| Inspiritus Equine, Inc. Integrated Soundness Solutions (sm) |
| ...Reveal the Equus Within! Dr. Joanna Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CMP 707-738-7110 |
The first adjustments that I witnessed seemed as though they might be magic - a mere trick of hand conjured by some healing wizard who was literally forcing the limb or joint to move more dramatically in order to move my hand more dramatically to my wallet. No one could explain to me how the treatment worked… how could that quick thrust motion truly do anything at all to a 1500lb horse? This quest for answers led to my own certification in veterinary spinal manipulative therapy. I am blessed to have attended a course that taught us not “how to thump on the high side” but instead how to understand the anatomical, neurological and physiological mechanisms involved in this therapy. This section is dedicated to helping others find the answers to the same questions that I had while discovering VSMT. |
| IS IT ALL A SLEIGHT OF HAND? Putting VSMT into layman's understanding... |
Ask yourself….how much force is required to elicit a response from a horse? Many of you might think of a riding whip, a heavy rider, spurs, or trying to drag a horse to someplace he doesn't want to go. But what about that tiny fly that lands on a sea of long horse hair? Do you recall the twitch in your horse’s skin? It’s actually referred to as a panniculus reflex, and there is an associated panniculus muscle and nerves beneath the skin responsible for that twitch. Imagine a horse without that reflex. He’d soon be covered in flies in the summer, prone to disease, and removed from the gene pool. The amount of force required to elicit a response is as small as the smallest house fly. Now that’s covered, let’s dive deeper. So how DOES that high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust do anything? Are you really trying to move BONES in there? A common misconception is that a chiropractor or VSMT therapist is trying to move a large bone a great distance. Some of this confusion comes from the fact that most veterinarians are trained to use the term "subluxation" to refer to a subtotally dislocated joint. From a VSMT standpoint, in most instances we’re talking about a joint plane that has moved only millimeters rather than “out of it’s socket.” But a few millimeters of force or stretch across important structures yields dramatic, sometimes painful results. For example, there are important structures exiting the intervertebral foramina:
aforementioned structures. Some neurology research indicates that nerves are not actually compressed or “pinched” but distribute their force ninety degrees along the lines of tension, that problem therefore ends up someplace else. Which is why you could potentially have headaches from lower back problems. (see craniosacral). The HVLA thrust works to restore normal motion in a joint or motion unit via the body’s innate intelligence and some of anatomy’s smallest structures. Open the tab marked GTO to learn more about the tiny anatomical wonders that provide the physiologic basis for VSMT. |
| ...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 |