What Is Animal Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is a complementary or holistic system of health care that uses the inherent power of the body to heal itself without the use of surgery or drugs. Chiropractic care focuses on restoring, optimizing, and maintaining health. It is part of “integrated medicine” which is the practice of combining conventional medicine with complementary and alternative approaches in an effort to create a comprehensive treatment plan.

The spine is made of connecting vertebra which essentially are joints that are maintained in a specific alignment. Each joint can only move a few millimeters on its own, but this movement adds up throughout the length of the spine to allow for the full range of flexing, extending and rotating motion. Nerves surround each vertebral joint and are in constant communication with the entire nervous system. During a chiropractic exam, each vertebra is moved within its normal range of motion and evaluated for appropriate range of motion, flexibility, tension and pain. When even a very subtle change in the alignment or decreased movement of a vertebra is found (a subluxation in chiropractic terms) the entire nervous system can be affected which includes the joints, muscles, organs, glands, and body functions. To help restore the normal movement, an adjustment is used. An adjustment is an anatomically-specific, low amplitude, high velocity thrust at a particular joint that corrects the subluxation. If you’ve ever wondered how an animal as large as a horse can be manipulated and have their spine treated, consider that the horse is evaluated and adjusted just one joint at a time. Adjustments are not aggressive, nor do they require excessive force. Chiropractic does not replace traditional veterinary health care, but it can help maintain the health and function of both large and small animals. If any underlying problem is present, such as lameness, dental problem or neurological disease, it must be addressed using conventional veterinary medicine. However, chiropractic can aid in the recovery and help extend the treatment benefits.


How do I know if my animal needs a chiropractic adjustment?
In many cases presented to a veterinarian, there is a primary problem or pain that the animal has been coping with which results in discomfort in the back or neck. The body compensates for the pain, causing changes in gait, altered weight bearing, and tight muscles. For horses, signs may include lameness, stiffness, lack of power or impulsion, difficulties in collection, bad attitude, changes in gait (shortened stride, cross- cantering, not picking up a lead), or observable muscle atrophy. These are all indications for a chiropractic evaluation. Other symptoms may include: resistance to the bit, reduced flexibility in one direction, a noticeable difference in gait from one direction to the other, “cinchiness”, appearing “sore backed” or “cold backed” and bucking under saddle or during gait transitions.

For small animals (dogs and cats) signs may include difficulty getting up, reluctance to jump, weakness, stiffness, abnormal movement or sitting positions. For animals used for any type of performance including agility, herding, or hunting, chiropractic may improve their work. Even if your animal does not demonstrate any of the easily observable symptoms, a thorough chiropractic exam and adjustment may improve the comfort and performance.


What to expect from a chiropractic appointment?
The chiropractic evaluation begins with a thorough case history and progresses through several steps including: gait analysis, static and motion palpation. A thorough evaluation of the animal’s spine from head to tail is performed looking for tight muscles, asymmetry, and abnormal movement. During the chiropractic exam, adjustments will be made as needed. While chiropractic adjustments are not painful, the animal may be sore for a short period of time after the exam, especially if he/she has never been adjusted before. This is due to the fact that the animal’s body has been used to moving a certain way due to the subluxations. Once the subluxations are corrected, the muscles need to acclimate to the new way of moving. This may require a few days off or a few days of light exercise. It is not recommended that an animal be adjusted right before an athletic event unless the animal has been adjusted before. Stretches or exercises that may benefit your particular animal based on the findings may also be given.


How many treatments will my animal need?
The answer depends on the severity of your animal's problems and his or her level of performance. Long-standing problems usually require more treatments than acute problems. Young animals tend to recover flexibility faster than older ones. Animals that are used for performance, and repeat the same type of movement routinely, are more likely to benefit from routine chiropractic care. A specific treatment schedule cannot be outlined without evaluating the individual animal, but a 2 week recheck is standard. For a difficult or long standing problem anywhere from 3-7 treatments may be needed. Many animals benefit from periodic routine evaluations and treatment to maintain health. If an animal is not benefiting as much as expected from the chiropractic exams, an underlying undiagnosed lameness issue may be a problem. That will need to be addressed in a veterinary exam for the animal to continue to receive maximum results. In the case of horses sometimes an ill-fitting saddle may be causing pain. A saddle fit evaluation can also be scheduled if there is any concern. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions about Aspen Creek’s chiropractic services or how they can benefit your animals. We offer appointments both in home or at our hospital facility. We also offer discounted group rates and weekend appointments, so please call if you would like to schedule a chiropractic treatment "clinic" at your barn.