Massage and Chiropractic (2022)

 

Introduction

Massage and chiropractic care are both complementary medicines used to treat individuals. They both heal the body naturally by applying hands-on technique. Combined together, they give a tremendous positive outcome. 

A research study conducted by the American chiropractic association in 2019 shows that, Patients who saw a chiropractor as their initial provider for low back pain (LBP) had 90% decreased odds of both early and long-term opioid use.

As well, another study conducted in 2015 indicates that, Manual-thrust manipulation provides greater short-term reductions in self-reported disability and pain compared with usual medical care. 94% of the manual-thrust manipulation group achieved greater than 30% reduction in pain compared with 69% of usual medical care.”

Do want to know more about these natural treatment options? Keep reading.

Massage and chiropractic care

Massage and chiropractic care are both ways of manipulating the body muscles, soft tissues, nerves, skeleton and spines systematically to relieve pain, to reduce stress, to improve relaxation,  adjust posture, and fix bodily movements and functions.

While massages were the main stay and a key traditional healing techniques which stems starting from ancient times, chiropractic care is also an alternative modern day manipulating technique, an added advantage to body enhancements which stems in the contemporary world. Both combined leads to a total bodily improvement of fitness and wellness.

When applied in combination, both massage and chiropractic care results in a tremendous effect, in maximizing and boosting the health and well-being of Human-bodies.

Massage and chiropractic: Modes of Manipulation

Both massage and Chiropractic care are performed at natural level by applying Hands-on technique. While the maneuvers may have a different approach, both manual manipulations aim in boosting a heightened health and wellness of total bodily systems.

Both are taken as an alternative and complementary medicine to the modern day main usual treatment protocol. Massages can be performed by traditional masseuse or masseur or by a trained massage therapist, while chiropractic care is given by a trained chiropractic physician or chiropractor.

The person or professional who gives the chiropractic care is called chiropractor. And the person or professional who gives massage therapy is called Massage therapist.

 massage and chiropractic: Focus Areas

Even though, both massage therapy and chiropractic care tends to achieve a maximized overall bodily health and well-being, they have different focus and areas of bodily applications. Where did they focus?

Massage Therapy:

Primarily, massage is a systematic manipulation of the body muscles and soft tissues to attain maximal health and well-being by reducing body stress, relieving pain and by bringing up peak relaxations. It mainly focuses on the superficial layer of the skin, especially, muscles, soft tissues, tendons and the joints.

In fact, massage is a broad term that encompasses different modalities and techniques of manipulations. Some of these modalities focus on specific target areas and some of the other modalities covers the whole body.  As well, some of these are performed on the superficial part of the skin and others go deep in to the deeper layers of the tissues. to get thorough information on massage click here.

In order to achieve optimum bodily healthy outcome, massage therapy uses several different chemical agents, like, gels, oils and other materials. And when, some of the massage therapies are done on bare body and the others are done while we are fully clothed.

Massage therapists doesn’t diagnose what the real causes of these ailments and diseases could be, instead, they simply focus on decreasing pain and soothing of stress and attaining relaxation by the help of massage therapy.

Chiropractic care:

It is a systematic manipulation of the neuro-musculoskeletal system. Its focus areas are mainly the spines, the neck, shoulder, back, bone, joints, and the lower extremities. It mainly focuses on maintaining the alignment and posture of the spine and overall body structures.

The overall goal of this manual adjustment is to confirm the normal functioning of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Indeed, Nerves together with the musculoskeletal system helps humans to keep their normal body balance, posture and bodily movements.

Indeed, the skeletal system together with the nervous system, keeps our body balance and movements to become optimum and active. When any injuries and derangements occurs on the musculoskeletal system, we lose our balance and become incapable of maintaining our posture and bodily movements.

Chiropractors mainly focus to manipulate these disorders, to regain our balance and normal functioning. Most of the time, when nerves get damaged, paralysis, pain and inability to move are the main manifestations. As a result, posture imbalance, and misalignment problems comes to unfold.

Moreover, the nervous system serves as the main medium of communication between the brain and the other body parts. Any messages and feelings b/n the different body parts are communicated via this system. Nerves also serve as the center for controlling and functioning of the body balance and movements. As a result, Maintaining the health status of these systems becomes a key role of chiropractors.

Any derangement to the spine in turn causes misfunctionality of the nervous system. As The spinal cord and the brain are parts of the central nervous system, any ailments that affect the spines also affect the brain and spinal cord. to get more information on chiropractic care click here.

The vertebral bones together with the lower extremity bones helps as to keep our posture and movement to be balanced and normal. Any disorder or derangement to these structures results in misalignment and imbalance of posture. Chiropractors main role is to adjust and balance all these misfunctionalities manually.

How to do massage and chiropractic care

Massage Therapy:

As massage therapy is a broad subject, we couldn’t explain the whole procedures of massage here. Rather, let us see the key takeaways relative to chiropractic care. In massage therapy, we don’t do or take any history or physical examination, nor do laboratory investigations. Here, Individuals or patients are treated according to the complaint they bring to the massage therapist or based on their request.

But, a masseuse or massage therapists can also help patients by notifying, what the best options needed, to the patients or clients based on their ailments. Based on that choice, clients can get massaged partially or wholly, to relieve their pain, agony, stress and get full relaxations.

chiropractic care:

In chiropractic care, chiropractors take complete history and do thorough physical examinations. In addition to this, , they can also order laboratory investigations and further, they can also order x-ray, MRI, and CT-Scan options  to further diagnose the source of the problem.

According to their findings, chiropractors, adjust the spine and other extremities. While doing the procedure, your chiropractic physician will place you in a specifically designed table lying face down with padded and comfortable position. to get further information on spinal manipulation click here.

The chiropractor will apply his/her hand in a controlled, and apply a thrust force to the joints and bones. During the procedure, the chiropractor can use the following adjustment options.

• Stretching and relaxing
• Adjustments
• Giving physical support, like in joints
• Soft tissue therapy and others

In addition to these adjustments, Chiropractic care can also help to treat many conditions that affect the nervous system and musculoskeletal systems like

• Migraine or headache
• Insomnia/loss of sleep/
• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Muscle pain

They can also treat any pains occurring in the elbow, ankle, joints, jaws, shoulder, wrist, pelvis, hips, knees and so on.

moreover, chiropractors can also refer and give an advice on ergonomic movements like / sitting, walking and standing/ diet, nutrition and other complementary supportive systems.

Massage or Chiropractic Care: Which One Comes First

Even though chiropractors recommend to do chiropractic adjustment first, there is no strict rule that compelled professionals to manipulate this one or that one first.

But, physicians/masseuse/therapists/ and clients may choose and decide to maneuver one of the options first, according to the ailments and disabilities individuals have, chiropractors can decide the procedures which to be done at first.

If clients are examined to have dislocations and fractures, doing chiropractic adjustment comes first.  and after positioning the dislocation, chiropractors could do massage manipulations. But, if there is no any dislocation, we can do primarily massage to relax the muscle tightness and spasm, then, we can continue doing chiropractic adjustment next.

Chiropractors can give both chiropractic care and massage therapy or can refer to massage therapist. Doing both manual manipulations, one procedure after the other helps for fast recovery and healing process.

Contraindications for Massage and Chiropractic Care

• If bones are weak and break easily/Osteoporosis/
• If there is cancer in the spine or other extremities
• If there is any tingling and numbness in the musculoskeletal system
• If there is an increased risk of stroke
• Any bone abnormality in the neck
• Any signs and symptoms of ailments and diseases
• Blood clothing tendencies
• Contagious diseases
• Uncontrolled hypertension

Side Effects and Complications of Massage and Chiropractic 

Most side effects occur, if they are performed by less competent and non-professional physicians. In order to reduce these side effects and complications, patients should consult the right chiropractic physician and get the right service. Inappropriately treated patients/clients may develop the following side effects and complications

• Contraction of nerves/pinched nerves/
• Worsening of disc herniation
• Emergency Stroke
• Soreness or pain
• Headache
• Fatigue

Benefits of Massage Therapy

• Reduce stress
• Relieve pain
• Boost relaxation
• Increase blood flow
• Increase physical health
• Enhance mental health
• Increase emotional/spiritual health
• Enhances enlightment

Benefits of Chiropractic Care

• Reduce muscle stiffness and spasm
• Reduce pain from neck related headaches and migraines
• Increase skeletal mobility
• Adjust postural movements
• Relieve pain from neck and spinal injuries
• Enhance bodily Relaxation
• Boosts mood
• Adjust whiplash
• Treats and prevents scoliosis
• Treats sciatica/ pain arising from sciatic nerve/

Combined Benefits of Massage and Chiropractic Care

When used in combination, both massage and chiropractic care, give a greater and longer and even heightened benefits over the overall bodily systems. It has a heightened, maximized and peak total bodily functions and activities. Some of the benefits include:

• Both massage and chiropractic  Maximizes relaxation
• Both Achieves Heightened mood level
• Attains Maximum bliss and euphoria
• More enhanced fitness and wellness
• Heightened mobility and functionality
• Heightened physical, mental and spiritual health
• Heightened quality of life and well-being

In general, when massage and chiropractic care are used concurrently, the health status of individuals reaches its peak level. Fitness and wellness becomes the new styles of life, and above all the overall health status and quality of life get heightened.

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