Last summer, I’m playing beach volleyball at Sea Girt Beach, having a great time, when I go for this spectacular dive to save a point. Looked awesome, felt like a hero for about two seconds, then tried to get up and my back said “nope.” I’m lying there in the sand thinking, great, now what? Do I call a chiropractor or a physical therapist? Honestly had no idea.
My neighbor Susan swore by her chiropractor in Belmar, said he fixed her neck pain in two visits. But my brother-in-law kept telling me I needed PT because that’s what worked for his shoulder. Everyone had an opinion, nobody had a clear answer, and I’m just trying to figure out how to get out of bed without wincing.
Turns out this is a pretty common dilemma for people here in Sea Girt. We’re active, we do beach stuff, we play sports on weekends, and we’re constantly tweaking something. Half the time we don’t even know what we did wrong—just that something hurts and we want it to stop hurting. The problem is figuring out who can actually help.
Chiropractic Care or Physical Therapy?
What These People Actually Do
So I decided to try both and see what the difference was. Went to a chiropractor first because Susan wouldn’t stop bugging me about it. Honestly, I thought it was going to be this quick thing where they crack my back and send me on my way. Boy was I wrong.
The chiropractor spent like 45 minutes with me on the first visit. Asked about everything—how I sleep, what my desk setup looks like, do I carry my kid on one hip more than the other. Then he did all these tests, had me bend different ways, checked my posture. Finally did some adjustments, but also gave me exercises and talked about how I sit at my computer.
The whole approach was about getting my spine aligned properly and making sure my nervous system could do its job. Made sense, I guess. My back did feel better after a few visits, but the relief didn’t really stick once I went back to my normal routine.
Then I tried physical therapy for a different issue—my shoulder was messed up from surfing. Totally different experience. The PT was all about movement and exercises. Spent most of our time figuring out why my shoulder was unstable and what muscles weren’t doing their job properly. Way more homework, if you know what I mean.
Different Ways of Thinking About Problems
Here’s what I figured out: chiropractors think a lot about your spine and how everything connects to it. They’re big on the idea that if your spine isn’t aligned right, it throws everything else off. Makes sense when you think about it—your spine is like the main highway for your nervous system.
Physical therapists are more focused on how you move and whether your muscles are strong enough to support that movement. They’re constantly asking “why did this happen?” and “how do we make sure it doesn’t happen again?” It’s less about putting things back in place and more about teaching your body to work better.
Neither approach is wrong, they’re just different ways of looking at the same problem. Sometimes you need someone to get things moving again, sometimes you need to build strength and fix bad habits.
When I’d Go to a Chiropractor
Based on my experience, I’d hit up a chiropractor when something just feels “off” or stuck. Like when you wake up with a crick in your neck, or your lower back seizes up after helping someone move. That acute, “something’s not right” kind of pain that feels like it needs to be unstuck.
Chiropractors seem really good at providing pretty quick relief for this stuff. Not saying it’s a miracle cure, but when you’re in pain and need to function, they can often get you moving again faster than other options. I’ve gone to my chiropractor for headaches that seemed to be coming from my neck, and it usually helps.
They’re also good if you hate doing homework. I mean exercises. Some people just want someone to fix them without having to do a bunch of stretches and strengthening exercises at home. Chiropractic care can be more passive in that way—you show up, they do their thing, you leave feeling better.
The downside is that if you don’t address whatever caused the problem in the first place, you’ll probably end up back there pretty regularly. Which isn’t necessarily bad if you don’t mind the ongoing maintenance approach.
When It Works Best
From what I’ve seen, chiropractic works great for sudden pain that seems spine-related. Threw your back out gardening? Slept wrong and can’t turn your head? That kind of thing. Also good for people who get regular tension headaches or have jobs where they’re stuck in the same position all day.
When Physical Therapy Makes More Sense
Physical therapy seems to be the better choice when you’ve got weakness, instability, or when the same problem keeps coming back no matter what you do. My shoulder was a perfect example—every time I went surfing, it would start bothering me again. Chiropractic helped temporarily, but PT actually fixed the underlying problem.
If you’ve been dealing with something for months or years, PT is probably your better bet. They’re really good at figuring out why your body is compensating in weird ways and teaching you how to move better. Takes longer, requires more effort on your part, but the results tend to stick.
PT is also the way to go if you want to get back to doing specific activities. They understand sports and can design programs that not only fix your current problem but help prevent it from happening again. My PT had me doing exercises that were specifically designed to help with surfing movements.
The catch is that PT requires way more work from you. You’ve got exercises to do at home, you need to actually pay attention to how you’re moving, and results take longer to see. Some people love that active approach, others find it annoying.
When You Really Need the Exercise Approach
If the same injury keeps happening over and over, you probably need PT. If you’re weak or unsteady, definitely PT. If you want to prevent future problems instead of just treating current ones, PT is usually the better long-term investment.
Making the Decision
Honestly, sometimes you need both. I ended up doing chiropractic first to get my back pain under control, then did some PT to strengthen everything so it wouldn’t happen again. Worked pretty well.
The main thing is being realistic about what you want and what you’re willing to do. Quick fix with possible repeat visits? Probably chiropractic. Long-term solution that requires effort? Physical therapy. Really bad problem that’s not getting better? Maybe try both and see what works.
Just make sure whoever you see actually listens to your concerns and explains what they’re doing. Good providers in either field should be able to tell you why they think their approach will help your specific situation.