DR ULI HELVOIGT DR JOANNA KOUWENBERG DR DENISE PEEBLES

Chiropractics for Animals

Dr Uli Helvoigt

Dr Joanna Kouwenberg

Dr Denise Peebles

Chiropractics for Animals

Chiropractic adjustments are part of a holistic therapy – we use it in conjunction with conventional veterinary medicine to treat animals

What is an adjustment?

An adjustment is a controlled thrust (usually by hand) that is directed along a joint angle to stretch a muscle fibre which in turn fires a nerve. Nerves are coming off the spinal cord to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and even organs, so a chiropractic adjustment can affect and improve any of these structures. Therefore, chiropractic adjustments rely on motion of the anatomy, not just the static anatomy.

What is an adjustment NOT?

An adjustment does NOT mean pounding on the high point! Just because a horse has a bony bump sticking up on its back, does not mean there is a vertebra out of place. This bone may simply have formed a little different than the ones around it. How often to adjust depends on the severity of the problem and how well the adjustment “holds”.

How can we adjust animals, especially ones as large as a horse?

Physics

F = m x a (force = mass times acceleration)
Fast thrust means less mass needed to achieve force
Angle of adjustment very important – knowledge of anatomy
Also very important that animal is relaxed at time of adjustment

By knowing the anatomy of the spine, knowing the angles of facet joints, we can find out which joints don’t have full range of motion and then adjust these one joint at a time. Human chiropractors have the advantage of being able to adjust large areas of the spine by having their patients place themselves into a position to be able to do this. Animal chiropractors usually work on the standing animal, motion palpating one joint at a time.

Who is a candidate for chiropractics?

Who is NOT a candidate for chiropractics?

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