| Inspiritus Equine, Inc. Integrated Soundness Solutions (sm) |
| ...Reveal the Equus Within! Dr. Joanna Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CMP 707-738-7110 |
| The GTO, no, it’s not a car or a government agency. It’s the Golgi Tendon Organ, and it lives at the junctions of our muscles and tendons to prevent ripping and overstretching. The Golgi Tendon Organ could be thought of as the Golgi TENSION organ, while the MSC (muscle spindle complex) is the structure responding to stretch. Most of the time we’re lucky enough that while walking or running down the street, if we misstep, we “catch ourselves.” Yes, we’ve all had a strain or sprain, but when things are working the way they should in harmony, the GTO steps up to prevent us from overstretching our muscles and tendons while being clutzy. Think of a horse running over steep or rocky terrain. They are able to do this without breaking a leg because the fit animal has primed GTO’s as its muscles flex and extend. When that misstep occurs, the GTO is already prepared to prevent the injury. However, when fatigued or out of balance, these little anatomical wonders may not be able to do their jobs. A racehorse that breaks down on the track is often later found to have had hairline fractures or other fatigue injuries where the muscle and tendons couldn’t do their jobs. The muscle spindle complex contains a nuclear bag and a nuclear chain fiber. Sensory innervation from the MSC enters the spinal cord and sends branches to the IML and synapses on alpha and gamma motor neurons that change the extrafusile fibers and the motor endplates of the MSC. The GTO sends a B-fiber that synapses and sends inhibitory information to the alpha and gamma fibers causing them to relax and preventing spasm or tearing of the muscle. So how does the GTO help our cause? The GTO becomes primed when the practitioner brings the subluxation into tension. The GTO causes a reflexive relaxation of the muscle attached to the subluxation upon High Velocity Low Amplitude Thrust, thereby allowing the body’s innate intelligence to bring that subluxation back into a more normal plane of alignment. We’re not moving mountains or using brute force to achieve our goals, we’re stimulating some of the body’s smallest microscopic players to help achieve harmony. So is it all a sleight of hand? No – from a physiologic cause and effect standpoint, a good adjustment should look subtle and quick. Trying to muscle a joint into position has the complete opposite desired effect, will increase tension, and will likely result in an unhappy patient and client. |
| ...Reveal the Equus Within! Dr. Joanna Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CMP, VA, SFT 707-738-7110 |
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| Joanna Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CMP, VA, SFT 707-738-7110 |
