Fully qualified McTimoney Animal Practitioner, Jess Higginbottom (PGDip AM(Dist), BSc, EBW, BSHAI, MIEBWA, MMA)

Many of the same problems that benefit from hydrotherapy can also be greatly helped by the holistic, gentle, non-invasive McTimoney treatment. Hundreds of dog owners have seen fantastic results from the combination of chiropractic and hydrotherapy treatment.

 McTimoney physical therapy for animals can help generate:-

-         Pain relief from muscle spasms and/or ‘trapped’ nerves

-          Increased mobility in older or arthritic dogs

-         Increased range of movement in dogs with joint problems

-         Relief from compensatory pain in other parts of the body as a result of old injuries or other orthopaedic problems.

Please contact Jess on 07789 964181 if you would like to discuss your dog with her, or if you would like to book an appointment.

Please remember that as with all complementary therapies your vet must be consulted to determine whether McTimoney treatment would be suitable for your dog. Jess will be happy to answer any questions you have about this, or any other aspect of her treatment.  For more information about what Jess does you can visit her website at www.back2form.net

Why might my dog need a McTimoney Treatment?

The spine of a dog is relatively flexible, and can be subjected to considerable rotational and sideways forces during normal everyday life allowing them to curl up in a tight ball when sleeping, or the stretching they do after a sleep. Generally their bodies are well adapted to cope with these forces, but there are occasions where trauma, or specific overexertion can cause injury to the joints and muscular system of the body. Dogs can suffer musculoskeletal problems for a variety of reasons including:

Working Dogs - All dogs that lead active lifestyles, as well as working and competition dogs are subjected to particular stresses and strains on their bodies because of the type of exercise that they do. For example, an agility dog is expected to do very quick turns at a fast speed, and also to jump over obstacles which puts considerable strain on the joints, tendons and ligaments in its legs and back.

General Wear and Tear - Even dogs that are just pets can incur injuries due to their everyday lifestyle. For example, many dogs can play quite roughly with other canine friends, and can hurt each other by careering at full pelt into each other! Any dog who chases a stick or a ball could twist their neck or body awkwardly when catching it and cause pain. Even skidding on a slippery floor or landing awkwardly when jumping out of the car could have a detrimental effect.

Existing orthopaedic issues - Dogs that suffer from arthritis, or hip dysplasia for example, will move and carry themselves in a particular way to avoid feeling pain, and can often cause other problems in their back or other areas of their body as a result of this. McTimoney physical therapy can help to keep your dog as comfortable as possible and able to deal with his existing condition as well as he can.

Trauma - accidents such as road traffic accidents or falls can cause secondary problems within the spine and other joints in the body. Your vet will discuss with you whether McTimoney physical therapy would be useful/appropriate to help your dog.

Breed Issues - specific breed problems caused by long backed or short legged conformation, for example in dachshunds can cause extra strain to be placed on the spine and associated muscles.

Overweight Dogs - Dogs that become overweight put extra strain on the joints in their legs and also on their spine

These issues and others can lead to misalignments where joint(s) are taken to their extreme within their range of motion, causing a loss of movement within the joints which affects the mobility of that specific area of the body. This affects the muscles around the joint and can lead to muscle wastage, and also leads to compensation by the body in other areas leading to hypertension.

It can also obviously cause pain which will affect how the dog moves and behaves potentially leading to other problems such as aggression because the animal is in pain, or a reluctance to carry out work/play because of the discomfort, or the dog walking with an abnormal posture.  .

McTimoney physical therapy helps to restore the mobility of the joints, thereby reducing pain and muscle spasm. It can help to increase muscle tone, circulation and flexibility.

To find out more about McTimoney Physical Therapy or about the practitioner please visit her website at www.back2form.net