If you’re recovering from an injury, managing chronic pain, or improving mobility, you may wonder if you can see both a chiropractor and a physical therapist at the same time. At Hebdon Chiropractic in Dickson, TN, we believe in a collaborative, patient-centered approach to care. Chiropractic care and physical therapy complement each other, helping you heal faster, move better, and prevent future injuries.

How Chiropractic Care and Physical Therapy Work Together

Chiropractic Care at Hebdon Chiropractic

Chiropractic adjustments focus on restoring proper spinal alignment, reducing nerve interference, and improving joint function. By optimizing your body’s biomechanics, chiropractic care can enhance mobility and relieve pain, allowing your muscles and joints to function at their best.

Physical Therapy for Strength and Stability

Physical therapy works by strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, and retraining movement patterns to prevent injuries. A structured exercise program can help stabilize and support your spine and joints, reinforcing the benefits of chiropractic adjustments.

Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor While Doing Physical Therapy

1. Faster Pain Relief

• Chiropractic adjustments help correct spinal misalignments, reducing pressure on nerves and improving mobility.
• Physical therapy exercises strengthen weak areas and enhance flexibility, helping maintain those improvements.
• Evidence-Based Support: Studies show that combining chiropractic care with rehabilitative exercises leads to better pain relief and functional recovery (Goertz et al., 2013).

2. Better Mobility and Function

• Chiropractic adjustments restore joint movement, making it easier to perform physical therapy exercises.
• Strengthening exercises help stabilize and support the adjustments, leading to longer-lasting results.
• Research suggests that pairing manual therapy (like chiropractic adjustments) with exercise therapy improves movement and function more than either treatment alone (Rubinstein et al., 2019).

3. Long-Term Health and Injury Prevention

• Chiropractic care at Hebdon Chiropractic ensures your spine stays in proper alignment, reducing strain on muscles and joints.
• Physical therapy provides strengthening exercises to maintain stability and prevent future injuries.
• A study in Spine found that patients who combined spinal adjustments with rehabilitation had better long-term outcomes compared to those using one approach alone (Peterson et al., 2018).

When Should You See Both?

• If you have chronic pain, combining spinal adjustments with corrective exercises may improve results.
• If you're recovering from an injury or surgery, physical therapy is essential, but chiropractic care may help with spinal alignment and joint mobility.
• If you’re already seeing a chiropractor and experiencing improvements, adding physical therapy can help you build strength and stability to maintain those results long-term. Chiropractic adjustments help correct misalignments, while physical therapy reinforces proper movement patterns to prevent issues from returning.
• If you feel like physical therapy alone isn’t fully addressing your pain or dysfunction, a chiropractor may provide additional relief.

Take the Next Step Toward Better Health

If you're currently in physical therapy or considering chiropractic care, we invite you to visit Hebdon Chiropractic in Dickson, TN. Our team will assess your condition and create a personalized treatment plan to help you move better, feel better, and stay active.

Call us today to schedule an appointment and see how chiropractic care can complement your recovery journey!

References

• American Physical Therapy Association. (2022). Physical therapy for musculoskeletal conditions. Retrieved from www.apta.org
• Goertz, C. M., Long, C. R., Vining, R. D., Pohlman, K. A., Walter, J., & Coulter, I. (2013). Effect of spinal manipulation and mobilization on chronic low back pain: A randomized clinical trial. Spine, 38(7), 531-540.
• Peterson, C. K., Schmid, C., Leemann, S., & Humphreys, B. K. (2018). Outcomes from combining chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy with active exercise for military personnel with low back pain. Spine, 43(6), 375-383.
• Rubinstein, S. M., Terwee, C. B., Assendelft, W. J., de Boer, M. R., & van Tulder, M. W. (2019). Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. The Spine Journal, 19(5), 924-935.