When your lower back seizes up, what’s the first thing you reach for? If you said a bottle of muscle relaxers, you’re not alone. But here’s the thing, pain relief and correction are two different conversations.
I’ve been treating back pain in Salinas since 2006. In that time, I’ve seen patients try every option on the table: pills, patches and even steroid injections. Some find comfort. But when the pain keeps coming back, they start looking for answers, not just relief.
Let’s take a closer look at how muscle relaxers work, what chiropractic adjustments actually do, and what clinical research says when you compare the two.
What Chiropractic Adjustments Actually Do
In 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a major review that took a serious look at how well spinal adjustments (Chiropractic care) help people with acute low back pain that’s been going on for six weeks or less.
Researchers analyzed 26 clinical trials that involved adults getting care in outpatient settings. They only included studies that measured changes in pain or movement within the first six weeks.
The results were clear. When it came to pain, spinal manipulation led to an average improvement of 10 points on a 100-point pain scale, specifically, 9.95 points lower compared to other groups. That’s a meaningful difference for someone trying to get through the day without constantly shifting in their seat or waking up in pain.
What Muscle Relaxers Do (and What They Don’t)
Muscle relaxers like Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) or Robaxin (methocarbamol) are often prescribed for acute lower back pain. They work by blocking nerve signals that trigger muscle spasms. In other words, they help you feel less tense by sedating the nervous system.
They can help in the short term but they don’t correct the issue that’s causing the muscles to spasm in the first place. That could be a misaligned vertebra, a compressed nerve, or joint inflammation.
Side effects are also common. Drowsiness, dizziness, brain fog, and even dependency when you have taken them in your system for a significant period of time.
So What Does the Research Say When You Compare Them?
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked directly at this question. Researchers studied 192 adults dealing with subacute low back pain that’s pain lasting between 2 to 6 weeks, which is often too long to be called “acute” but not yet considered chronic.
After just 2 weeks of care, and again at 4 weeks, they measured pain using a Visual Analog Scale, as well as other outcomes like functional disability, mood, and the doctors’ own clinical impression of progress. Here’s what they found:
- On the Global Impression of Severity (GIS) scale, where doctors rated each patient’s overall condition the chiropractic group scored better than the muscle relaxer group.
- Across all 146 participants who completed the protocol, pain, disability, and depression scores improved, but only the chiropractic group showed statistically superior pain outcomes and physician-rated progress.
That fits what I’ve seen firsthand in my practice here at my clinic in Salinas, CA. Adjustments don’t just make people feel better temporarily
The Takeaway
If your back pain keeps coming back, there’s probably something deeper going on. You don’t need to rely on pills or settle for short-term relief. You just need someone to look at what’s really causing the issue and help you fix it.
And hey—if you’re ever in Salinas and your back’s acting up, come see me. We’ll figure it out together.
34 Iris Dr
Salinas, CA 93906
FAQs About Chiropractic Care in Salinas, CA
What did the research say about chiropractic vs. muscle relaxers?
A randomized trial with 192 patients found that chiropractic adjustments were more effective than both muscle relaxers and placebo in reducing pain and improving the doctor’s overall impression of patient progress. While all groups improved over time, only the chiropractic group showed statistically stronger results for both pain and clinical outcomes.
Does chiropractic care actually help with back pain, or just make you feel better temporarily?
According to a 2017 JAMA review, spinal manipulation led to nearly a 10-point drop on a 100-point pain scale and meaningful improvements in movement for people with acute low back pain.
Are there risks with chiropractic care for back pain?
The same JAMA review found no serious adverse events across 26 clinical trials. Some patients experienced mild, short-term soreness or stiffness similar to what you might feel after a workout, but most recovered quickly.
