What is a Primary Condition?
The primary condition I detect as an animal chiropractor is a structural shift or a biomechanical abnormality. These shifts are detected through a chiropractic exam and corrected with a chiropractic adjustment. When left alone, these shifts can lead to early degenerative changes due to impaired nervous system function. Until these abnormalities are corrected, the spine will function at a less than optimal level, the nerves will have decreased firing, the musculature will begin to atrophy, the messages from brain to body will begin to slow down, and secondary conditions will eventually develop.
Indicators of a Structural Shift:
If one or more of these indicators is present, it is highly likely that your animal does have biomechanical abnormalities in the spine and extremities that would benefit from chiropractic.
- Pain reflex activated
- Muscle spasm
- Muscle atrophy
- Hypersensitivity to stimuli
- Generalized pain and discomfort
- Decrease in motion at a joint
- Non-awareness of limbs
- Changes in demeanor and temperament
How Does a Shift Occur?
One of the most common questions we are asked is “how?” How does my animal get these shifts in the spine? The answer is simple, life. Spend a few hours with a puppy, a kitten, or a foal, and you will see they are incredibly active and fearless. Whether it’s jumping over fences, up on couches, or tumbling off of a bed, these animals push their bodies to the limit and often end up hurting themselves in the process. Being youthful, however, allows them to continuously push themselves to the limits and test their boundaries. As they grow into adulthood, these animals tend to mellow out and calm down. All the damage they did during their youth, however, is often ignored and left unaddressed if the animal is not exhibiting any kind of symptom. The shifts they impose upon themselves, as babies tend to fester and worsen as the animal ages, usually showing up years down the road in the form of degenerative changes.
What is a Primary Condition?
When a structural shift is outside of normal, your animal may experience one or more of what we call secondary conditions. What we refer to as secondary conditions can often be confused with what others may call “symptoms”. The reason we use the term secondary conditions is because they are often a result of an underlying, primary condition. Secondary conditions include but are not limited to: lameness, limping, pain, arthritis, allergies, incontinence, hunchback, inability to jump or climb stairs, and disc disease. For example, if a lawn was covered in dandelions (the secondary condition) and you were to mow it so that these dandelions were no longer visible, would they still be there? If a rainstorm were to roll through and thoroughly water your lawn and have your grass grow again, would those dandelions show up again? Just because something is not visible does not mean it doesn’t have a presence, and as an animal chiropractor my job is to find the structural abnormalities (the dandelion roots) and reduce and remove them.
What is a Secondary Condition?
When a structural shift is outside of normal, your animal may experience one or more of what we call secondary conditions. What we refer to as secondary conditions can often be confused with what others may call “symptoms”. The reason we use the term secondary conditions is because they are often a result of an underlying, primary condition. Secondary conditions include but are not limited to: lameness, limping, pain, arthritis, allergies, incontinence, hunchback, inability to jump or climb stairs, and disc disease. For example, if a lawn was covered in dandelions (the secondary condition) and you were to mow it so that these dandelions were no longer visible, would they still be there? If a rainstorm were to roll through and thoroughly water your lawn and have your grass grow again, would those dandelions show up again? Just because something is not visible does not mean it doesn’t have a presence, and as an animal chiropractor my job is to find the structural abnormalities (the dandelion roots) and reduce and remove them.
Solution
My goal is to direct the animal spine to what’s considered to be normal. Through the location and correction of these structural shifts, I am able to relieve pressure on the discs and the nerves, which in turn relieves pain, improves mobility, and corrects nervous system function. A healthy nervous system leads to an improved quality of life and a happier, higher functioning animal.