3 Complementary Therapies That Can Help Chiropractic Patients
Posted on: 7 April 2016
A series of appointments with your local chiropractor can help you bid farewell to back or neck pain for good. While your chiropractic adjustments will get your spine in its proper alignment and reduce the pressure on your nerves and muscles that is contributing to your pain, you can often use complementary therapies to help your body prepare for the adjustments. It's a good idea to ask your chiropractor about other forms of therapy first, but he or she will often refer you to specific health practitioners—including some that might be located under the same roof. Here are some complementary therapies that can improve the efficacy of the chiropractic adjustments.
Massage Therapy
The ability of your chiropractor to adjust your spine relies partially on your muscles being relaxed; when they're tight, it's more difficult to perform the desired adjustment and it might take more treatments for you to get the results that you desire. Visiting a massage therapist before your chiropractic adjustment is one of the best ways to loosen up your tight muscles; even if you don't think that you have tight muscles, it's worth scheduling a massage to have an expert assess your body. When you book your massage appointment, make sure that your therapist knows that you'll be having a chiropractic adjustment afterward so that he or she can specifically focus on loosening the muscles in your back or neck.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy is a form of treatment that some specially certified massage therapists can perform and, like a massage itself, is an ideal way to prepare for your chiropractic adjustment. Craniosacral treatments don't specifically target the muscles; instead, they work on releasing restrictions within the connective tissue that surrounds your back muscles and spine. When the restrictions are released, these areas become more malleable and thus make your body more relaxed and "soft" for the chiropractic adjustment.
Reflexology
By targeting specific pressure points on your feet and hands, reflexology has an overall relaxing benefit to your body. If you book an appointment with a reflexologist in anticipation of your chiropractic adjustment, specify that you're looking for relaxation. Treatment of these pressure points can relax your nervous system which, in turn, can lead to relaxation throughout your body. Reflexology sessions are highly relaxing -- often to the point that you'll have trouble staying awake. This is ideal as a way to get your body ready for the upcoming adjustment with the chiropractor.
For more insight, contact services such as Healing Hands Family Chiropractic & Massage Centre.
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