FAQs About Human and Animal Chiropractic Services
What is Animal Chiropractic Care?
First and foremost, animal chiropractic care is not intended to replace traditional veterinary medicine. Complementary care is a type of care that works with your veterinarian and certainly not instead of them. The professional animal chiropractor should seek cooperation and perhaps even permission and/or assistance from the primary care physician, the veterinarian.
Performance animals are athletes. An athlete's performance is based on it's ability to bend, twist, turn, stretch, flex or in some way move in a very specific manner. Chiropractic's benefit is twofold. First, it works with the neurologic system to improve the communication between the brain and the body (enhancing balance and coordination amongst other things) Second, a joint that doesn't move properly won't allow the animal to flex, extend, reach or rotate the way it should and this too prevents an animal's optimum performance.
The animal chiropractor is trained to find and correct, first and foremost, subtle spinal joint misalignment or mobility problems called subluxations that can interfere with the brain-body communication. Second, they evaluate and improve the rest of the body joints' mobility. So when you, or the animal's brain tells it's body to do something, it's body responds in the most perfect manner that it is genetically capable of responding. The chiropractor accomplishes this with an adjustment.
First, they don't hurt the animal. Adjustments are gentle, safe, specific movements of the joints, performed sometimes by hand and sometimes with a specialized instrument. Improvement is oftentimes dramatic; however, in severe cases a series of adjustments may be necessary.
In the case of unexplained lameness (after a traditional veterinary examination) an evaluation by an animal chiropractor would be appropriate. Performance animals that are not reaching their past or expected potential might be in need of chiropractic care. Other examples include: pets that avoid certain postures or behaviors that they previously used, won't jump up or down from things like cars or trucks or beds or couches, performance animals that resist certain movements or are just resistant to work, animals that have had falls, collisions, accidents, or demonstrate gait abnormalities or an inability to stand without constant weight shifts should also be examined. Perhaps the owner just wants to insure that the animal is capable of moving in the way it's being asked or needs to move. Remember, maybe it's not that the animal won't, it's maybe that the animal can't.
Dr. Parent has completed over 200 hours of animal chiropractic courses at ACES in Meridian TX. She has adjusted multitudes of horses, dogs, cats, birds and other small animals, and is comfortable and confident being around all walks of life. Dr. Parent is able to meet you at your location for equine and other large animal care (with vet present for all animals that are not canine and equids according to Colorado law), and will work out individualized treatment plans that suit both you and your animal’s needs. She also offers limited portable chiropractic for these animal owners on-site, so you will not have to set up two appointments. If you would like more information on animal chiropractic, or would like to set up an appointment, call us today at (719) 301-5598.
What is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care is the second largest health profession. Chiropractic is unique in that it does not rely on drugs or surgery, but rather on the body’s own natural means to heal and improve itself. The body has powerful mechanisms to achieve health and healing (for example if you get a cut on your hand, the body goes about healing that cut without you even having to think about it). Much of the body’s healing mechanisms are mediated by the nervous system, which allows the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. Often times the nervous system can get disrupted or aggravated in areas of the spine where the nerves are exiting the spinal cord. This happens when improper position or movement of the vertebrae (called a subluxation) occurs. Doctors of Chiropractic can locate and correct these areas of aggravation, thereby allowing the nervous system to work freely. This allows the body’s healing abilities to work optimally, and helps restore proper health. Doctors of Chiropractic also work on more than just the spine. Chiropractic care also can address problems in other joints and tissues of the body that aren’t working right such as shoulders, knees, elbows, wrists, and other joints as well as muscles, tendons, ligaments, and more.
Many things can cause your bones to get out of place—(or subluxate). Things such as poor posture, injuries, repetitive activities, lifting incorrectly, stress, sleeping incorrectly, and tense muscles are often culprits. At Walks of Life Chiropractic, we will help you get you bones back into position and working better. We also work with you to help you avoid those things that may be causing problems for your spine and body.
Symptoms such as neck or back pain, headaches, leg or arm pain, numbness, tingling, digestive problems, lack of energy, frequent sickness, poor sleeping, and many other symptoms can be an indication of problems in the spine and nervous system. Or sometimes you can have things out of place and not ever be aware of it. It’s a good idea if you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms to get our spine checked. And even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, it’s a good idea to get checked for small problems before they become big problems.
The primary way of getting your joints back into place and working correctly is through an adjustment. An adjustment is normally performed as a small push by hand that is employed with a specific amount of force and in a specific direction—to return the joint to its optimal position for optimal function. We also use an adjusting instrument (called an “activator”) which has been scientifically proven to get excellent results when using the Activator protocol, or for people who prefer instrument adjusting over manual by-hand adjusting.
No! Although sometimes your back can feel better after you “pop” it yourself, it is not the same as an adjustment. If you “pop” your spine yourself, you are merely unsticking a stuck joint. You are not necessarily putting the joint back into its correct location. You may even be popping the joint in the wrong direction! An adjustment is a specific movement that repositions the joint to its correct and optimal position for proper function. The “popping” sound that often accompanies an adjustment is a by-product of this specific move. The importance is getting the joint to where it needs to be, rather than how much it “pops” or not.
Absolutely. Chiropractic is considered one of the safest forms of health care. In fact, even taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) has caused liver and kidney damage in certain individuals, and in some cases even death. Chiropractic avoids these kinds of risks, by avoiding the use of drugs and surgery.
If you would like more information on chiropractic care, or would like to set up an appointment, call us today at (719) 301-5598.