Atlas Family Chiropractic Blog - Health and Wellness for You!
When people experience problems with back or neck pain, it makes sense to turn to chiropractors becasue they are often able to alleviate pains without surgery or medication. But, did you know that animals can also benefit from chiropractic care?
Dr. David Nygaard of Atlas Family Chiropractic in Asheville, NC knows that a healthy spine contributes to overall health in all vertebrates. So, when Atlas’ office mascot, a vital 11 year old Golden Retriever named Levi, began to experience some joint pain, he confererred with his friend and fellow chiropractor, John Fahrety, DC.
Chiropractic Care for Performance Animals
Dr. Fahrety practices chiropractic care on people, but some of his favorite patients to work with have four legs. “Animal chiropractic care is a holistic approach to movement and health problems”, explains Dr. Fahrety.
“It does not replace normal veterinary care, but complements it. It dramatically improves musculoskeletal problems,” says Fahrety. Dr. Fahrety explains that any animal can benefit from chiropractic care. He mostly works with dogs and horses, but sees the occasional cat, mule or llama.
“I see a lot of agility and performance animals. I enjoy the stimulation of the mechanics of quadriped motion and the tremendous results that are apparent in these performance animals,” Fahrety adds.
Performance animals are often asked to perform repetitive motions that can lead to health issues. Dogs and horses that compete in agility or jumping competitions sometimes become injured during training. Dr. Faherty is a certified member of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and has worked with world class jumpers, dressage horses and canine champions.
If a trainer notices a dog or horse is having trouble making jumps or performing specific movements they will bring the animal to Dr. Fahrety. Animal owners might also notice a limp or favoring or a limb or symptoms of back pain.
Dogs and Chiropractic Care
Dr. Fahrety helps dogs with lack of coordination, inability to engage their hind quarters, tail issues like unusual tail rubbing and biting of the tail, uneasy posture and discomfort while jumping. Chiropractic care can also aid changes in agility, stiffness in movement, lameness and the development of unusual behavior. Not just for dog athletes, treatment can also help family pets to continue to live normal active lives, allowing them to jump on the bed again or out of the car.
One of Dr. Fahrety’s clients was amazed at the effect chiropractic care had for their dog, Molly.
“Molly is a 13-year old lab mix. She suffered from a torn ligament and had surgery. She also has arthritis in her hips. After seeing Dr. Fahrety she now walks evenly and looks balanced. She is able to take long walks without showing signs of limping or soreness,” says this happy client.
Another client talks about improvements to their Boxer mix, Ginger.
“Ginger has hip dysplasia and had femoral head ostectomy and had shown signs of discomfort for years. She has improved immensely…Dr. Faherty’s care has made a huge difference in the well being of my dogs,” she explains.
Chiropractic Care for Horses
Dr. Fahrety sees horses for a variety of issues. Lack of coordination, coordination of gaits and abnormal gaits can be signs of back pain or improper spinal alignment. He also treats difficulties transitioning between gaits, stiffness, reluctance in leaving the stall, crabbing, short strides, inability to engage rear quarters, difficulty flexing at the poll, uneasy or uneven posture, discomfort while being saddled or ridden and behavior problems.
Owners of quarter horses, Brandy and Lightfoot, have noted an increased range of motion in the shoulders, hips and pasterns of their horses after receiving treatment from Dr. Fahrety.
With all animals, Dr. Fahrety works with veterinarians to rule out the possibility of pathological issues. He then adjusts the animal’s spine to improve alignment and ease movement.
“Mechanical systems require movement,” explains Dr. Fahrety.
By aligning the animal’s spine, older animals can move freely without pain for longer. Chiropractic care can also slow the progression of degenerative diseases.
“Chiropractic care doesn’t replace exercise and a good diet, but it’s highly effective at improving the quality of life for animals”, says Dr. Fahrety.
Atlas Family Chiropractic Blog - Health and Wellness for You!
Chiropractic Treatments Help Pregnant Women
Expectant mothers go through a lot to take care of their health and the health of their babies. Having regular chiropractic adjustments prior to conception and during pregnancy can greatly improve overall health and significantly reduce the pain and complications of childbirth without the use of drugs or invasive medical procedures.
It’s All About Nerves
Pain is the bodys’ most effective self defense mechanism. When pain is experienced nerves all over the body relay information to the brain. The brain then instantly sends information through the nervous system back to the body to remedy the situation. In the case of physical trauma the body reacts instantly. You don’t have to think about moving when burned, you just react.
A large portion of the nerves that control the body are bundled in the spinal column. When vertebrae shift they can pinch these nerves causing pain, loss of sensation and decreased mobility.
Internal pain is an indicator that something is wrong within the body. Asheville chiropractor, Dr. David Nygaard, owner of Atlas Family Chiropractic explains, “Physical, chemical and emotional stresses cause muscles to contract around the spine. This causes joints to lock, irritating surrounding nerves.”
Maintaining a healthy nervous system is vital to the bodys’ overall function. Chiropractic adjustments relieve these stresses allowing the spine to return to its natural position and surrounding nerves and muscles to function properly.
Chiropractic Adjustments Aid In Conception, Development and Childbirth
Having a natural childbirth with minimal pain and complications is a top priority of most mothers. Long, painful labors are often caused by the baby not being in the correct position for childbirth. The Use of forceps, c-sections and other invasive medical interventions can often be prevented by allowing optimal room for the child to move within and exit from the mother.
Dr. Nygaard speaks on the importance of getting the body in its best condition for childbirth. “Receiving chiropractic care prior to conception promotes a more regular menstrual cycle (improving the chance of conception) and optimal uterine function,” he says.
As the child develops, the mother’s spine and pelvis adapts to create space and support increased weight. Regular chiropractic care helps the body adjust to the increased weight and strain put on the mother’s body. This can alleviate many of the “normal” aches and pains associated with pregnancy.
The expanding uterus is supported by ligaments anchored to the pelvis. If the pelvis and spine are not properly aligned, ligaments can constrict the uterus from expanding fully and symmetrically causing the baby to have less room to develop. This condition, known as intrauterine constraint, can affect development of the spine and skull and also restrict the baby’s ability to turn into the best position for birth. According to Dr. Nygaard, “Regular chiropractic care helps maintain uterine ligament flexibility and balance. When the growing baby is comfortable it can assume the optimal birthing position.”
In addition to constricting the uterus, a misaligned pelvis decreases the diameter of pelvic opening further complicating delivery. “Mothers who get adjusted during the birth process seem to require less intervention. When the mother remains supple, the baby can move more easily through the birth canal,” Dr. Nygaard says.
Alternative Health Care in Western North Carolina
Desa Canner, resident of Western North Carolina, a former doula and mother of four, considers the chiropractic care she received during her pregnancies a godsend. “In my third and fourth pregnancies I experienced a lot of pain in my lower back and pelvis. My regular trips to the chiropractor were invaluable in relieving my pain. My biggest testament to chiropractic care is the birth of my third child. He was born ten pounds four ounces. I received regular adjustments throughout pregnancy and he was born at home with no complications. I also found it to be a great help after pregnancy as my body adjusted back to its’ normal size.”
Preventative medicine is becoming more popular. As people look to treat the cause of problems and not just alleviate the systems it becomes clear that the human body is a complicated organism that must be treated as a whole.
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Atlas Family Chiropractic Blog - Health and Wellness for You!
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