32 Tips to Improve Your Health and Fitness
#24. Massage, Physical Therapy, & Chiropractic Care
Cars need a lot of maintenance: oil changes, engines tuned, timing realigned, tires rotated, fluids filled, etc. And most of us pay a professional to do these things because they have the knowledge, tools, and experience to do the job better and faster than us.
Our bodies can be vastly more complicated than, and I hope we value them more than our cars. A professional body worker (masseuse, physical therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, etc.) can help keep us healthy, fix our movement issues, so that we can move pain free, and do all of the physical activities that help us too thrive.
A great masseuse can help determine your mobility restrictions, work on your tissue to help you move better, break up fascial restrictions, reduce scar tissue, all so that you can move better and feel better.
The practice of chiropractic care has changed over the years. Some chiropractors specialize in adjustment to restore the nervous system and mechanics of the body. Some chiropractors specialize in movement screens and rehab treatments. Some chiropractors specialize in tissue manipulation/mobilization.
A great physical therapist can determine the underlying cause of your pain or dysfunction, can work on you (if needed) to reverse dysfunction and improve your movement, can teach you what to do between sessions to continue to get better, healthier, stronger.
We only get one body for the rest of our lives, so it pays to invest in getting some professionals to help us with our tweaks, reverse our dysfunction, and keep us healthy!