It’s no secret that massages promote relaxation and have many benefits associated with them. But did you know about the benefits of chiropractic massage? While most people commonly think of massages and luxurious spa settings together, there are several different kinds of massage, such as chiropractic massages, that can be used to help with a wide range of health issues. Here’s what you need to know about chiropractic massage, the different types of it, and 6 useful benefits that you can experience from it. 

What Is Chiropractic Massage?

Chiropractic treatment is known for being a natural, non-invasive way to alleviate pain and ensure that your body is in alignment, which can help resolve many different health problems, such as back pain, neck pain, and more. While chiropractic adjustments are meant to manipulate your musculoskeletal system, chiropractic massage manipulates your soft tissues, such as your muscles and your tendons. 

What Are The Different Types Of Chiropractic Massage?

There are many benefits of chiropractic massage, such as increased mobility, reduced stress, and so much more. There are several different types of chiropractic massage which can help with several different specific issues. 

Some of the different types of chiropractic massage are as follows:

• Deep Tissue Massage

This deeply penetrating tissue massage is utilized in order to alleviate severe muscular tension and spasms. 

• Swedish Massage

This type of massage involves several different movements of the hands and the wrists which are meant to achieve several therapeutic benefits.

• Trigger Point Massage 

Sometimes when there are tight areas in your body, they can radiate to other parts which are called your “trigger points”. With isolated pressure, this tension can be relieved.

• Sports Massage

This type of massage uses several different techniques which are designed to help reduce your risk of injury, increase your flexibility, and improve your endurance.

• Prenatal Massage

Prenatal massage is a special kind of massage that is meant to help pregnant people’s bodies with support, comfort, and relaxation during this period of time.

• Infant Massage

Specialized chiropractors can use infant massage in order to improve the quality of sleep in newborns and alleviate symptoms of issues such as colic and gas. 

What Are The Benefits Of Chiropractic Massage?

You can tell what some of the benefits of chiropractic massage are based on the descriptions of the various different types of massage available to you. Let’s go more in depth into the benefits of chiropractic massage so that you can better understand how this natural method of treatment can improve your overall health and wellbeing. 

#1. Increases The Effectiveness Of Chiropractic Care

When combined with more traditional chiropractic care, one of the benefits of chiropractic massage is that it can make overall treatment more effective as a whole. This is because massage therapy relaxes your muscles and your overall central nervous system, which makes it easier for chiropractic adjustments to be effective sooner. 

#2. Alleviates Pain

Muscular tension can cause a lot of pain. Tension, inflammation, swelling – these are all problems that can be decreased by chiropractic massages. While chiropractic adjustments target the root cause of your pain, chiropractic massage is a way to alleviate pain in the meantime. 

#3. Optimizes Your Athletic Performance

When you see a chiropractor for a massage, you’ll be able to optimize your athletic performance. This is because, as mentioned above when we were talking about sports massage, chiropractic massage can help keep your body in good condition, improve your overall range of motion, and overall help you achieve your peak performance. 

#4. Reduces Stress Levels

This is what massage is perhaps the most famous for as a whole – relaxation and helping you walk out a calmer, more peaceful you. One of the most commonly known benefits of chiropractic massage is how it can reduce your stress levels, which can be incredibly beneficial, especially if you are currently going through a stressful period in your life. 

#5. Improves Your Blood Circulation

Another one of the great benefits of chiropractic massage is how it can improve your blood circulation which can also lower your blood pressure. When your circulatory system is in good condition, this helps with your energy levels, your heart health, your temperature sensitivity, and so much more. It’s important to have good blood circulation so that all of our bodily systems can function properly. 

#6. Eases Muscular Tension

Another one of the more commonly known benefits of chiropractic massage is how it can alleviate muscular tension. You know how you have a stressful day and then your back and neck get all tense and you ask a loved one for a massage to get all those knots out? That’s something chiropractic massage can do for you, which can also assist in your body’s natural healing process. 

Could You Use A Chiropractic Massage?

Ogden Chiropractic offers all of the different kinds of chiropractic massage listed above. If you feel like you could use a chiropractic massage, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule one today! We are always more than happy to help people achieve their peak health and wellness however we can.

Childhood is a very active time, as your kids learn how to crawl, to walk, to run, to play. Kids grow fast and it’s often easier for them to bounce right back up after taking a tumble than it is for adults. Although kids are very resilient, all that activity and all those falls on the playground can impact their musculoskeletal system, which pediatric chiropractic care can help with. 

Many parents want to keep their kids in good health, but are skeptical of pediatric chiropractic care and whether or not it is actually safe to take their child to a chiropractor. Here’s what you need to know about pediatric chiropractic care and how it is indeed safe for your child.

Is It Safe To Take Your Child To A Chiropractor?

It’s not uncommon for people to raise their eyebrows when they hear about pediatric chiropractic care – but then, they raise their eyebrows at chiropractic care in general, too. Chiropractic is an officially recognized profession that many insurances cover. Doctors of chiropractic are required to undergo extensive schooling and to obtain a license in order to be able to practice – as well as continue their education in order to keep said license. 

Chiropractic care is an excellent, natural, non-invasive treatment method for issues such as spinal misalignment and sprains and the like. As such, chiropractic care is legitimate – and so too is pediatric chiropractic care. Chiropractors will be able to help keep your child’s spine in alignment so that their growth isn’t impacted and that they’re able to bounce around the house pain-free. 

What Is Pediatric Chiropractic Care Like?

Pediatric chiropractic care is a bit different from normal chiropractic care, due to the fact that you’re dealing with someone who is still growing and developing. As such, it’s vital that you ensure your child’s chiropractor is experienced in working with children, since normal chiropractic methods can hurt rather than help a child. 

It’s those chiropractors who don’t know how to adjust their methods for pediatric chiropractic care that cause problems, in doing something they are not qualified for, and hurting your child in the process. A chiropractor who does know how to work with children, though, can greatly help your child’s body get back into alignment in a natural and non-invasive way.

Pediatric chiropractic care necessitates both that the chiropractor have a very patient and kind bedside manner, as well as less forceful adjustments. Adjustments made with too much force can hurt your child’s spine, but a pediatric chiropractor will ensure that their adjustments are gentle, but still effective, to help, not hurt. Pediatric chiropractic care requires adaptations in the techniques used, the depth, and the contact of the treatments, so that it’s effective for developing bodies.

Why Would Children See A Chiropractor?

The same as for adults, there are many conditions that pediatric chiropractic care can help with, such as:

• Headaches
• Back pain
• Hip pain
• Shoulder pain
• Sleep issues
• Stress
• Sports injuries
• Neck pain
• And more!

Additionally, there are unique challenges children face that pediatric chiropractic care can prove a beneficial treatment method for. This includes ensuring that your child’s growth isn’t impacted by alignment problems and that your child’s brain development isn’t impacted by undue pressure on their joints and spine. Essentially, a child would see a chiropractor for all the same reasons an adult would – the adjustments are just a bit different to keep them safe for little, developing bodies.

What You Need To Know Before Taking Your Child To A Chiropractor

While it’s perfectly safe to take your child to a chiropractor, before you do so, you’ll want to ensure that the chiropractor you see has experience working with children. As mentioned before, pediatric chiropractic care necessitates differences in methods in order to be effective and safe. An inexperienced chiropractor can do more harm than good, so before you take your child to a chiropractor, double check that they have the necessary experience.

There are some red flags that you can watch for to help you determine whether or not a chiropractor is safe for your child or not. Chiropractic care is excellent for many health problems, but if you run into a chiropractor claiming that they can cure diseases, this isn’t true, so you’ll know that they are not trustworthy.

Some things to check for before taking your child to a chiropractor in order to ensure that they are legitimate and will be able to actually help include:

• They are a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic.
• They’re experienced in pediatric chiropractic care.
• They come recommended by other doctors.
• They have plenty of testimonials and references.
• They have a solid, detailed answer for how they would treat your child’s issues.
• They’re open with parents about their care.
• They don’t make false claims and are honest about what chiropractic care can and cannot help with.

Do You Need Pediatric Chiropractic Care For Your Kid?

Ogden Chiropractic offers exceptional pediatric chiropractic care. Our chiropractors are experienced and communicate openly with you to ensure that you’re informed every step of the way. If you’re considering pediatric chiropractic care for your child, contact us today, and let’s see if chiropractic care will help with their issues!

New Year’s health resolutions are so easy to make, but actually sticking to them is something that many people struggle with, so much so, that their New Year’s health resolutions often get abandoned within weeks. This comes down to a number of reasons, typically resulting from people setting big goals for themselves that they expect to be able to achieve quickly and then get frustrated when they don’t, and thus end up giving up on their New Year’s health resolutions. 

But you can indeed stick to your resolutions and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming big and setting goals for yourself. Here are some of the methods you can use in order to keep and achieve your New Year’s health resolutions. 

#1. Break Your Goals Down Into Small Steps

The most common mistake people make with their New Year’s resolutions is having this big goal, but not setting up a plan for how they’re going to achieve it. If your goal is to eat healthy and to stop eating fast food all the time, then making little switches over time will help you reach your end goal of eating healthy. While going cold turkey works for some, for most people who try to do that, they just end up yo-yoing back to their previous habits. 

Try switching out a candy bar for an apple, or one meal with a healthy alternative, and gradually increase the changes you make as the ones you incorporated become second nature. Through breaking your goals down into small steps that can be built on over time, it makes achieving your New Year’s health resolutions easier, both to get to and to sustain. 

#2. Don’t Try To Change Everything At Once

Okay, so it’s a new year, and you’re reflecting on all the things you want to change about your life. Change is extremely possible, but trying to do a complete 180 on your life all at once? That gets very overwhelming very fast. Similar to how breaking your goals down into smaller steps that are easier to achieve and build on will make sticking to your New Year’s health resolutions easier, so too will changing a few things here and there until you’re able to build up to making all the changes you wanted to.

For example, you want to get in shape, you want to run everyday, you want to eat healthy, you want to read a book a week, you want to cook at home more, you want to quit alcohol, etc, etc…. While all fantastic resolutions, focusing on one thing at a time until it becomes habitual will make all those changes possible, in the long run. Perhaps you start with reading a book every month or every two weeks until you’re able to read a book a week, and then you start to go on weekly runs and adding days. Through focusing on one change at a time, all those changes you want to make can happen. 

#3. Have An Accountability Buddy

Research shows that we’re very influenced by our social circle. If the people you surround yourself with don’t have a healthy lifestyle, that’ll make it easier to quit your New Year’s health resolutions. Having social support and an accountability buddy you can lean on and who can lean on you will make it easier to stay on track, especially if you’re able to do things like go on walks or to the gym together and the like. People learn from each other, and having support and encouragement reinforces the desire to work towards your goals. 

#4. Find A Way To Achieve Your New Year’s Health Resolutions That You Enjoy

So, one of your New Year’s health resolutions is getting in shape, so you decide to take up running. But you absolutely hate running. If you choose an exercise that you don’t like, you’re not going to want to exercise, which ultimately will likely result in you abandoning your fitness goals.

Finding a way to achieve your New Year’s health resolutions that you enjoy is an absolute must if you want to be able to stick with them. If you like to dance, then going to dance classes is something you can both look forward to and help you on your way to a healthier lifestyle, since it’s so much easier to do things that you like rather than that you hate. 

#5. Rethink Dieting

There are so many diets out there and so many people who have tried so many because they didn’t see the results they wanted. Rather than dieting, consulting with a nutritionist on the best foods and dietary recommendations for your specific needs will help you be healthier and achieve your goals, since you’ll be doing what’s best for you, personally. 

#6. Acknowledge Your Progress

It’s so easy to focus on everything we’re not rather than everything we are. If all we can focus on is how far we have left to go and all the ways in which we need to change or could improve on, this constant berating can lead us to give up on our goals. Acknowledging the progress you’ve made is a key part of sticking with your New Year’s health resolutions, because through seeing the positive changes you have made, it makes the ones you still want to make less discouraging. Be proud of yourself! It takes a lot of effort and commitment to make a change, and any progress you make towards your goals is cause for celebration. 

#7. Be Prepared For Setbacks – And Give Yourself Another Chance

No one is perfect. Setbacks are inevitable, and can often lead to the complete desertion of your New Year’s health goals, because you ran into a wall, so why bother to keep going? Setbacks are a part of life. It’s important to give yourself another chance. After all, although the start of the new year is the most common time for people to strive to make a change, you can work to better yourself at any time of the year, be it a Tuesday evening in July or whatever other untraditional time. 

Looking For More Ways To Keep Your New Year’s Health Resolutions?

Ogden Chiropractic is passionate about providing our patients with the tools they need in order to live a healthy lifestyle. From chiropractic adjustments to nutritional advice to help with exercising, we want to help you keep your New Year’s health resolutions. For more information or to set up an appointment, don’t hesitate to contact us today!