Chiropractor vs massage therapist

Chiropractors and massage therapists both work hands-on, and clients can see either without a referral. Chiropractic laws let chiropractors examine and diagnose patients who come to them directly, as California's and Washington's do. Massage laws ask the therapist to judge whether massage is advisable and refer elsewhere when it is not, and the model massage act imposes no referral requirement.

Soft tissue work is where they overlap. It is the core of massage therapy as state laws define it, and chiropractic laws commonly include it too: California lets chiropractors work on muscle and connective tissue and use massage, and Washington includes massage and trigger point therapy. Massage laws usually exempt other licensed professionals working within their own scope, as Texas's does.

Joints divide them. Spinal adjustment is the defining chiropractic procedure, while massage laws generally exclude adjustment and thrust manipulation, as Washington's and Oregon's do, and some, such as Maryland's, exclude any mobilization of a joint.

Diagnosis divides them too. Chiropractors diagnose and commonly take or order diagnostic X-rays, as Florida's act allows. Massage laws generally bar diagnosis, as Ohio's and Texas's do, and none we read let massage therapists order imaging. Prescribing therapeutic exercise is generally within chiropractic and outside massage, though some massage laws allow stretching or self-care advice.