McTimoney for the treatment of back & muscle pain in horses & dogs
The McTimoney Chiropractic method was developed by John McTimoney in the 1950s and was first used to successfully treat people and was later adapted to treat back pain and associated muscle
pain in animals like horses and dogs. The treatment is a gentle non-invasive technique that is based on swift, light force adjustments which are precise to the joints being treated.
It is a whole body treatment that helps to restore the natural balanced state of the body by treating misalignments and associated muscle tension in the musculoskeletal system to allow healing
to begin.
The spine is the solid core of the back and is made up of a collection of individual bones called vertebrae that form the spinal column. It allows movement and flexibility in the body but
also serves as a protective casing through which the nerves of the central nervous system pass. Each bone fits together with its neighbour to form a joint and the nerves exit the spine at these
joint spaces. The bones and joints of the back and pelvis are held in place in relation to each other by very strong ligaments and muscles that encase the spine and pelvis for support and to
prevent excess movement.
Sometimes the joints can be taken to the extreme range of their movement and the bones and joints become misaligned. This can overstretch the protective muscles and ligaments causing muscle
pain and tension or sending the muscles into spasm. Muscle spasm occurs to protect the joints and to prevent any further movement, but the muscles will remain in spasm until they are
actively released which means the animal’s musculoskeletal fame is no longer symmetrical and the body is not working at its optimum level causing pain.
The treatment works on these misalignments throughout the neck, back and pelvis and uses a series of adjustments to release the muscle spasms and realign the vertebrae and rebalance the
musculoskeletal frame, allowing the body’s natural healing process to begin. The treatment works with the body’s innate intelligence and desire to be in alignment and its ability to heal itself
once the spasm has been released.