Horse Health Article - Biomechanical Medicine
What is Animal Biomechanical Medicine (ABM), and what is Biomechanical Dysfunction? How does Biomechanical Medicine work, and what sort of treatments does it involve? Would your horse benefit from Biomechanical Medicine? Read on to find out.
What is Animal Biomechanical Medicine?
Animal Biomechanical Medicine (ABM) describes a collection of therapies across multiple skillsets (including Osteopathic and Chiropractic Techniques) to treat biomechanical dysfunction in animals. ABM can be utilised across many different species of animals, however it is commonly utilised in the treatment of dogs and horses.
What is biomechanical dysfunction?
The best way to answer this question is using an example. So, think about what happens when you have a stone caught on the inside of your shoe.
To avoid putting pressure on the stone, you will start to walk differently, so that you are putting pressure onto different areas of your foot.
Now imagine that you can’t get rid of the stone, and instead you must walk like this for a long time, because the stone remains stuck in your shoe. Maybe your ankle, knee or hip might get sore on that side, or your opposite leg will start to fatigue from being overloaded, or your back might start to spasm from the uneven way you’ve been walking/loading your limb.
This perfectly describes the phenomenon of biomechanical dysfunction. Sometimes (using our example) the stone can go away by itself (for example, an injury that heals) however the compensatory movement patterns (and corresponding musculoskeletal changes) that occurred as a result of the stone, may remain long after it is gone as the body gets “used” to these patterns.
In other cases, sometimes treating the biomechanical dysfunction allows us to start “peeling off” layers of dysfunction to ultimately reveal an underlying cause, such as a long-term disease (e.g. arthritis in a joint). Identifying and treating the underlying cause of any dysfunction is crucial to the body being able to restore normal movement and avoid returning to biomechanical dysfunction.
Biomechanical Medicine can be instrumental to optimising your horse’s performance.
Can biomechanical medicine treat everything?
Yes and no! Biomechanical medicine is a safe, adjunctive treatment to traditional medicine (e.g. veterinary treatments) and oftentimes when used in conjunction with a traditional approach, can extend the intervals between veterinary treatments or assist with the rehabilitation/strengthening process during recovery from injury/surgery.
However, biomechanical medicine should not be used in lieu of appropriate veterinary diagnosis and treatment. Some primary causes of biomechanical dysfunction require veterinary intervention, which is often necessary to begin to modulate pain pathways and return comfort to the horse in order to begin the healing process.
What sort of treatments are used in Animal Biomechanical Medicine?
Each individual practitioner’s approach is different depending on their personal preference, experience, and philosophy. The Graduate Diploma of Animal Biomechanical Medicine is open to veterinarians, chiropractors, and osteopaths within Australia, and is a Post-Graduate Diploma incorporating osteopathic, myofascial and chiropractic techniques taught over 2 years.
Such techniques include but are not limited to:
Myofascial release techniques (e.g. massage)
Osteopathic treatment techniques (e.g. BLT, fascial release, SCS technique)
Chiropractic adjustments (i.e. high-velocity, low amplitude thrusts)
Individual ABM practitioners may incorporate other treatment modalities into their approach depending on their experience and training in other modalities, for example acupuncture/dry needling, cupping, laser therapy.
Would my horse benefit from Biomechanical Medicine?
In short – yes. All horses will benefit in some way from a Biomechanical Medicine treatment.
You may particularly want to consider Biomechanical Medicine if your horse is suffering from:
Poor performance (e.g. difficulty picking up correct canter lead, rushing transitions, stiffness, asymmetry/difference on one rein, stumbling/tripping)
Behavioural issues (sour/grumpy behaviour, girthiness, unhappy being brushed, difficult for the farrier)
Lameness/recent or old injury
Respiratory dysfunction e.g. equine asthma
Sudden postural/muscle/sweating changes (e.g. trouble standing square, roached back, abnormal sweat patches)