Dr. Lea Kelley Provides Acupuncture and Chiropractic in The South Bay

Dr. Lea Kelley, DC, LAc provides both acupuncture and chiropractic care from her Manhattan Beach practice and serves Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and the surrounding South Bay.

Why combine Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care?

Dr. Lea Kelley providing acupuncture and chiropractic care to patients at her Manhattan Beach clinic.

Combining acupuncture and chiropractic care in the same visit may offer complementary benefits such as a pain relief, relaxation, improved mobility, and a more comprehensive treatment approach.

Many patients choose to combine acupuncture and chiropractic care during the same visit because the therapies work well together. Acupuncture may help relax muscles, support circulation, reduce inflammation, calm the nervous system, and relieve pain. Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper joint motion, spinal alignment, and mobility. Beginning with a relaxing acupuncture treatment followed by a chiropractic adjustment often provides a powerful whole-body approach to pain relief, recovery, stress reduction, and overall wellness. Patients frequently leave feeling more relaxed, balanced, mobile, and comfortable.

Conditions Often Treated Together

• Acute or chronic injuries

• Arthritis-related stiffness

• Carpal Tunnel

• Tendonitis

• Sprains and strains

• Sports injuries

• Neck and back pain

• Headaches

• Postural strain

• Disc disorders, nerve pain, neuropathy, numbness or tingling.

• Sciatica

• Auto injuries

• Repetitive-strain conditions

• Stress and muscle tension

What Are the Benefits of Combining Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care?

Combining acupuncture with chiropractic care for musculoskeletal pain can offer several enhanced benefits compared to using either approach alone. Here’s how they can complement each other:

      1.   Enhanced Pain Relief: Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and releases endorphins, which can help reduce pain. When combined with chiropractic adjustments, which realign the spine and joints, the two approaches may provide broader pain-relief support.

      2.   Improved Muscle Relaxation: Acupuncture can help relax tight muscles, making it easier for a chiropractor to perform adjustments. This synergy can reduce muscle tension and improve joint mobility which may make treatment more comfortable and support joint mobility.

      3.   Support for Inflammatory Responses: Both acupuncture and chiropractic care can help lower inflammation. Chiropractic adjustments relieve pressure on nerves, while acupuncture may influence pain and inflammatory signaling, while improved joint mobility may reduce mechanical irritation.

      4.   Holistic Healing Approach: From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture is used to support the balanced flow of Qi, while modern research also examines its effects on pain modulation, circulation, muscle tension, and nervous-system regulation. This can support the body’s natural healing processes, complementing the structural focus of chiropractic care to enhance recovery.

      5.   Support for Longer-Lasting Improvement: This combination often provides more durable pain relief. Acupuncture addresses underlying energetic imbalances, while chiropractic care corrects structural misalignments, which can help maintain musculoskeletal health over the long term.

      6.   Faster Recovery: Patients may experience quicker improvements because each therapy targets different aspects of the healing process. Chiropractic adjustments work on skeletal alignment, while acupuncture enhances blood flow and reduces muscle stiffness, together facilitating quicker recovery from injury or chronic pain.

This integrated approach is particularly beneficial for patients with chronic pain conditions, sports injuries, and conditions such as sciatica, arthritis, or headaches. Many people report feeling greater overall wellness, improved range of motion, and a sense of balance in both physical and mental health.

Who Offers Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care in the South Bay?

Dr. Lea Kelley, DC, LAc, MTOM, DiplOM provides both acupuncture and chiropractic care in Manhattan Beach and has offered both modalities together in the South Bay since 2003. Patients from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and the surrounding South Bay communities may receive acupuncture, chiropractic care, or an individualized combination of both when appropriate.

When Might Acupuncture and Chiropractic Be Used Together?

Acupuncture and chiropractic care are used together to treat stubborn musculoskeletal pain, chronic back issues, and tension-related conditions by targeting both mechanical joint alignment and soft-tissue nervous system response.

This integrated approach is particularly beneficial for patients with chronic pain conditions, sports injuries, and conditions such as sciatica, arthritis, or headaches. Many people report feeling greater overall wellness, improved range of motion, and a sense of balance in both physical and mental health.

• Nervous system regulation

• Improved circulation

• May support recovery

• Pain relief

• Better mobility

• May help support longer-lasting improvements

• Drug-free pain management

How Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care in the Same Visit May Improve Your Outcome

• Acute or chronic neck or back pain: This combination may reduce pain, improve range of motion, modulate inflammatory responses and support a more comfortable recovery.

• Muscle spasm or guarding: When muscles are highly tense or guarding, acupuncture may help relax surrounding tissues before chiropractic treatment, which can make care more comfortable.

• Headaches and Migraines: The dual approach helps relieve tension-based symptoms, neck stiffness, and frequent headaches.

• Joint and Arthritis Symptoms: Combining the two therapies helps manage discomfort and stiffness linked to joint conditions like osteoarthritis.

• Stress and Postural Strain: For desk workers with poor posture, chiropractic care corrects structural imbalances while acupuncture relieves the resulting nervous system stress and deep tissue tension.

• Chiropractic Care: Focuses on joint mobility, spinal mechanics, and musculoskeletal function. Chiropractic care may help reduce mechanical irritation and improve comfortable movement.

• Acupuncture: Focuses on pain modulation, muscle tension, circulation, and nervous system regulation. Dr. Kelley selects acupuncture points according to each patient’s symptoms and traditional Chinese medicine assessment.