BECKA KEAY

The animalMcTimoney chiropractic treatment was started by John McTimoney in the 1950's. He originally treated just people but at the request of his clients adapted his treatment to treat their horses and dogs.

The McTimoney treatment allows the joints to resume their normal range of motion, the soft tissues surrounding the joints to release, the nervous system to readjust and the body innate intelligence is stimulated to self heal.

It is a technique that is very gentle and holistic which means the whole body is treated rather than one specific area. During palpation of the spine I am ‘feeling’ for any misalignments. Misalignments are where the processes of spine have slightly rotated within their natural range of movement which causes a narrowing of the joint space between each vertebrae. This is significant because the spinal cord runs through the vertebrae and from this the peripheral nerves exit through the joint spaces. The narrowing of the joint spaces causes pressure on the nerves which can cause discomfort and poor performance. The treatment is a process which means that the results are not always instant, it may take several days but afterwards the animals movement and overall posture is much more balanced. During the treatment it is normal for the animals to react with yawning and licking and chewing as the body relaxes during the treatment and the process begins!

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What causes misalignments?

There are lots of causes from direct trauma such as a rotational fall, slipping over in the field, an accident and collision but also from saddle fitting issues, conformation defects in dogs, rider imbalance and being over weight are just a few.

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Symptoms to look out for are:

Dogs-

• Crying out when getting up

• Difficulty climbing stairs or getting into cars

• Signs of discomfort when being stroked on their backs

• A reluctance to exercise

• Stiffness or pain after exercise

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Horses-

• Unlevelness, especially behind

• Uneven wear of shoes

• Sore or cold backs, uneven pressure from saddles or the saddle slipping to one side

• Unexplained deterioration in usual performance

• Asymmetry, such as stiffness on one rein, or a disunited canter

• Unexplained resistances, such as napping, rearing, refusing, bucking, etc.

• Uneven muscle development or atrophy

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If your animal is presenting any of these symptoms or you just want a maintenance treatment to keep your horse or dog in tip top condition please call/text 07805038566 or send me a message via this website under 'Contact'.

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**Please note veterinary permission is required prior to treatment. This is a legal requirement due to the Veterinary Act of 1966**

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I am also very pleased to announce that I have been trained to use Kinesiology Tape by Rocktape UK. This tape is a brilliant addition to my treatment. I use it to continue to my treatment if the animal is particularly sore or tight as it prolongs the effect of the soft tissue techniques I use. It also activates the circulatory system to initiate healing by enhancing blood flow & provides posture/ proprioception support. It is very useful both in rehabilitation and performance training. 

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