Chapter 22 The Role of Acupuncture and Manipulative Therapy in Canine Rehabilitation 561reduce pain, and thereby may possibly help
improve continence.
Manipulative therapy can remove vertebral
Z-joint adhesions that cause degenerative
changes developing from hypomobility.
Periodic manipulative therapy, then, can help
maintain the best possible spinal and overall
patient mobility (Cramer & Darby, 2014).
Chiropractic manipulation has been docu-
mented to treat debilitating chronic sacroiliac
joint syndrome in humans with good results
(Cramer & Darby, 2014).
Pain management
In addition to improving function and mobility,
manipulative therapy can be used to control or
dampen pain (Figure 22.11). In a 1-year study of
148 human patients with low back pain and leg
pain due to disc herniation treated with chiro-
practic therapy, all patients experienced signifi-
cant improvement (Leemann et. al., 2014).
Managing pain is important in canine rehabilita-
tion practice, allowing the patient to move and
respond appropriately to rehabilitation therapies.
Stimulation of large-diameter afferent nerve fib-
ers by a high velocity, low amplitude thrust influ-
ences the pain gate modulation as hypothesized
by Wall and Melzack (Melzack & Wall, 1965;
Potter et al., 2005 ).
Safety and contraindications
Manipulative therapy (chiropractic), is safe
when performed properly. The incidence of
adverse events as a result of manual therapy
(including chiropractic adjustments) was found
to be lower than that experienced from taking
medication, and with no more risk than that
inherent in other health interventions (Cassidy
et al., 2008; Carnes et al., 2010; Church et al., 2016).
Animal chiropractic should not be performed
in areas with neoplasia, fracture, or other
hypermobility, or hemorrhage.
Because it helps to improve and maintain
appropriate nervous system and musculoskel-
etal health, manipulative therapy can be a ben-
eficial part of a rehabilitation, general health, or
sports medicine program.
Webliography
American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians
(AARV). http://rehabvets.org.
American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine
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vsmr.org.
American Humane Association (AHA). 2016.
Euthanasia: making the decision. 2016 fact sheet.
http://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/
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American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation
(AKC-CHF). http://www.akcchf.org/research/
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Joint-Angle-Breed-Variations-and-Relationship-
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Association of Chiropractic Colleges. http://www.
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Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary
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Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary
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Goodman, D., Burke, A. & Livingston, E. Low back
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International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS).
http://www.ivas.org.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2013. Spinal
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Rudinsky, A., 2016. Top 5 reasons for fecal house soil-
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All websites accessed November 2017.
References
Altman, S. 1994. Techniques and Instrumentation.
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