Although the majority of our patients attend our practice looking for chiropractic care, we also offer massage therapy at both of our clinics.

Many people think they should either see a chiropractor OR a massage therapist. But the truth is that seeing both may well be even better!

So why might someone have both?

Well there are a number of benefits to combining chiropractic care and massage therapy. Firstly, massage can extend the benefits of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic treatment restores normal movement to the spine, but over time, various stresses on the body can cause the surrounding muscles to start to stiffen up. Having a massage to reduce that stiffness means that your spine won’t stiffen as quickly and retains the benefits of each adjustment for longer. This also works in reverse – chiropractic treatment extends the benefit of massage too. This is because abnormal motion in the spine causes the surrounding muscles to have to work harder. By restoring normal motion, the muscles can stay relaxed for longer.

Secondly, massage is a great way to relax mentally, and prolonged mental stress is often a contributor to problems with the spine and nervous system as well.

Someone who is relaxed mentally will hold less tension in their spinal muscles and have a healthier back in general.

A third advantage is that both disciplines address similar spinal issues but from a different approach.

Chiropractic treatment addresses muscle and joint problems by primarily focusing on the nervous system. Massage therapy, on the other hand, addresses these primarily through the circulatory system – improving blood flow and removing waste products from the area. Although both treatment types will ultimately affect both systems, it can be advantageous for many patients to have their problem addressed by both approaches simultaneously.

However, we should mention that if you are suffering with pain or a particular condition, it would be best to see a Chiropractor first.

Chiropractors are trained to fully examine and diagnose spinal conditions, which is important in order to ascertain exactly what treatment would be best. Patients and non-patients are both welcome to see our massage therapists, but for those currently in pain a proper diagnosis is required first in order to provide the best level of care.

At the Sevenoaks and Beckenham Chiropractic Clinics, our chiropractors and massage therapists work together as a team.

When a chiropractic patient is referred for massage, their Chiropractor will let the massage therapist know exactly which muscles and areas to work on. So you can have full confidence that your massage therapist knows everything they need to before they’ve even seen you.