Like massage, chiropractic adjustments can help relieve neck and back pain, headaches, and can improve mobility and range of motion. According to the Canadian Chiropractic Association, approximately 4.5 million Canadians visit a chiropractor each year. Dr. Rick Hawthorne, who’s office is on Government Street in Penticton and has been practicing for 27 years, has explained this to me personally, many times, that together massage therapy and chiropractic adjustments can greatly increase the effectiveness of both treatments.

While chiropractic focuses on the nervous system, the musculoskeletal structure, and hard tissues; massage therapy manipulates the soft tissues; the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. When we are out of alignment it can cause the muscles around the area to protect it by tightening or going into spasm. As well, a tight muscle can potentially pull a bone out of alignment. After a chiropractic adjustment it is very common for those tight muscles to pull the joints back out of place, again causing pain. We know massage improves circulation, increases blood flow and relaxes muscles which help to increase the effectiveness of chiropractic care. Massage warms the soft tissues, causing them to loosen and relax which allows the chiropractic adjustment to stay in place.

As Dr. Hawthorne explained to me, when things get really tight, inflammation starts and that is when the pain gets worse. Part of the inflammatory process causes pain nerves to become much more sensitive. That is why anti-inflammatories reduce pain but they do not correct the cause of the pain. That is why massage and chiropractic help, they correct the cause.

Maintaining a strong, healthy body and mind can take a consistent effort. It is more beneficial to have treatments on a regular basis rather than only when there is severe pain.