If you’re experiencing an abundance of pain due to injury or otherwise, you may seek the help of a health professional.
Chiropractors and massage therapists are likely options for many.
What’s the difference?
Chiropractors and massage therapists may seem similar but are very different in terms of the approach they take. They both can help alleviate the pain that is disrupting your quality of life. But Chiropractic care address the spine and its alignment and massage therapists are more focuses on the muscles.
The differences don’t stop there. There is a myriad of reasons why you may want to choose one over the other. However, the reasons may not always be obvious.
So, if you’re looking for relief, we’re ready to lend a helping hand for your healing journey by diving into the differences between a chiropractor vs. massage.
In the end, you’ll have a better understanding of how a chiropractor and a massage may be able to help you start healing!
Chiropractor vs. Massage: What’s Best for You?
Chiropractor Treatment
When learning more about how any treatment may help you, your first step is to do a thorough evaluation to understand what the problem is and what treatment is necessary.
An upper cervical chiropractor’s goal addresses misalignments to your spine that are pinching nerves. In other words, a chiropractor’s goal is to treat your spine and alignment problems and allow the body once balanced fix itself.
Your spine’s alignment can be the cause of a surprising number of many seemingly unrelated health issues like TMJ pain and back and neck pain.
Why does your spine alignment matter so much?
There are two vertebrae—atlas and axis—where your skull and brain stem meet the top of your spine. Through this connection, your brain can communicate with the rest of your body.
Those messages can not be transmitted to the body when the connection is disrupted by misalignment. Even more, long term misalignment can cause lasting health issues if not addressed appropriately.
A chiropractor will create a personalized treatment plan to address your unique needs.
Massage Treatment
The term “massage” refers to a broad field of practice. There are numerous specializations that a massage therapist can study. In the end, different types of massage therapy offer distinctive benefits.
For example, a myofascial release massage therapist focuses on manipulating a patient’s connective tissue to release tense muscles.
This manipulation of the body’s soft tissue is one major difference between chiropractic vs. massage treatment. As we learned earlier, an upper cervical chiropractor’s main focus is to align the spine as needed to maximize nerve function.
To summarize, a chiropractor corrects spinal misalignments, and a massage therapist manipulates your soft tissue and muscles.
Chiropractor vs. Massage: Can You Get Treatment From Both?
Now that you know more about chiropractic and massage treatment, you are probably wondering if you can visit both.
This question is best reserved for your current chiropractor or massage therapist.
They can help you make an informed decision on whether a different treatment can add value.
Often, massage treatment can be beneficial after a chiropractic adjustment to relieve residual soreness.
Likewise, they may advise against it to not disrupt the previous adjustment or treatment.
Help Your Body Heal With the Best Treatment!
All in all, there are many combinations of chiropractic and massage care that may benefit you. Depending on your needs, one treatment may have better benefits than the other.
One of the best methods to determine what treatment can help your specific condition can be through an initial chiropractic visit.
An initial visit is helpful because your chiropractor will spend the visit learning about your condition. This can involve preliminary examinations—without any adjustments!—as well as x-rays.
Once your chiropractor understands your condition, they can assess whether or not chiropractic care is the right fit. So, if chiropractic care isn’t the best choice for your condition, this visit can still help!
In the end, the goal of a chiropractor remains the same: helping you heal in a way that is best for you.
Thus, you may be referred to other treatments that may be a good fit or a great addition to chiropractic care.
No matter what, your health and how you can heal the best will always come first!
Want to schedule an initial visit with a chiropractor and find the right relief?
Contact Begin Within’s office at (480) 699-3086 to receive a complimentary first consultation today and start healing!
