All About ... Equine Chiropractic Treatment

Chiropractic treatment is a therapy which focuses on the spine and in turn the nervous system throughout the horse's entire body.  The Central Nervous System consists of the brain and the spinal cord which is located within the spinal column.  The spinal nerves go to all parts of the  body and if these are not functioning correctly the body may not function properly.  When vertebrae are misaligned the nerves and their messages will be affected.  These misalignments are called 'subluxations'.  
 

Misalignments in the spine can cause lameness, gait abnormalities and behavioural problems.  These misalignments can have a variety of causes:

• Falls, stumbles, slips 
• Horse becoming cast 
• Badly fitting tack 
• Poor shoeing and/or foot balance

Chiropractic treatment aims to correct the subluxations to restore proper functioning of the Central Nervous System.  It works by using low force but high speed movements of the joint (including vertebral joints).  The speed is important as it does not allow time for the muscles to contract and resist the movement!   It is also important that the horse is relaxed for the treatment to be effective.

This type of treatment is useful for joint or back pain and where there is reduced movement of a joint.  It also corrects alignment of the skeleton and to relieve muscle spasms.

The name Chiropractic comes from the Greek words Kheir (Chiro) which means hand and Praktikos (Pracic)which means practice ...... 'done by hand'.

To be called a chiropractor the practitioner MUST be a member of the General Chiropractic Council which means they must first train and qualify as human chiropractors.  Most will insist that there is a vet referral.

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Until next time!

Jo