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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

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What’s the Difference Between Chiropractic and Physical Therapy?

October 27, 2019 By Denise Schwartz 1 Comment

chiropractic vs. physical therapy

I’m often asked, what is the difference between chiropractic and physical therapy?

When you have back pain, who do you think of to go to first, a chiropractor or physical therapist?  When I asked 28-year-old Marta why she came to see me, she said she’d been seeing a chiropractor for the past year without any relief. Her first impression was that chiropractors take care of back pain.  It wasn’t until she went to see an MD who suggested she go to physical therapy that she realized PT’s can also help with back pain. This is obviously an educational or marketing issue that our profession needs to work on.

Marta had a two-year bout of upper back and neck pain. Through an initial evaluation, I found that she had poor core and scapular (upper back) stability with a particular weakness in her upper abdominal muscles. Marta sits the majority of the day while at work.  After four months of specific exercises to strengthen her core and improve her posture, and hands-on (manual) therapy, Marta is essentially pain-free. She is now slowly returning to a higher intensity exercise routine.

So, what did we do that was different than chiropractic? Marta received exercises and education how to take care of her body throughout the day. 

What did we do that was similar to chiropractic? Marta received hands-on or manual therapies from both practitioners. However, her chiropractor only worked directly on the spine while in PT we worked on her spine and soft tissues such as her diaphragm, abdominals, and fascia. 

So while both chiropractors and physical therapists treat this condition, the difference is in the healing approach.

The Main Difference: Physical Therapists are Movement Experts

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Physical therapists are movement experts who optimize quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. After making a diagnosis, physical therapists create personalized treatment plans that help their patients improve mobility, manage pain and other chronic conditions, recover from injury, and prevent future injury and chronic disease. Physical therapists empower people to be active participants in their own treatment, and they work collaboratively with other health professionals to ensure patients receive comprehensive care. 

According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), “Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractors or chiropractic physicians practice a hands-on, drug-free approach to health care and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling.”   The ACA homepage even mentions back care: “Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.” 

Some chiropractors claim to do physical therapy, but I advise you to pay close attention to how they define physical therapy.  My understanding is that chiropractors are taught “physical therapy” at a weekend seminar teaching them basic electrical modalities, not movement or function.  Those in my profession often wonder how the term “physical therapy” can be used in this manner.

So which is right for you?

Now, like any profession, no two chiropractors treat alike nor will two physical therapists treat alike.  As both professions use hands-on therapy to manipulate bones, joints, and soft tissue – it will be up to you to determine who you will respond best to by evaluating the practitioner’s style of hands-on therapies. 

Chiropractic vs. Physical Therapy *The above table is a generalization, not an absolute
**Neuromuscular reeducation – exercises specifically designed to integrate the nervous and musculoskeletal system to function optimally.
***Modalities – machines to promote healing via electricity, laser, ultrasound, shockwave, etc
****Functional education – the education of how to do everyday functional activities such as posture, sit to stand, positioning for sitting, standing, sleeping, etc.

There is no reason a person can’t see both a chiropractor and physical therapist, as each type of practitioner tends to do different things.  In fact, I often send some of my patients to certain chiropractors because they offer something different than I do as part of my personalized approach to physical therapy.

If you are still unsure of where to begin your healing journey, please call the practitioner’s office and ask questions, review their websites and read reviews to get a better understanding of the practitioner’s approach.

Regardless, If you are seeing a practitioner and aren’t seeing some improvement after 4-6 weeks, it may be time to look elsewhere for answers.

Filed Under: Back Pain & Sciatica, Health & Wellness, Neck Pain

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Braden Bills says

    October 13, 2020 at 9:14 am

    My back has been having issues, and I’m not sure what to do about it. I think it might be due to my posture. It might be a good idea for me to work with a professional to see if they can help me out with this.

    Reply

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Testimonials

I saw Denise for ongoing heal pain as well as an athletic back pain injury. My back pain is gone and my heal pain (which I’ve had for several years) is significantly better so that it doesn’t interfere with activity. The exercises Denise gave me have strengthened my core and will prevent future injuries. Not only that, she provides personalized and attentive treatment the entire visit (much more personalized care than traditional PT centers). I highly recommend Denise!
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I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I was having back pain.  He recommended that I start seeing Denise at The Manual Touch.  Due to my past experiences, I was skeptical regarding the success that I could have with another therapist.  From my first visit I could tell that Denise had a ve… Read more
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The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return to playing basketball.
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This is better than going to the doctor and taking medicine.
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Three weeks prior to a major triathlon that was a year in training, I threw out my back. Having previously worked with Denise to correct hip related issues, I knew just what to do: text Denise! Denise responded to my message immediately and took the time – on her day off! – to call and counsel me on how to handle the situation that day. She gave me exercises and activities to manage the situation and we agreed to meet first thing the next morning. With three weeks of PT, I was able to travel to … Read more
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In 6 visits Denise has taught and evaluated me properly on issues of walking, sitting, bending, reaching and shoulder placement in order to prevent further spinal damage, unlike the previous PT I went to.  She also gave me appropriate exercises which factored in my spinal issues. I started to have less chronic pain doing normal activities throughout my day.  Her attention to my individual spine and daily needs has changed the way I stand, walk, etc. I have begun an aerobic exercise progr… Read more
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I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situation. I had 6 weeks of PT at another location but still was unable to turn my head fully or work at a desk without terrible pain.  After seeing Denise and following her exercise program, I was almost back to normal within a few short months.  I… Read more
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Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well as by the effectiveness of the exercises she recommends to ease my pain. She also knows how to best manipulate my aching joints to bring relief. I can whole-heartedly recommend Denise because she is a skilled, proficient, compassionate professional. … Read more
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Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went away! I really loved how she had an app I could use if I forgot the exercises we did. She was professional and you can tell she really cared about her clients. I Would definitely recommended going to her!”
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I had constant neck pain from a car accident 2 years ago.  I went through PT somewhere else without any good results.  I then was recommended to come to The Manual Touch PT. At my first appointment I could tell that Denise was able to get right to the point of my problems.  After numerous therapy sessions I felt such a relief of my constant pain.  It is better now, I can sleep better and use less pain medication.  My goal is to avoid surgery and I feel hopeful that will be possible.
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I saw Denise for ongoing heal pain as well as an athletic back pain injury. My back pain is gone and my heal pain (which I’ve had for several years) is significantly better so that it doesn’t interfere with activity. The exercises Denise gave me have… Read more
I have had very significant scoliosis and osteoporosis for many years and I have gone to very “reputable’ physical therapists through the years, but never felt satisfied.  A few years ago, I went to my internist for a physical and mentioned I wa… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
This is better than going to the doctor and taking medicine.
Three weeks prior to a major triathlon that was a year in training, I threw out my back. Having previously worked with Denise to correct hip related issues, I knew just what to do: text Denise! Denise responded to my message immediately and took the … Read more
In 6 visits Denise has taught and evaluated me properly on issues of walking, sitting, bending, reaching and shoulder placement in order to prevent further spinal damage, unlike the previous PT I went to.  She also gave me appropriate exercises whic… Read more
I came in to see Denise due to a cervical disc herniation.  I have been told by Illinois Bone & Joint that they refer patients to Denise often as she is able to help when other physical therapy programs fail.  That was definitely the case in my situ… Read more
Denise Schwartz at Manual Touch is a marvelous diagnostician and therapist. During the past few years, I’ve sought out Denise’s care for various physical limitations. I am continually amazed by her ability to determine my discomfort’s cause as well a… Read more
Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went a… Read more
I had constant neck pain from a car accident 2 years ago.  I went through PT somewhere else without any good results.  I then was recommended to come to The Manual Touch PT. At my first appointment I could tell that Denise was able to get right … Read more
Read More

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