Chiropractic
Chiropractic
Chiropractic – in its simplest terms means “done by hand”. The theory behind the chiropractic is the brain and spine controls everything in the body – and we mean everything!
The three elements of assessment and treatment revolve around – bones, muscles and nerves. Bones or the joints, the joints themselves are very nerve fibre rich, and have a huge feedback loop to the brain via the nerves – aka proprioception or the body’s perception of where it is in space. The muscles that surround the joints will either move them or they will stabilise them, or both. These muscles also cannot perform any function without the nerves signally to contract, whether it is to move the joint, hold tension in the joint, or stabilise the joint. So you see, everything links back to the nerves.
As well as a movement assessment, we check the joints in terms of range of motion and flexibility, appraise the muscles for injury, differences in tone, and strength, and then assess the nerve system too using both the joints and the muscles, as well as neurological assessment. Joints can get stuck in a certain movement or get sluggish in the movement of the joint, or have limited range of movement. This can have an adverse effect on the nervous system, which in turn alters function and movement of muscles, and can lead to symptoms such as pain, muscle spasms, muscle weakness and lameness. Finding the abnormality, gently adjusting it, and restoring normal range of motion, resetting the nervous system, and reducing the pain response is the chiropractic method.
Treatment is usually painless, unless the joint is inflamed and sore to start with then the dog can react a little. Usually dogs accept the treatment process really well, and mostly by the second or third session they are really happy to come in for treatment. Different modalities can be added to treatment to help calm and relax the dogs too. Please also remember that the joint surface that we are working with is very small compared to that of a human, and the essence of a chiropractic adjustment is speed, so the treatment process can be very quick.
Treatment can be for many different conditions, as a stand alone, part of a holistic treatment package, and as part of injury rehabilitation.
