What is McTimoney for animals?
McTimoney practitioners have been helping animals such as horse, dogs, cats and farm animals for more than 40 years. John McTimoney developed the approach in the 1950s, modifying his human chiropractic technique to apply specifically to animals.
The McTimoney treatment is a whole body (holisitic*) approach and helps to restore and maintain health, soundness and performance. The treatment is delivered by hand to align and balance the animal’s musculoskeletal system. The treatment is safe and gentle using a series of precise and rapid adjustments to the specific problem areas.
Each treatment is tailored to the individual animal. It aims to decrease pain, improve range of movement of joints and nerve function where it has been compromised. The treatment works to eliminate the cause, not just to treat the symptoms.
Today, the McTimoney MSc in Animal Manipulation is the only validated course in Europe in teaching techniques for adjusting animals. McTimoney animal manipulation is a complementary therapy to veterinary treatment and may help in many conditions but is not a cure-all!
Why use McTimoney manipulation?
Like us, our animals too can suffer from back, neck, pelvic and musculoskeletal problems. As a practitioner, animals are seen from a variety of historical situations:
- animals that have suffered a recent fall, accident or injury
- animals that have experienced a longer term trauma
- maintenance check-ups
- to maintain peak performance
Long term trauma may include foot/hoof balance issues, dental problems, conformation compensation, rider balance, ill-fitting equipment, repetitive daily exercise regimes, playing during turnout and with ‘friends’ etc. Often the animal will compensate by moving differently, muscles tighten and can restrict the movement within a joint in the spine or pelvis.
What are the benefits of McTimoney treatments?
McTimoney treatment forms part of a balanced health regime and is suitable for competition animals, pets, young stock and veterans.
It is important to ensure your horse or dog’s musculoskeletal system is correctly aligned and balanced following recent trauma but also that your animal is maintained in good condition on a continual basis. McTimoney treatments can work well as part of an annual maintenance program, to maintain normal behaviour and performance rather than treating a problem when it manifests itself through behaviour and performance changes.
* Holistic is defined as ‘a system which treats the whole person physically and psychologically, rather than simply treating the individual (affected) part.