A question we commonly get asked here at Gallatin Valley Chiropractic, is, "should I get a massage before or after getting getting adjusted?" The answer to that question is that it depends. We typically determine the answer by first determining what phase of healing the patient is in. Where the patient is at in their healing phase makes a difference on if they should get a massage before or after getting chiropractic care. The three phases of healing include acute, subacute and chronic.

If the Patient is in the Acute Phase

The acute phase starts immediately after the occurrence of the injury. During this phase your body's natural response to the damage caused by the injury, is to initiate an inflammatory response to begin the healing process. 

• From our clinical experience, when patients are in the acute phase of healing and receive chiropractic care first... then receive a massage, their tissues respond more favorably to the massage, and have significantly decreased symptoms.

If the Patient is in the Subacute Phase

The subacute phase begins a few weeks past the occurrence of the injury. During the subacute phase the body is still undergoing it's healing response, actively laying down new tissue, remodeling the affected area. The amount of inflammation still present varies patient to patient. Ideally, the inflammation should be greatly decreased by now, with little to no edema present. 

• If the patient is healing at a slower pace with a considerable amount of inflammation still present, treating the injury like it's in the acute phase and receiving chiropractic care prior to getting a massage has shown favorable responses in healing and has even shown improvements in blood and lymphatic circulation.

If the Patient is in the Chronic Phase

 The chronic phase of healing occurs months to years past the onset of the injury. The inflammation from the injury should be resolved, with remodeling of the tissues complete. Often times, inflammation can reoccur with flare-ups. When the tissues heal, there is often adhesions and stiffness around the injury site and occasionally scar tissue formation. This can decrease range of motion, create functional compensations and can be very painful. 

• At this stage of healing we have seen that receiving massage before chiropractic care, better helps the tissues relax, which in turn improves the patient's response to chiropractic care.

Following these guidelines can have a huge impact on decreasing symptoms as well as improving the patient's response to massage and chiropractic care. If you have an injury that you have questions about regarding treatment and rehabilitation, call us and our doctors will discuss what the best option is for you!

Call us: 406-551-2177

Schedule online at: https://appointments.mychirotouch.com/?clinic=GVCL0001