What is a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a therapist who manipulates the spine and joints of the body in order to realign the skeletal frame and to relieve associated muscle spasm. Chiropractic treatment helps to both restore and maintain health, soundness and performance and works holistically to eliminate the cause of a problem, not just to treat the symptoms.

What does chiropractic treatment consist of?

The treatment will not hurt the animal, in fact most animals thoroughly enjoy it! It is quite common for an animal to become increasingly relaxed as the treatment progresses even to the point of becoming drowsy.

The chiropractic adjustment consists of a short, sharp thrust to a specific area which releases muscle spasm, alleviates pain and returns the joint to its normal range of motion. This allows the body to restore its own natural balance and harmony.

The chiropractor will then advise on aftercare, as afterwards the animal may have a reaction to the treatment. This could range from feeling better straight away to being stiff, sore or appearing worse the next day. It may also go off its food for a short time.

The chiropractor should advise on a re-fittening and rehabilitation programme to try to ensure that the animal has the necessary level of fitness and musculature to cope with the demands made upon it, thereby reducing the risk of further injury. The chiropractor should also send a fully detailed, written report to the referring veterinary surgeon.

REMEMBER - a chiropractor can only treat an animal under the direction of a veterinary surgeon.

What can be done to prevent problems occurring in the horse?

• Most obviously is to act on getting treatment for a horse which has had a recent accident or trauma
• Get treatment yourself as a rider if you have a problem and following a course of chiropractic treatment use it on a regular basis as preventative treatment to reduce the chance of your pain recurring
• Make sure tack fits correctly, the bit is not too big or too small, the brow band is not pinching, the saddle is wide enough and is fitted by a reputable saddler
• Rugs and rollers not pinching, girth and numnahs are regularly washed to prevent dried sweat causing sores
• Have teeth checked every six months to prevent sharp teeth or wolf teeth causing problems
• Use a reputable farrier to make sure the feet are balanced correctly before shoeing. Incorrect foot balance will cause the horse to compensate in his limb movement and weight distribution, putting stress onto different muscle groups
• It should be remembered that a back problem in a horse is usually a secondary effect from another problem, such as those mentioned earlier. As well as treating the problem chiropractically other changes should be made to prevent the problem reoccurring.

How the rider can identify that they need treatment themselves

One cause of back problems in horses, not mentioned so far, is the rider themselves. Horses did not evolve specifically to carry weight on their backs and disciplines such as show jumping, eventing, polo and dressage put even more strain upon their skeletal structure. A rider who suffers with pain in their own back will change their riding position to compensate for their own discomfort and thereby put more stress onto certain areas of the horse. A rider who regularly suffers with low back pain, sciatic pain down the back of the leg, neck and shoulder tension, should seek treatment for themselves, whether it be low grade constant pain or intermittent acute episodes. The McTimoney Chiropractor would work along the whole spine using quick, precise adjustments, which are gentle and comfortable to receive. The pelvis, which makes up the hip region, is very important in being correctly aligned in the rider. The sitting down bones on the underside of the pelvis are in direct contact with the saddle and any uneven weight distribution will be relayed through the saddle to the horse causing him to have to compensate in his own movements, particularly on circles.

THIS ARTICLE AND THOSE RELATING TO SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES REPRODUCED
BY KIND PERMISSION OF MCTIMONEY CHIROPRACTOR
DIANNE BRADSHAW BSC (HONS) MC, AMC, MMCA