If you ask most people, they’ll tell you a massage is the most amazing gift you can get (or give yourself!), but many don’t realize that having a chiropractic adjustment before that massage can deepen the benefits of both!
Gulph Mills Chiropractic has an in-house massage therapist who can help maintain your chiropractic adjustment and improve your blood flow. Here’s how massage & chiropractic work together to improve your health and well-being.
What’s what …
A chiropractic adjustment reduces joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body, if you find a chiropractor who has a focus on extremity adjustments. You’re in luck at Gulph Mills Chiropractic, as Dr. Roger specializes in extremity adjustments! Adjusting the joints and spine reduces inflammation and pain while improving function of both the affected joint and your nervous system. A chiropractic adjustment is a precise procedure that uses minimal force and gentle pressure. Patients typically feel immediate relief after an adjustment (not to mention feeling a wee bit taller!)
Massage, as most people know, works the soft tissues of the body. A skilled masseuse uses techniques to manipulate the muscles and tendons that are affected by inflammation or pain. Lauren, the massage therapist at Gulph Mills Chiropractic Center, is well trained in several types of massage. Following is a selection of her specialties:
Swedish Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oils or lotion with an array of strokes such as rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced mental clarity, and greater flexibility.
Deep Tissue Massage targets chronic tension in muscles that lie far below the surface of your body. You have five layers of muscle in your back, for instance, and while Swedish massage may help the first couple of layers, it won’t do much directly for the muscle underneath. Deep muscle techniques usually involve slow strokes, direct pressure or friction movements that go across the grain of the muscles. Massage therapists will use their fingers, thumbs or occasionally even elbows to apply the needed pressure.
Sports Massage is a type of massage designed for highly active people who engage in athletics. Engaging in sports is harsh on the body and can often lead to injuries in both the short and long term. Sports Massage enhances performance and prolongs a sports career by helping to prevent injury, reduce pains and swelling in the body, relax the mind, increase flexibility, and dramatically improve recovery rates. Sports Massage is also highly effective in aiding the rapid recovery of an athlete from an injury by encouraging greater kinesthetic awareness and in turn promoting the body's natural immune function.
Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy intended to eliminate pain, increase range of motion, and rebalance the entire body. It does this by using massage techniques to stretch the fascia and release the bonds that exist between the fascia, muscles and bones. Fascia is the connective tissue that connects and covers all muscles, organs, and skeletal structures of the body. Direct myofascial release is sometimes known as deep tissue work. Indirect release applies light pressure and gently stretches the fascia; this allows for increased blood circulation and relief from pain.
Trigger Point Therapy is a style of bodywork that focuses on stimulating and releasing "trigger points" in your body. Trigger points are tender areas of tension similar to acupressure points, except they occur in the belly of the muscle rather than along the energy pathways of the body. These "knots" are built up throughout a person's life due to physical, mental, and/or emotional stress. During a session, focused pressure is applied through a variety of techniques order to release your trigger points. This process can be quite painful at times, yet the effects are lasting and profoundly transformative.
A form of deep tissue massage that is applied to individual muscles. It is used to increase blood flow, reduce pain and release pressure on nerves caused by injuries to muscles and other soft tissue. Neuromuscular massage helps release trigger points, intense knots of tense muscle can also “refer” pain to other parts of the body. Relieving a tense trigger point in your back, for example, could help ease pain in your shoulder or reduce headaches.
Geriatric massage is a form of massage designed to meet the specific needs of the elderly. It helps to improve blood circulation, relieve pain, and also increase range of motion. If you are elderly, geriatric massage can help you maintain and improve your overall health, as well as regain certain physical functions that have been reduced due to aging. In addition, since the elderly don't typically receive enough physical touch, this massage can also help alleviate symptoms of loneliness or depression.
Pregnancy Massage is a style of bodywork designed specifically for pregnant women. Pregnancy is a time when a woman's body endures tremendous stress due to dramatic physical and emotional changes. Using various techniques specially developed for the expecting mother, Pregnancy Massage helps release the pain and discomfort experienced throughout pregnancy. The benefits are profound, including emotional support, the relief of joint pain due to extra weight and postural imbalance, and improved breathing and relaxation.
A marriage made in heaven
Why do chiropractic and massage work so well together? I’m glad you asked! Your muscles would be fairly useless without your spine and nervous system. Your nervous system sends messages through the spinal cord (which works better when your spine is in alignment – yay chiropractic!) to your muscles to generate movement. Reducing inflammation (yay massage!) in your muscles and restriction in your joints (including your spinal column) allows for optimal function of your body. Regular chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic massage can make a huge difference in your mobility. Soft tissue heals more quickly if your joints are properly aligned. So … regular tandem treatment of chiropractic and massage can help to keep pain at bay.
Additionally, routine chiropractic care in conjunction with massage has many other benefits, including:
Call Gulph Mills Chiropractic Center to schedule your adjustment and ask about having a massage immediately after your adjustment: 484-751-5037.
570 West Dekalb Pike, Ground Floor, Suite 113
King of Prussia, PA 19406, United States
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