The Relationship between Massage & Chiropractic
Before we get into some more detailed information here are a few quick answers to common questions about the relationship between chiropractic and massage therapy.
Important Disclaimer: The answers provided below should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis of your individual needs. The objective of this quick answers section is to inform massage and chiropractic patients of common outcomes; information that you can use as a query with your healthcare professional, or as a lead-in for further investigation.
Question 1
Should I receive massage therapy (soft tissue therapy) before a chiropractic adjustment? In many cases it is a good idea. Receiving soft tissue therapy will optimize the effectiveness of your chiropractic adjustments by releasing tension and pressure in target areas. This may help make the muscles softer for an adjustment.
Question 2
Should I see a masseuse after my chiropractic adjustment? In many cases this is a good idea because your muscles could have a tendency to restrict movement to your joints, pulling them out of place after your chiropractic adjustment. Massage therapy may help to get the muscles used to the new body position and movement from an adjustment
Question 3
What type of massage should I ask for after my chiropractic adjustment? Many chiropractic patients seek deep tissue massage after an adjustment, however it is also common for people to seek sport specific or injury specific massage, on a case by case basis. Overall the aim should be to create a more relaxed, flexible state for the body and to also work deeper to stretch out any tightness of muscles in specific areas where stress has accumulated.
Massage and Chiropractic Care: Working Hand in Hand
Our bodies are made up of a variety of systems including a muscular-skeletal system, which is soft tissue, muscles and tendons merged with the skeleton and all-working together for optimal mobility. So there are several benefits to massage and chiropractic care received in unison or interchangeably as regular therapies, working hand in hand to maximize the effectiveness of your treatments.
Improving Function between the aforementioned joints and increasing people’s overall mobility is a common goal among massage therapists and chiropractors.
Chiropractor’s techniques tend to be more directed at adjusting vertebral subluxations. In plain terms vertebral subluxations are areas within your spine that become misaligned or lose movement which also puts pressure on the nervous system. Because massage therapists are releasing tension through people’s overall body and enhancing people into a more relaxed state, the two therapies really complement each other in helping people with better movement, healing, prevention of injury, and improving people’s overall health and wellness.
In addition to the physical benefits of massage and chiropractic there are also some psychological benefits that people might not consider, for instance there is the clinically proven reduction in anxiety; a mental state that can be improved and helped with movement or movement based therapies (a great book to read about movement and anxiety is “Spark by John Ratey MD”)
Basically, the specialty of Chiropractic or massage therapy are professions used as a spring board to enhance better function, health, and healing within people. Remember you don’t necessarily have to be seeing a chiropractor to benefit from massage therapy or be seeing a massage therapist to benefit from Chiropractic, as both offer unique and different things. However seeing both clearly has enhanced benefits
Quick Summary
The benefits are plentiful, here we have listed what we believe to be common attributes of massage and chiropractic working together and yet there are still so many more reasons that warrant an enquiry into both professions. Among them is one of the most important: the ability to maintain correct posture. After all, one of the primary functions of your muscles is to provide support to your spine and skeletal system. Your muscles have the potential to negatively impact a chiropractic treatment, meaning they could forcefully move a joint out of place or hold the body in a tight and bad position. However, your muscles can also have a positive influence on your ability to maintain good posture so next time you talk to your chiropractor or massage therapist ask them about:
- Corrective activities to assist in keeping the best possible posture.
- A recommendation for massage therapy prior to, or after chiropractic treatments.
Or alternatively, you can jump on the SA Wellness Centre home page and use the quick enquiry form to ask a more specific question.
