Our Story

The vision for how massage and chiropractic could intertwine was born out of dissatisfaction with the traditional massage-chiropractic model.

Life Moves MT originated as Life Moves Massage Therapy—a solo practice for owner & Licensed Massage Therapist, Amanda Schoeck. In school, Amanda took to heart how much the body needs movement and circulation, and was inspired by how much soft-tissue work could really do. Georgia Massage School drastically shifted her understanding of the massage industry as she learned how clinical application of massage could resolve so much pain and dysfunction. She created Life Moves MT with the philosophy that we live to move, so we must move to live.

As she worked to grow her own clinical massage practice, Amanda also practiced massage in a typical chiropractic setting, where she would provide 30 minutes of soft-tissue work just before or immediately following chiropractic adjustments. Many people who have previously received chiropractic care know this experience well.

In massage, much of the work can be stand-alone. If the primary issue or only issue is soft-tissue dysfunction, massage work on its own can typically resolve the issue. But the body rarely isolates so perfectly. There is often an accompanying joint or nerve component, which is why massage and chiropractic care work so well together.

Although Amanda could tell her work increased the benefits of chiropractic adjustments, to Amanda, the process seemed incomplete.

Massage received before the adjustment felt limited in what it could accomplish. Muscles attaching to joints needing realignment generally take longer to release and, if they do release, return elevated tone quickly as the joint remains misaligned. Amanda often wished she could spend just a few minutes after the chiropractic sessions to revisit a few key muscle areas and provide clients a more complete treatment. Due to the traditional business model, this was almost never possible. She would already have another client on her table.

So what about massaging after the adjustment? While Amanda felt she could provide a more complete soft-tissue treatment, patients often seemed to need a “touch up” adjustment soon after since the tight muscles had limited the adjustment they just had.

These incomplete treatments often meant more frequent appointments. Good for the business, but not good for the client who now had to take time out of their day twice as often! The traditional business model for massage & chiropractic is simply not designed to be efficient for the human body.

Amanda envisioned a business model that centered around the needs of the human body: a practice where the massage therapist could work with the chiropractor in the same room, alternating and layering their services as needed. Soft-tissue restriction could be addressed before, throughout, and after a chiropractic session.

In August of 2017, Amanda teamed up with Dr. Bree to test the concept. They gathered a few willing participants of varying chiropractic experience to see how much change they could create in a single session. Results were better than imagined. Sessions were more complete, and patients didn’t feel like they needed to come in as often.

In October of 2017, Life Moves MT began offering this unique approach, and clients could feel the difference. We received rave reviews about the process and how good their bodies felt after treatment. We quickly realized there were other benefits to this model as well!

The doctors were able to provide gentler and more specific adjustments. With soft-tissue care throughout, the patient’s bodies allowed change to be created more easily. This reduced how often patients would feel sore or have an intense response to treatments, even early on in care.

The structure of the session also allowed us to utilize movement, stretching, and engagement exercises throughout the session. Muscle patterns could be reeducated at an ideal time. Bodies were processing the change more completely before leaving the office. These practices improved how long the benefits would hold even more.

As we have continued to grow and evolve, our focus remains on structuring a business model around the human body and never expecting a human body to adapt to our business.