Page 617 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

mechanisms of action as acupuncture. Practitioners of each of these disciplines usually adopt

a holistic approach and recognize that health is a state of harmony of an animal both within
VetBooks.ir its body and with its external environment. Healthy people and animals have physical, mental
and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease.

The body is finely tuned and each part is in communication with every other part through

the flow of body fluids and nerve impulses. All the organs and tissues in the body are joined
and held together by connective tissue called fascia. This takes the form of tough sheets of
fibrous tissue covering muscles and the protective tissues surrounding the brain and internal

organs. It supports and links all of the bones, muscles, internal organs, blood vessels and
nerves.

The body relies on circulation of blood for the distribution of nutrients, oxygen supply
and hormones to all parts of the body and also for the removal of wastes. An intact nervous

system is necessary for the transmission of information from the environment and within the
body to all other parts of the body so that appropriate responses can be generated. Any

mechanical injury can interrupt the flow of body fluids and nerve impulses, ultimately
causing pain and dysfunction. Restrictions in movement of the spine are known as vertebral

subluxation complexes (VSCs). These increase the strain on the adjacent joints in the spine
and can have far-reaching effects by altering the patterns of nerve signals and by affecting

blood flow and lymphatic drainage. The body has a great capacity to adapt to the
environment and heal itself when problems occur. Disease results when this ability is
overwhelmed.

Osteopaths treat not only the area of dysfunction but the interactions of the entire spine.

Treatment is aimed at restoring the function of the animal as a whole by re-establishing the
body symmetry and normal range of movement of the joints and associated tissues.
Chiropractic treatment is similar but the emphasis is on manipulation of the vertebrae to

correct local positional changes of the skeleton that have occurred as a result of muscle
tension. The goal of treatment is to reduce musculoskeletal pain and restore joint mobility,

normal muscle function and neurological reflexes.

Tissue injury and the concept of ‘facilitation’ or ‘wind-up’

When a horse is injured, chemicals are released from the inflamed tissues. These stimulate

nerve endings which carry signals to the spinal cord. The spinal cord sends these signals on
to the brain where they are perceived as pain. Sometimes the nerve cells in the spinal cord

become sensitized to the incoming pain messages and send increased pain signals to the
brain. Initially this is a normal response which prevents the horse from using the affected