Equine Chiropractic or Massage First?

Many times I am asked, “If I get a massage, should I do it before or after my adjustment?”. This question and answer applies to horses just as much as it does to people, simply due to the fact that the muscles in horses play the same role as those in humans. In the information that follows, I’m going to answer the question, “Chiropractic or Massage first?” You may be surprised to learn in which order they should be performed, but there is a clear order, and that is explained below.

To setup my clients to understand what I am about to tell you, I ask them the following question: “What is the purpose of your bicep?”. Answers I receive range anywhere from, “What’s a bicep?”,to, “To bend the elbow.”, to, “To help me drink my beer.”, among others. But what I am asking for is a basic answer of anatomy. The purpose of the bicep is simply to move the bone that it is attached to, called the ulna. The ulna is a long bone in your forearm. When the bicep moves the ulna, the elbow bends into what is called “flexion”. Or simply-stated, it brings your palm toward your shoulder. The idea here is to understand that muscles, and we’re referring to skeletal muscles here, (muscles that attach to two different bones) have one job, and one job only. And that is to move a bone. Muscles can do one of two things. They can either contract or relax. In a contracted state, a muscle moves the bone. In a…