Published Articles

• The Role of Chiropractic Therapy in Small Animal Medicine
• Successful Treatment of Lick Granuloma with Chiropractic Therapy,
• Is There a Link Between Birth Trauma and Abnormal Wither and Ribcage Sensitivity in Horses? Could this also relate to one-sidedness?

about Chiropractic

So......

Chiropractic is primarily concerned with the well-being of the spine, particularly from a 'mechanical' point of view. Why? Quite simply, the spine itself, houses and protects the spinal cord - part of the nervous system - linking the brain with the rest of the body.

In simple terms, when there is abnormal movement at any point of the spine, there is almost always a disruption in the nerve traffic through that part of the spine, and will hence affect whatever those nerve pathways are travelling to.

This abnormal movement is termed as a Vertebral Subluxation. Such a subluxation produces changes in neural traffic to structures such as muscles, ligaments and bone, and also organs such as the lungs, kidneys and gut.

This is different to the use of the term “subluxation” by the veterinary & medical professions, where it describes a partially dislocated joint.

Animal Chiropractic is specifically directed at assessing the spinal biomechanics of animal spines, and correcting them using a variety of techniques, though most commonly used is the "spinal adjustment". This term is often confused with that of "manipulation", as to the untrained eye, it may look similar, however it is not.

An 'adjustment' is a much safer, more specific technique that really does get excellent results, and is usually very comfortable for the animal. The amount of effort or force applied in an adjustment is of course tailored to the needs of each animal.

Animal Chiropractic is directed at conditions, syndromes, or other symptom patterns that can be attributed to a biomechanical cause. Where a practitioner cannot attribute the problem to such a cause, or where concurrent health problems are suspected other veterinary protocols will then be recommended. (NB: in the case of Chiropractors and Osteopaths, they would promptly refer the patient to a Veterinarian for further assessment)

Commonly, conditions such as lameness, injury and traumas, hip dysplasia problems, and many others, respond very well to chiropractic procedures. There have also been numerous reports of good responses from dogs with lick granulomas and other skin conditions, though more research needs to be done in these areas.

See the FAQ link to see more information on this.