Chiroptactor

Massage vs Chiropractic in Adelaide

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should seek out a massage therapist or Chiropractor for a particular problem, ache or pain then this article is for you. You’ve probably heard of both and know a little bit about them but not enough to make a decision about which to use for your health issue. Not to worry, you’ve come to the right place to get answers. We’re focused on Adelaide but much of this information will be relevant to the rest of Australia too.

Overview

Let’s start with a brief overview of the underpinnings and backgrounds of each field so you can understand what they focus on;

  • Chiropractic – almost all your body’s functions are controlled by your brain, via your spinal cord and nerves. The bones of your spine are called ‘vertebrae’ which together house the spinal cord. Nerves which run from the spinal cord are the communication pathways for your body’s cells, tissues and organs. When your nervous system is impaired, it has the potential to create dysfunction. By improving the function of your spine and nervous system through chiropractic care, it in turn may allow your own body to self heal and self regulate at a higher level. It’s this focus and link that set’s chiropractic apart from other disciplines.
  • Massage – is focused on the soft tissues in the body to help relieve stress or pain. The object of massage is to loosen tight tissues and provide relief and relaxation to those tissues whether that be muscles, ligaments or tendons.

As you can see from the background information above, Chiropractic is focused on your whole body and how your spine and nervous system relate to its function. Chiropractic care can help relieve specific problems, help prevent future problems from occurring or reoccuring and improve your general health overall.

Massage, on the other hand is focused particularly on muscles and soft tissue, mainly working on those problem areas to relieve pain. These two approaches highlight how Chiropractic and Massage are actually quite different in the way they work and outcomes they are looking to achieve.

Experience & Expertise

While each practitioner will have varying levels of experience its important to discuss the minimum education standards, so you can have a better idea of what level of expertise each discipline will have.

Chiropractors at Spinecare have a minimum 5 years full time tertiary qualification. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession under the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This organisation is also responsible for regulating medicine, physiotherapy, dental etc. This higher level of regulation creates higher standards in care, ongoing education and monitoring.

Massage therapists can practice with one year or less of training. There is no government regulation of massage therapy in Australia which means there is no official licensing of massage therapists. .

Technology

Here’s a brief overview of the tools and technologies used in each discipline;

  • Chiropractic – x-ray, paraspinal thermal imaging, modern chiropractic tables, postural analysis, orthopedic testing, neurological testing, spinal assessments etc
  • Massage – massage tables, oils, lotions and creams, rocks, stones and massage tools

Health Conditions: Chiropractic & Massage

These are some conditions that can be looked at by both Chiropractic and Massage. Being a chiropractic blog we obviously recommend visiting your Chiropractor first to assess your underlying health conditions with a more well trained eye. Chiropractors are specifically trained to assess and determine whether you have any of the following conditions as well as many others;

  • Shoulder Pain
  • Arthritis
  • Lower Back Pain
  • Neck Pain
  • Bulging Disc
  • Upper Back Pain
  • Headaches
  • Herniated Disc
  • Sciatica
  • Pinched Nerve

We suggest booking an appointment with one of our Chiropractors to find out how chiropractic care could benefit you.