? Do it for 30 seconds. Still easy? Good. Now do it with your eyes closed. Not so easy. At first 30 seconds is difficult even with your good foot. Move on to a 60 second or longer interval. I usually alternate feet. You can do this while listening to music (eyes closed remember?) or in the shower or whatever. This causes the nerves to grow back because they have been torn/ damaged when your sprained your ankle. Now your foot has become more clumsy and more prone to another sprain or injury. But by doing this exercise, it causes the foot to relearn it's 'feel.' Other exercise you can do: get a balance ball / board and stand on that for extended periods. Also try tracing the alphabet in the air using only your ankle. IMO, the standing on one foot with your eyes closed is the best - you can definitely feel how much the muscles have to work to relearn. The other excercises are just as important though.

While your sprained foot is still weak, make sure you tape it or wear a lace up ankle brace. I've tried a lot of different methods, but the good ones have a lateral strap that goes across from the outside of your foot back over to your inner ankle. This lateral support serves to prevent another sprain. There are two problems with a brace or tape though - they inhibit your range of motion AND they prevent your ankle from getting up to it's true strength potential because of this lack of range of motion. So it's important to do the aforementioned exercises to strengthen your ankle and help it relearn it's dexterity. :)


2. Now for the massage vs chiropractic question:

I recommend both in addition to exercise.

Most people (even 'strong' ones) have a weak back. That's because we sit a lot at our jobs, have poor posture, and generally don't exercise our backs like we do our other muscles. You can't really 'flex' your back to show it off on the beach, etc, so it kind of goes unnoticed perhaps. There are some good exercises that you can do which will strengthen your back. I can scan a sheet of them if you like. (I've also been through debilitating back injuries as well...) Some things strengthen your back that you wouldn't realize - like doing crunches, leg lifts, situps, etc. Pretty much if it strengthens your abdomen, it strengthens your back. Think of it as an internal girdle - all connected and all related. You can also google 'CORE exercises' to find a list of exercises which will help your back out. A weak back can get injured more easily and as a result have an inflammation that will start to pull on your bones...

Anyway, chiropractic kind of moves the spinal column back into place when a muscle is pulling it out of place. Even if the muscle heals, the bones in your back can still be out of place a bit and sometimes won't go back on their own like they should. A chiropractor tries to 'adjust' these bones back through a physical manipulation. When they get too far out of wack, the spine can press on the spinal cord (you know that thing that sends the messages from all over your body back and forth to your brain?) Would you want a mixed signal to or from your feet, hands, liver, kidneys, etc? Well then go see a chiropractor! Just like any other doctor, some are better than others, so shop around and ask questions. You'll find one that's a right fit.

Massage is good also because it attends to the muscles that kind of hold in stress, toxins, etc. Sometimes they can't relax like they should, so they need to be worked out. I recommend you shop around for a massage therapist and see if it 'feels' right to you. Look for one who is experienced in Cayce/ Reilly massage (Edgar Cayce' s A.R.E. (http://www.edgarcayce.org/)), reflexology and accupressure.

If you're not to faint-hearted, I can also attest to the healing effects of acupuncture. :)

*Oh yeah, you mentioned that you're getting more stiff (which comes naturally with age to a certain degree) - I'd also recommend you check out yoga; it's a great way to get some flexibility back - that'll prevent injuries! And it never hurts to be in a room with lots of hot women doing splits and all sorts of arousing poses!

I hope that wasn't too long-winded. I'm nursing a mild ankle sprain right now myself!

Send me a pm if you want any further info.

this man speaks truths!!! great post.

[w0nderbr3ad]

i was having some leg and back pains a while back and this one guy massaged my back deep tissue. I thought it'd be one of those spa massages but hell no I was hurting the whole time. But afterwards I felt good as shit and my leg & back probs were pretty much gone after 5 sessions.

[NervGS]

Thanks everyone!

Black R, I was less active with martial arts and gymnastics during the time my ankle was healing, and for the last 5 years, I've been unable to do the type of flip in the air that originally sprained my ankle until now (somewhat - I need to get over it a bit). I feel that my whole body is out of it and I just need some kind of therapy to get feeling a little bit looser now.

I might check out some yoga, as my mom even recommended it.

-glenn

[SochBAT]

I say chiro.

Chiro = bones
Massage = muscles

Muscles will heal eventually, but with shitty alignment of your bones, they'll heal wrong/less efficiently/askew.

Might as well do both just in case though.

[zenki.life]

id go with a massage........with a happy ending.

[Rob's S14]

black r hit it pretty much on the head. however one thing that may have been missed is depending on the severity of the sprain, you may have scar tissue built up around your ankle. really, the only way to get rid of that is by going to physical therapy. most likely they'll use ultrasound and electric stimulation, but it makes a huge difference. good luck.