Which should come first?

Both chiropractic and massage therapy are great and extremely helpful, but they are very different.

The focus of therapeutic massage is the function of muscles and fascia, their function, and their relationship with the rest of the body. Massage therapists use techniques to work the muscles to a state of better function

The focus of chiropractic is correcting nerve interference due to spinal stress on the nerves, that allows for better brain-body, body-brain communication, resulting in better healing, better adaptation, and better health.\

Who should you see first, the chiropractor or  massage therapist?

Who should you see first, the chiropractor or massage therapist? That depends on what kind of help and information you are looking for. 

 

As a general rule, chiropractors have more objective testing for the nervous system and neuro-muscular system. Massage therapists who are not also chiropractors, generally have far less training than a doctor of chiropractic. But that’s ok, they are very well trained to do their job as a massage therapist. That being said, A lot of information from a chiropractic examination will translate into valuable information for the massage therapist. A test commonly used in chiropractic offices is called a Surface EMG. It measures neuromuscular activity and electrical activity in the muscles of the back, much like an EKG does with the heart. This test and many others are valuable to both providers. Taking more information to the massage therapist will likely be a better sequence than going from the massage therapist to the chiropractor. Massage therapists and chiropractors often refer back and forth, because their care compliments one another in many cases. Ultimately your health will benefit in different ways by seeing both providers, but you will walk away with more objective and comprehensive health information after your first chiropractic visit than at your first massage therapy visit. Who should you see first, a chiropractor or massage therapist? It depends on what you want, the level of education you seek, what you are expecting for results.