© 2006 Company Name
Made by Serif
Animal Health and Behaviour
• McTimoney Animal Manipulation
• Tellington Ttouch Training
“For optimum health, performance and wellbeing”
Chronic causes...
- Conformational faults
- Compensation from an injury
- Repetitive/strenuous work
- Ill fitting equipment/training devices
- Unbalanced rider (horses)
- Dental problems
- Pulling on the lead (dogs)
Acute causes...
- Slipping/falling
- Rough play
- Landing awkwardly from jumping
- Being cast in the stable (horses)
- Collision injuries
What are misalignments and what causes them?
The spine is made up of individual bones called vertebrae. These bones are joined by ligaments which are fairly inelastic but allow a certain range of movement of the vertebral joints. The spine provides the framework for muscles which are attached by tendons. These muscles work in pairs, one flexing the joint and the other lengthening to create movement. However, if a muscle goes into spasm (usually close to the tendon) it will shorten which puts pressure along the tendon and restricts the movement of the attached bone causing a misalignment. The associated muscle will have to compensate for this and lengthen putting strain on both sides of the joint which is why it is often associated with pain and stiffness.
The spine also encases the spinal cord which sends the information from the brain
to all the organs in the body including the muscles. This is achieved via peripheral
nerves which exit between the vertebral joints. Misalignments can cause narrowing
of the gaps which can interfere with the nerve impulses reaching the body effectively
and can have an affect on bodily functions as well as co-
