How Is a Chiropractic Massage Different from Massage Therapy?
Looking to learn about how a chiropractic massage is different from massage therapy? You’ve found the right blog. A chiropractor and a massage therapist seem like they fulfill the same purpose from their titles. Practitioners of both improve the physical health of their patients. They help them feel better through careful hand-driven therapies. But both fulfill their tasks through differing methods. The two address different parts of the body for those who need therapy. There are reasons to see one instead of the other. It’s important to know their differences before seeking one of them out.
The Duty of a Chiropractor
The chiropractor’s job is far more important than the massage therapist. It’s the chiropractor’s job to address spine misalignments that are paining a patient. Spine misalignments can pinch the nerves, and thus cause constant pain to a patient. Spinal issues can be the cause of many pains in the body that seem unrelated to it. This can lead to back pain, neck pain, and even issues with the jaw.
The spine is connected to the skull and brain stem. This allows the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. It’s this function that helps people move with their most basic methods. There are times when the body won’t receive the message accurately from the brain. This is when a misalignment has occurred. A failure to treat a misalignment quickly with a chiropractic spinal adjustment can lead to more pain in the future. This is when it’s good to visit a chiropractor for the realignment process.
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It’s easy for the spine to become misaligned. Serious injuries are the most well-known cause for this. These can happen in several ways when playing a sport. This can happen on the job, particularly if it involves carrying heavy equipment or packages. These pains will also arise through whiplash, or car accidents.
But spine misalignment will happen in more mundane ways too. This can include poor posture when performing basic tasks. Someone is perhaps sitting at a desk for too long a time without taking breaks. It also happens when they’re sitting with poor posture. Spinal issues will also arise in those who sleep in poor positions for too many nights. This extreme pain will lead to headaches too if not treated quickly.
It’s a good idea to make an appointment with the chiropractor quickly when these pains first arrive. The chiropractor will first work with the patient to determine the underlying cause of their pain. They’ll sometimes need help from an x-ray to pinpoint this cause. This will show whether the pain is emanating from around the spine or the soft tissues. Then, they’ll determine how best to address the cause of the pain.
The treatment for the pain will involve chiropractic adjustments that include special massages. This can involve prescribing exercises for the patient to participate in. Depending on the pain’s severity, the chiropractor will need to be present while the patient exercises. Severe pain will involve the chiropractor having a patient participate in a variety of actions. The constant massages and exercises will ensure the pain evaporates as quickly as possible.
The Duty of a Massage Therapist
The massage therapist’s job isn’t as important as the chiropractor’s. But this doesn’t mean they don’t provide benefits. Massage therapy involves the act of easing tense muscles to alleviate pain. This will free the body of tension and improve the blood flow in the muscles. The process will ensure that the body feels less pain all around. But the massage therapist’s stronger focus on the body’s soft tissue.
Free movement for the patient will be improved afterward. Massage therapists accomplish this task with a literal hands-on approach. Their treatment is combined with oils and lotions to strengthen healing. But their methods don’t involve invasive therapy.
Muscle manipulation from the massage therapist will involve numerous benefits. These will improve a person’s ongoing health for the near and far future. The pain in the muscles will evaporate after the massage therapist finishes. The increased blood flow as a result will even increase a person’s life expectancy.
Many people visit massage therapists for mere relaxation and to address minor pains. Even a short massage that lasts 15 minutes can lower stress and blood pressure. Longer massages will be good for alleviating anxiety and tension. The eased stress, tension, and anxiety will lead to lowered feelings of depression. It will also lead to better sleep, a full night’s rest. A person’s digestion and memory will also be improved.
These are less serious issues than those the chiropractor addresses. The chiropractor targets serious and physical pains in the body. It’s their duty to take care of more ostensible issues that trouble patients. Their treatment is more immediate. But this doesn’t mean the massage therapist doesn’t have an essential task.
The Case for Seeing Both
Whether the chiropractor or massage therapist should be seen depends on the injury. The chiropractor has the most important job, to take care of internal pain. The spinal realignment is attached to many body pains. The chiropractor also does a better job of and has more tools for addressing a patient’s internal pain.
The chiropractor’s treatment methods might involve multiple appointments. They’ll have a variety of tasks available for the patient’s pain to be treated during these periods. One of those could involve seeing a massage therapist. It’s the duty of this therapist to provide additional treatments to body pains. Regular visits to both will lead to the patient recovering faster.
Chiropractic care is more effective and long lasting. It’s more important to address internal pain that arises from the spine and other body parts. But it’s also important for the patient’s muscles to remain relaxed and loose during the recovery process. This can involve seeing the massage therapist for additional treatments for the body. The combination of the two will also lead to an increase in mental health. The patient will be able to perform better at their jobs. They will sleep better at night. They can resume performing tasks like they could before the pain arose.
It’s good to see both. A patient will need good and ample treatment if their pains are extreme. But visits to the massage therapist are addendums to the chiropractor’s important work. This will be even more helpful if the chiropractor also provides the massage therapy themselves. But it’s most beneficial to receive official opinions from the doctor. They’ll help determine the best methods to treat pain. The chiropractor can then be talked to for an in-person visit or a telehealth appointment. They’ll both form plans to address what ails their patients. The patient will return to a normal and healthy life after treatment periods and time.
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How Is a Chiropractic Massage Different from Massage Therapy?
The chiropractor will provide the important treatment. They’ll form a plan to treat a patient’s pain after determining the cause. The chiropractor will then plan a step-by-step process to ease the patient’s internal pains. Massage therapy is a solid addendum to this pain, in addition to providing stress relief. But both can be seen simultaneously, and the chiropractor will sometimes prescribe massage therapy. Seeing the two of them will lead to faster recovery from the patient. But the chiropractor remains more important in this process. This is how a chiropractic massage is different from massage therapy.
