Massage Therapy in Macomb, MI
Massage therapy at Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center is more than a way to relax. Dr. Pavel Bence, DC, CCWP offers massage and bodywork because tight muscles, physical stress, restricted movement, and tension can all affect how your body feels and functions. When massage is combined with chiropractic care, the two approaches can work together to address both the joints of the spine and the muscles and soft tissues surrounding them.
Dr. Bence has always taken a whole-body approach to wellness. With more than 40 years of chiropractic experience, he understands that an adjustment may correct the movement and alignment of a joint, but the muscles around that joint also need to relax, move, and function properly. Massage therapy gives him another way to support that process while helping patients reduce tension, relieve sore muscles, improve circulation, and simply feel better.
At Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center, massage therapy is provided by Denise Purdy, CMA, CMT, an experienced Myomassologist and Naturopathic Therapist who has been part of the Bence team in several roles over the years. Her background in both massage and chiropractic gives her a unique understanding of how bodywork can complement the care Dr. Bence provides.
“Chiropractic and massage work very well together. An adjustment addresses how the joints are moving and functioning, while massage gives us another way to work with the muscles and soft tissues surrounding them. For many patients, that combination makes a real difference.” Dr. Pavel Bence, DC, CCWP
Frequently Asked Questions About Massage Therapy
Can Massage Therapy Help Relieve Pain?
Yes. Massage therapy can help reduce muscle tightness, soreness, and tension that contribute to neck pain, lower back pain, headaches, shoulder discomfort, and other musculoskeletal problems. Denise uses therapeutic bodywork to work directly with tight or overworked muscles and soft tissues, helping them relax and move more freely. When muscle tension is part of a chiropractic problem, Dr. Bence can also combine massage with adjustments, stretching, exercise, and other care so both the joints and the muscles contributing to the problem are addressed.
How Is Therapeutic Massage Different From a Spa Massage?
Both can be relaxing, but therapeutic massage is built around what your body needs. At Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center, Denise doesn’t simply perform the same relaxation routine on every patient. She talks with you about where you’re experiencing tension, soreness, stress, or restricted movement and adjusts the massage techniques and pressure accordingly. A patient receiving massage to complement chiropractic care for neck or lower back pain may need a very different session from someone whose primary goal is relaxation and stress reduction.
Can Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Care Work Together?
Absolutely. This is one of the primary reasons Dr. Bence offers massage therapy within the practice. Chiropractic adjustments focus on restoring better movement and alignment to joints, while massage works directly with tight muscles and surrounding soft tissues. Relaxing those muscles can make movement easier and help support the changes Dr. Bence is working to accomplish through chiropractic care. Depending on your needs, massage may be incorporated before or after an adjustment or used as part of a broader wellness plan.
What Problems Can Massage Therapy Help With?
Denise works with patients dealing with muscle tension, neck and shoulder tightness, lower back discomfort, headaches, soreness from physical activity, and stress-related tension. Massage can also be useful for patients who simply want to relax and maintain better muscle flexibility and comfort. The right approach depends on the individual. If you’re also receiving chiropractic care, Dr. Bence and Denise can coordinate treatment around the areas and problems they’re working to address.
What Happens During My First Massage Therapy Appointment?
Your session begins with a conversation. Denise wants to understand why you’re there, what areas are bothering you, what you hope to accomplish, and how much pressure feels comfortable. She then tailors the session around those needs rather than automatically using one massage technique. Communication continues throughout the massage, and she’ll adjust pressure or technique if something doesn’t feel right. Your comfort is an important part of the treatment.
Will Massage Therapy Hurt?
Massage should not feel excessively painful. Some areas of chronic muscle tension can be tender when they’re worked on, particularly during therapeutic massage, but Denise adjusts the pressure to what is appropriate and comfortable for you. More pressure is not automatically better. The objective is to help the muscles relax and respond, not make you endure a painful session. Denise checks in with patients during treatment so the pressure and technique can be adjusted whenever needed.
How Often Should I Get a Massage?
There isn’t one schedule that works for everyone. Someone using massage during an active chiropractic care plan may benefit from sessions more frequently for a period of time, while another patient may choose periodic massage to help manage muscle tension, stress, or an active lifestyle. Denise and Dr. Bence can help you determine what makes sense based on your symptoms, activity level, goals, and how your body responds to care rather than putting every patient on the same routine.
Should I Get a Massage Before or After a Chiropractic Adjustment?
Either can be appropriate. When muscles are particularly tight, massage before an adjustment can help them relax and make it easier for the area to move. In other situations, massage after an adjustment can work with the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the area Dr. Bence has treated. The timing depends on what Dr. Bence and Denise are trying to accomplish for you, so they can coordinate the two rather than treating massage and chiropractic as unrelated services.
Why Dr. Bence Offers Massage Therapy
Dr. Bence doesn’t look at the spine as though the bones and joints exist separately from everything surrounding them.
Muscles attach to and move the skeleton. They help maintain posture, stabilize joints, and allow you to bend, turn, lift, walk, work, and exercise. When muscles become chronically tight or imbalanced, they can change how an area moves and continually pull on joints that Dr. Bence is trying to restore to better function.
That’s one reason massage has an important place in the practice.
Chiropractic care addresses joint movement, alignment, and nerve function. Massage therapy addresses many of the muscles and soft tissues that support those joints.
For a patient with tight neck and shoulder muscles, massage can reduce muscular tension while Dr. Bence works on cervical movement and alignment. For someone with lower back pain, massage can work with tight or overworked muscles while chiropractic care addresses the lumbar spine or pelvis. And for patients dealing with physical or emotional stress, massage provides an opportunity for the body to relax and release some of the tension it has been carrying.
“If the muscles around a problem are constantly tight and pulling, we need to pay attention to them too. That’s why having massage therapy here in the office fits so naturally with the way I practice chiropractic.” Dr. Pavel Bence, DC, CCWP
Meet Denise Purdy, CMA, CMT, Our Massage Therapist and Naturopathic Therapist
Denise Purdy, CMA, CMT, brings a broad background in holistic health to Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center.
She is a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Myomassologist (CMT), Naturopathic Therapist, nationally certified practitioner, and member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP). She completed her naturopathic studies at the Natural Health Institute in Mt. Pleasant.
Her connection to Bence Chiropractic goes beyond massage.
When Denise first joined the practice, she worked as a chiropractic assistant and new patient advocate. In that role, she helped educate patients about chiropractic care, the nervous system, and ways of managing the effects of stress. That experience gave her an understanding of Dr. Bence’s chiropractic philosophy long before she became the practice’s massage therapist.
Denise approaches bodywork from the belief that balance is important to overall well-being. Rather than looking at one sore muscle in isolation, she considers how stress, muscular tension, activity, and other areas of the body may be contributing to the way a patient feels.
That philosophy makes her work a natural fit with Dr. Bence’s broader approach to chiropractic and wellness care.
Massage and Chiropractic: Two Approaches Working Together
One of the strengths of offering massage therapy inside a chiropractic office is that it doesn’t have to exist as an isolated service.
At Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center, Dr. Bence and Denise can coordinate chiropractic care and massage around the same patient goals.
If Dr. Bence identifies restricted movement or spinal dysfunction, chiropractic adjustments can restore better movement and alignment to the affected joints.
If Denise finds tight, tender, or overworked muscles surrounding that area, massage can help release the muscular tension and improve soft-tissue mobility.
For many patients, the combination allows the muscles and joints to work together more comfortably.
This is especially useful with problems involving the neck, shoulders, and lower back, where muscular tension and joint dysfunction frequently influence one another.
Massage isn’t merely something added because it feels good. Dr. Bence offers it because it can become another practical tool within a patient’s care.
Massage and Bodywork Techniques Denise Purdy Provides
No single type of massage is right for every patient. Denise offers several approaches and can tailor the session based on what you’re trying to accomplish and what feels comfortable to you.
Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage is focused on a specific goal, such as reducing muscle tension, working with sore or overused muscles, improving movement, or complementing chiropractic treatment. Rather than following a general relaxation routine, Denise concentrates on the muscles and soft tissues that need the most attention.
Swedish Massage
Swedish massage uses smooth, flowing strokes and gentler pressure to help relax muscles, encourage circulation, and reduce overall tension. It’s a good option for patients who want the physical benefits of massage while also focusing on relaxation and stress reduction.
Hot Stone Therapy
Hot stone therapy incorporates heated stones into the massage session. The warmth can help muscles relax and makes it easier for Denise to work with areas of tension while creating a deeply relaxing experience.
Reflexology
Reflexology uses focused pressure on specific areas, most commonly points on the feet. It is one of the bodywork techniques Denise can incorporate for patients interested in a broader holistic approach to relaxation and wellness.
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, light-touch bodywork technique focused around the head, neck, spine, and surrounding tissues. For patients who prefer a very gentle approach, it provides another option that Denise can incorporate into an individualized session.
Aroma Touch Technique
Aroma Touch combines gentle touch with essential oils as part of a relaxation-focused session. Like the other techniques Denise provides, it can be adapted to the patient’s preferences and overall goals.
Massage Therapy for Neck and Shoulder Tension
The neck and shoulders are among the most common places people carry muscle tension.
Long hours at a computer, looking down at a phone, driving, repetitive work, emotional stress, and poor posture can all leave the muscles through the neck, shoulders, and upper back feeling tight and sore.
That tension can also contribute to restricted neck movement and certain headache patterns.
Denise can work directly with those tight muscles while Dr. Bence addresses any spinal or joint dysfunction contributing to the problem. For patients receiving chiropractic care for neck pain or headaches, this combination gives the practice two ways to address the same problem.
Massage Therapy for Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain isn’t always only a spinal-joint problem.
Tight muscles in the lower back, hips, and surrounding areas can contribute to discomfort and affect the way the spine and pelvis move. Someone who sits for long periods, works physically, exercises regularly, or has been compensating for an injury can develop significant muscular tension through these areas.
Massage therapy can help relax these muscles and improve soft-tissue mobility while Dr. Bence works to restore better movement and alignment through chiropractic care.
For patients dealing with lower back pain, massage can therefore become part of a larger treatment approach rather than simply providing temporary relaxation.
Massage Therapy for Stress and Relaxation
Not every massage session needs to begin with an injury.
Stress affects the body physically. Shoulders tighten. Muscles remain tense. Breathing changes. People may notice they are clenching their jaw, holding tension through the neck, or simply having difficulty relaxing.
Massage gives the body a chance to slow down.
Dr. Bence has always considered relaxation and the reduction of stress and muscular tension important parts of the value massage therapy can provide.
For some patients, relaxation is the primary goal. For others, reducing stress-related muscle tension supports the chiropractic care they’re already receiving.
Both are valid reasons to schedule a massage.
Your Massage Should Be Tailored to You
Denise doesn’t expect every patient to prefer the same technique or the same amount of pressure.
Before and during the session, she’ll talk with you about where you’re experiencing discomfort, which areas need attention, how much pressure you prefer, and what you hope to get from the massage.
If something is too intense, say so.
If an area needs more attention, let her know.
If you’re unsure which type of massage to choose, you don’t need to figure it out before you walk through the door. Denise can help determine which techniques make the most sense for you.
The goal is simple: the massage should fit the patient, not the other way around.
Massage Therapy as Part of Your Wellness Routine
Massage can be valuable even when you’re not dealing with a specific injury or painful condition.
Patients may choose periodic massage to help manage everyday muscle tension, maintain flexibility, recover from physical activity, relax, or simply give their bodies some attention before discomfort becomes a larger problem.
That fits naturally with Dr. Bence’s broader wellness philosophy.
He doesn’t believe you should have to wait until you’re hurting badly before paying attention to how your body is functioning. Chiropractic care, exercise, nutrition, massage, and other wellness strategies can all be used proactively to help people continue doing the things they enjoy.
Massage Therapy in Macomb, MI
Whether you’re dealing with tight muscles, neck or lower back discomfort, stress, physical soreness, or simply need time to relax, massage therapy at Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center can be tailored around what you need.
Denise Purdy, CMA, CMT, provides massage therapy and bodywork at Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center in Macomb, MI, where her holistic background and experience within the chiropractic practice allow massage to work naturally alongside the care Dr. Bence provides.
Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center serves patients from Macomb, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township, Clinton Township, Utica, and surrounding communities.
Whether you’re already receiving chiropractic care or simply interested in massage therapy, we’re happy to help you find the approach that fits your needs.
Call (586) 978-9900 to schedule a massage therapy appointment with Denise Purdy.
Related Conditions
Chiropractic Care
The evaluation and adjustment approach that massage therapy is designed to complement, explained in more detail.
Learn moreNeck Pain
Muscle tension in the neck and shoulders is one of the most common reasons patients seek massage therapy.
Learn moreLower Back Pain
Massage often pairs well with chiropractic care for muscular and mechanical low back pain.
Learn moreWhat Our Patients Are Saying
Nothing is more rewarding than knowing we’ve helped our patients live healthier, happier lives. We invite you to read what individuals and families throughout Macomb and the surrounding communities have shared about their experience at Bence Chiropractic Wellness Center.