What Is the Difference Between Chiropractic Bodywork and Massage? Introducing Our Salon, Which Offers Both

Do you know the difference between chiropractic bodywork and massage?

Some of you may find yourselves unsure which to choose, not knowing the difference.

Chiropractic bodywork and massage may seem the same at first glance, but they actually differ in approach and benefits. And knowing this difference lets you choose the treatment best suited to your concern.

KADOMORI offers both. This article explains the difference between chiropractic bodywork and massage, and also introduces KADOMORI’s treatments — do use it as a reference.

What Is the Difference Between Chiropractic Bodywork and Massage?

Chiropractic bodywork and massage differ in their approach and benefits. Understanding this difference should help you know which is better suited to resolving your concern, and which you should choose.

Let’s explain the difference between chiropractic bodywork and massage in detail.

What Is Chiropractic Bodywork, to Begin With

Chiropractic bodywork works on stiff, tense muscles and joints, improving posture and bodily discomfort. Its hallmark is that it approaches from the bone structure, not just the surface.

By treating from the bone structure, it can resolve posture and distortion that need fundamental correction. It is also effective for changing a body prone to stiffness, and for constitutional improvement as the bone structure is corrected. That said, some treatments can involve a degree of discomfort.

Receiving treatment regularly can also be expected to bring long-term benefits.

What Is Massage, to Begin With

Massage is a treatment primarily aimed at relaxation. Like chiropractic bodywork, it works on the muscles, but its hallmark is working on shallower muscles than chiropractic bodywork does. As a result, a moderate pressure can be expected to deliver a relaxing effect.

Many massage treatments also strongly promote lymph and blood flow. By encouraging waste expulsion, detox and slimming benefits can also be expected.

The effect is immediate, but sustaining it long-term requires a reasonable frequency of treatment.

A Difference in Purpose

A major difference in purpose between chiropractic bodywork and massage lies in how long the effects last. As mentioned above, chiropractic bodywork can bring long-term benefits with each additional session. Massage’s effects, however, are often temporary, and it may be difficult to feel results without receiving treatment at appropriate intervals.

That said, massage is ideal for the pleasant relaxation effect people seek, and for slimming and detox benefits sought with immediacy in mind.

A Difference in Benefits

The difference in benefits largely depends on the depth of muscle worked. Massage works on the surface muscle layer, and temporary improvement in stiffness can be expected. However, this effect often fades after a while, and you may find yourself thinking “I’m stiff again” quite often.

Chiropractic bodywork works from deep within the muscle, so while some discomfort may occur during treatment, fundamental improvement of stiffness can be expected. Working from deeper layers also tends to make the effects last longer.

A Difference in Method

Chiropractic bodywork is performed mainly by hand, sometimes with dedicated equipment. By adjusting the bone structure — the pelvis, spine, and so on — and working on deep muscles, it can fundamentally improve the body’s balance. As the body’s balance improves, discomforts like fatigue and stiffness can improve as well. There are also purpose-specific varieties, such as sports chiropractic and beauty chiropractic.

Massage is performed by kneading and stroking the muscles with the hands and fingers, loosening muscular tension. Because it works on the surface muscle layer, it delivers relaxation at a pleasant intensity.

Do You Need a Qualification?

Both chiropractic bodyworkers and massage practitioners have associated qualifications, but the chiropractic bodyworker qualification is a private certification, and being certified is not strictly required to practice. Massage practitioners, on the other hand, are said to require the qualification of “Anma-Massage-Shiatsu Therapist” to practice as a massage practitioner. That said, for treatments close to massage such as kneading, many practitioners work under titles like therapist or staff member rather than as certified Anma-Massage-Shiatsu Therapists.

Treatment from a certified Anma-Massage-Shiatsu Therapist can sometimes be covered by insurance.

For who should go to a chiropractor, see this article as well.

You May Also Like

Who Should Go to a Chiropractor? Symptoms It Can Improve and How Long Results TakeAre you enduring bodily discomfort right now? Stiff shoulders, lower-back pain, headaches — many people leave these everyday discomforts alone, thinking "nothing to be done." But left unaddressed,...Read more

What Symptoms Can Chiropractic Bodywork Help Improve?

Numbness, stiffness, lower-back pain, and other symptoms sometimes don’t show up on X-rays, leading hospitals to consider them difficult to treat. Chiropractic bodywork may be able to improve these kinds of bodily discomforts that tests can’t detect.

Symptoms include the following.

・Shoulder stiffness

・Headaches

・Lower-back pain

・Numbness in the hands and feet

・Constipation

Correcting the bone structure and deep muscles may help improve symptoms like these.

What Symptoms Can Massage Help Improve?

Massage promotes blood and lymph flow, and can be expected to help expel waste, detox, and even deliver slimming benefits. Because it also has a relaxing effect, mental benefits can be expected too.

Symptoms that massage can help improve include the following.

・Muscle stiffness

・Fatigue

・Poor circulation

・Puffiness

・Stress

・Coldness

Its circulation-boosting effect is also effective for stagnation-related symptoms like coldness and puffiness.

For more on puffiness, see this article as well.

You May Also Like

Can Chiropractic Bodywork Improve Puffiness? At-Home Remedies Included"Puffiness" can arise from standing for long periods or consuming too much salt and alcohol. Everyone has probably had the experience of waking up, looking in the mirror,...Read more

For other benefits, see these articles as well.

You May Also Like

Can Chiropractic Bodywork Improve a Muscle Strain? Causes, Remedies, and What to AvoidMany people are probably curious whether chiropractic bodywork can improve a muscle strain once it occurs. Bodywork doesn't directly approach the muscle strain itself, but rather promotes improvement...Read more

You May Also Like

Can Chiropractic Bodywork Improve Lower-Back Pain? Causes and Types Explained in DetailWhen lower-back pain develops, the pain becomes a constant concern in daily life, so you naturally want it improved quickly. At times like this, please consult chiropractic bodywork....Read more

At KADOMORI, You Can Get Both Chiropractic Bodywork and Massage!

KADOMORI specializes in treatment that approaches from the bone structure. We have also developed our own original treatment methods that deliver a relaxing effect as well, so you can expect the benefits of both chiropractic bodywork and massage.

Here are three treatments we recommend at KADOMORI.

Whole-Body Treatment

Because everyone’s bodily distortion differs, we identify the cause of your distortion by referencing your lifestyle habits and posture discussed during counseling, then approach from the bone structure. Benefits can be expected for symptoms like shoulder stiffness, rounded shoulders, pelvic distortion, lower-back pain, and insomnia. It is also recommended for those who often stay in the same posture, those troubled by poor posture, or those concerned about their whole-body balance.

Foot Massage

Foot massage is a treatment grounded in East Asian medicine, focused on relaxation benefits while aiming to improve the whole body. Drawing on knowledge of acupoints, anatomy, and physiology, it can be expected to improve whole-body discomfort starting from the feet.

The careful, thorough hand technique, from the soles of the feet to the calves, delivers a relaxing effect. Recommended for those who stand for long hours at work, those who walk long distances, or those concerned about heavy, sluggish legs.

Pelvic Correction

Pelvic distortion tends to reinforce distortion throughout the body. Correcting pelvic distortion can lift the hips, refine the leg line, and build a body that slims more easily. Especially recommended for those concerned about post-partum body changes, leg lines, difficulty losing weight, or lower-body puffiness.

Combining it with Whole-Body Treatment can also be expected to deliver even greater effect.

Concerned About Your Body? Consult KADOMORI!

Chiropractic bodywork and massage differ in purpose, benefits, and approach. Chiropractic bodywork is recommended for fundamentally improving bodily discomfort. Massage can be expected to deliver a relaxing effect and immediacy-focused slimming and detox benefits. That said, chiropractic bodywork’s effects last longer, while massage’s effects are more temporary. KADOMORI specializes in treatment that combines the advantages of both chiropractic bodywork and massage. If you’re troubled by bodily concerns, please consult KADOMORI.

For more on aesthetic bodywork, see this article as well.

You May Also Like

What Can Aesthetic Bodywork Do? KADOMORI’s Recommended Treatments"Chiropractic bodywork," which aims to improve bodily distortion and discomfort. Bodywork that also focuses on beautifying how the body appears, in addition to this, is called "aesthetic bodywork."...Read more