Page 56 - May 2016

ChiropraCtiC Care Can Keep
athletes performing at peaK levels
If horse owners seek chiropractic help for a horse, they need to find someone who is properly trained and properly certified.
Dr. Bruce Connolly, a veterinarian with a sports medicine practice in Berthoud, Colorado, says a good equine chiropractor can make a big difference for some horses and be beneficial if done correctly. He cautions against some treatments, however, and admits he is not a big enthusiast since they can be risky and more harmful than helpful.
Back pain, even if it’s mild, can hinder a horse’s abilities. A
horse that’s sore won’t run as fast, and he may be reluctant to do some things that he was routinely good about before he became so uncomfortable. He may not want to be saddled or may balk at entering the starting gate because he is anticipat- ing more pain. He also may be more easily injured in a race because he’s using his body differently, trying to favor the areas that hurt.
Tia Nelson, a vet- erinarian/farrier in Helena, Montana, says back prob- lems can present a variety
of signs. “The horse may simply be reluctant to take a certain lead. Identifying the problem and pinpointing where it is can sometimes be a challenge,” says Nelson.
again easier. Perhaps the acupuncture relaxes the muscles around the joints that are in trouble. It seems to help,” Nelson says.
Chiropractic work on horses is very common today, according to Dr. Bruce Connolly, a veterinar- ian in Berthoud, Colorado, with a sports medicine practice. “There are all kinds of equine chiropractors. We see everything from the people who push the spine sideways back and forth to loosen it, to people who tie the horse’s tail to a post and walk the horse forward to pop the back. There’s a huge range of treatments and some are risky. I’m not opposed to chiropractic for horses because it can be a big help
if done correctly, but I am not a big enthusiast, just because of some of the things I see,” he says.
“You need confidence in the person doing it (with proper training), and beware of the ones who do the rough, high-velocity blasting of the back here and there. Some chiropractors use little spring-loaded hammers to thump the back, to make the horse jump and adjust itself. Some of these rough techniques may be more harmful than helpful, but a good equine chi- ropractor can make a big difference for some horses,” Connolly says.
Dr. Jenny Johnson of Oakhill Shockwave and Veterinary Chiropractic in Calabasas, California, does a lot of work on back problems. Johnson has been an equine veterinarian for 30 years, but during the past 10 years she has narrowed her practice to specialize in
by Heather Smith Thomas
She uses a variety of treatments for sore backs, including chiropractic manipulations. “I do motion palpation along the back and identify spots that are not moving the way they are supposed to move. Then, I bring the joints into some tension and give it a thrust and adjust the back. It’s amazing how much differ- ence this can make for the horse, after everything is in place again. Sometimes it takes more than one session, depending on how much is wrong,” she says.
“I talk to the owner (or trainer) when I am work- ing on the horse and explain what I am feeling and what my goal is with the chiropractic adjustment I plan to make. Sometimes I also use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on a back injury (to help relieve swelling, inflammation and pain), and sometimes I use steroids. It’s important to identify the problem and figure out if it’s an acute injury or a chronic problem. With some horses, it can be dif- ficult to resolve an old chronic injury,” she says.
It often helps to use a combination of therapies. “What I’ve found is that when I do acupuncture first, then the chiropractic adjustments go a lot quicker and easier. The out-of-place areas tend to go into place
Dr. Bruce Connolly uses shockwave therapy, which is actually an energy wave, to treat problems with ligaments, tendons, backs and necks.
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SPEEDHORSE, May 2016
equine health