Will Chiropractic Benefit My Horse? Part 3 of 3

The science behind chiropractic 

by Brooke Johnson, DVM, IVCA certified Animal Chiropractor 

Chiropractic is a very powerful tool in veterinary medicine. Why does it have such an impact on overall animal health? 

Neurology and kinesiology--study of the nervous system and study of movement--form the scientific base of chiropractic. Previous articles have discussed what a chiropractic exam entails, signs to look for indicating animals that will likely benefit from chiropractic, and how animal chiropractors diagnose vertebral subluxation complexes and correct them with adjustments. Vertebral subluxation complex, used in the chiropractic sense, means a joint that has a reduced range of motion. As the last article in this series, discussion here will focus on what effect a chiropractic adjustment has on the body and why such a small motion can have such a big impact. 

Understanding the Nervous System

A basic understanding of the nervous system is necessary to illustrate how information is transmitted through the body. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system, and peripheral nerves travel from the central nervous system to all points of the body. Peripheral nerves have two parts: the nerve pathways leading toward the central nervous system, where incoming information travels, and pathways leading away from the brain and spinal cord, carrying outgoing information. Nerve cells only pass information in one direction, so the pathways leading away from and toward the same body part are separate. 

The nervous system has the enormous duty of coordinating all actions of the body. It must gather information from its sensory nerves to determine what kind of environment the body is facing. From the constant inflow of sensory information, actions are executed to keep the body working smoothly and allow it to appropriately deal with any ongoing stresses such as extreme environmental conditions, illness, nutritional deficiencies and social stressors. 

Healthy and smart decisions from the nervous system require healthy nerves. Nerves are healthy when they are used and fired frequently, much like a muscle requires regular use to maintain healthy muscle tone. The nervous system is used to accomplish consciously directed tasks such as movement, but the vast majority of nervous system use is done unconsciously to maintain posture against the ever-present force of gravity, digest food, thermoregulate, and carry out routine body processes.

Joint Health

Animal chiropractors gain access to the nervous system by evaluating movement within joints of the spine. If restricted movement is found, then an adjustment is performed. An adjustment is a specific, controlled thrust along the plane of a joint that stays within the normal range of motion of the joint. 

Joint health, like nerve health, requires regular use of the system. A joint that doesn’t move, or moves with a decreased range of motion, is more likely to become inflamed and injured. Joint movement involves much more than just the bones making up the joint. Muscles, tendons, cartilage, joint fluids, joint capsules, ligaments, and vertebral discs all work together to make joints move properly. Eighty percent of joint stabilization comes from muscle and tendon crossing the joint. Joint injury is mostly due to failure of soft tissue structures supporting the joint. Strong joints require movement and support. Movement and support are provided by muscles, and muscles need healthy nerves to work properly. Chiropractors can directly impact the nervous system by initiating movement within a joint during an adjustment.

The brain can be considered a computer. It takes in information, analyzes it, then performs an action. For the brain to make decisions about which muscles to use, how much to use them, and when to rest them it needs good, reliable incoming information. Joints that don’t move properly don’t send quality information to the brain for use in decision making. Poor inflow of information increases the chance of a poor decision on how to run body functions. Poor decisions may be seen as muscle spasms, decreased flexibility, pain, or organ malfunction. This is a classic example of garbage in, garbage out.

Whole Horse Health

The previous discussion is needed to illustrate where chiropractic impacts the nervous system. Chiropractic affects input into the nervous system. The most efficient way to treat and have a corrective influence on improper joint mechanics is to change the input from that joint to the brain. A chiropractic adjustment accomplishes this and makes message inflow clearer so the brain can make better output decisions. Chiropractic helps optimize nervous system function. 

Many people easily make the connection between chiropractic and the musculoskeletal system. The less obvious connection is between chiropractic and all other body systems. The immune, digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive and musculoskeletal systems are all coordinated by the nervous system. If the nervous system works better, the whole animal works better. 

In conclusion, chiropractic is able to positively impact animal health by allowing the nervous system to function more effectively. Since the nervous system coordinates all actions of the body, benefits of chiropractic are seen within all body systems.