A table that most DCs don’t consider

Congratulations! The practice you have worked so hard to build has finally taken off.

You have a waiting room full of “frequent flyer” patients who see you for regular wellness care and new patients who are discovering the benefits chiropractic care can offer. Of course, all these patients can provide you with referrals from friends and family.

You may now be discovering that this influx of patients might also require expanding your menu of services beyond just chiropractic.

Adding in massage therapy is a great way to expand your practice, as well as your ability to help your patients. If you hire a massage therapist, they can not only book their own appointments, but can provide warm-up massages for your chiropractic clients in order to loosen up muscles, which will make it easier for you to perform adjustments.

However, you probably also want to still be mindful of cost, so may be looking for tables that can serve double duty by being suitable for both massage and chiropractic patients. Below are some considerations to keep in mind as you shop for tables to add to your growing practice.

Hold up!

Any table you decide to purchase will need to be sturdy. Remember, it will now be required to hold up for not just your chiropractic patients, but also those who are there just for massage therapy.

Given this, your best option will probably be a stationary table, rather than a portable one, as the former tend to be sturdier. Check out the weight ratings for any table that you are considering, as well as the sturdiness of joints and hinges if you are shopping at a brick-and-mortar store.

Adjusting to each patient

Although most massage therapists don’t necessarily need a table that is fully adjustable, one that can be raised and lowered in height is useful. This will accommodate patients’ needs in terms of mobility and provide better access to more areas of the patient’s body for the massage therapist.

However, chiropractic adjustments require a wider range of options for adjusting the table. You may also need a table that can be lengthened or shortened, particularly if you work with both pediatric and adult patients. (Imagine what might happen if you could not lengthen a table for an adult patient after having worked on a young child).

You may also need a table that can drop certain segments in order to enhance your adjustments.

Face the facts

Both chiropractic and massage tables come with a number of accessories that can be useful for patients. However, the most useful is a face cradle that attaches to the end of the table. If a table does not have a face cradle, the patient must put their face to the side in order to lay it in the table, which twists the cervical vertebrae. Obviously, this can be a major problem for a patient that comes in with neck pain.

A face cradle allows the cervical vertebrae to remain in alignment with the rest of the vertebrae, therefore removing any excess pressure in that area. In a similar vein, having to hold the neck to one side during massage therapy may make the patient tense up the neck and shoulder muscles, which may make it more difficult to properly perform massage in those areas.

Now that your practice has taken off, you want to provide your patients the best possible care. Being able to expand your service menu to include massage therapy is a great way to do so. However, you also need to keep that in mind when selecting a table to allow you to properly add massage therapy into your chiropractic practice.