Why Does An Adjustment Help With Incontinence?

Normally I like to write about things that don’t necessarily directly pertain to chiropractic, however, this post will be a bit different. Lately I’ve had multiple patients come to me struggling with incontinence issues. These are animals of all types, ages, and environments. Some have had problems for years, others have had them for only a few months. Regardless of how unique each case may seem, they were all told nothing could be done for their pets and they should look into options such as surgery, drugs, diapers, or euthanasia.

That’s a pretty heavy set of possibilities right there and can seem daunting to most pet owners. Several of these people decided to take matters into their own hands and research other possible therapies. There are several options for alternative therapies and incontinence, but I will tell you that chiropractic has a great success rate.

The method to the madness….the nervous system controls the majority of your body. It contains the brain and the spinal cord and all those little nerves branching from the cord. The messages get sent to and from brain<—->body and this is constant. Does the nervous system control the bladder? Yes. Does it control the bowel? Yes. Does it control the respiratory system? Yes. Does it control your hormones? Yes. The nervous system plays a part in EVERYTHING. Is it the only operator at the control desk? No. However one can see how any issue affecting the nervous system can then affect any number of things.

As a structural chiropractor, my job is to analyze the spine and extremities using biomechanic analysis, palpatory evaluation or the musculoskeletal system, reflex testing, and nerve response. After examination, I am able to tell whether or not a structural abnormality is present in the spine. Abnormality meaning any area within the spine that is not classified within normal limits. When an area is detected, I apply an adjustment to that area to help restore normalcy. The amount of time it takes to completely restore an abnormality varies from case to case.

Okay now that you have more of an idea of what I do, let’s get back to the issue at hand which is incontinence. The bladder and bowel are regulated by a number of different factors, yet a major contributor are the nerves to those organs. There are several nerves that direct the bowel and bladder to constrict and/or relax. If these nerves are impinged or interfered with in even the slightest manner, doesn’t it make sense that the organs they control will also be disturbed? That is exactly what can happen. Sometimes a trauma is involved, as simple as an animal taking a tumble onto their hind end. Other times it comes from years and years of repetitive tasks aggravating the areas controlling the nerves in that area. Regardless of how it starts, there is hope for any animal suffering from incontinence. If a structural abnormality is present and it is affected the bowel and bladder nerves, then chiropractic adjustments will help. Improvement may be slow-going, but it is better than ignoring the problem.

Whether or not your animal has a structural abnormality causing other conditions is something only a licensed and certified professional can tell you. Just remember, there is always another option and it never hurts to exhaust all possibilities before giving up!