& K9 too
OSTEOPATHIC APPROACH
Equine & Canine Bodywork - So much more than a massage
​​​The foundation of Holistic Equine and Canine Bodywork reaches far beyond simply treating a tight or restricted area. It considers the whole animal—assessing posture, compensation patterns, gait, environmental factors, and training to create a complete picture of their overall well-being.
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Muscles themselves do not compensate; instead, the nervous system adapts to any instability or weakness, creating patterns that help the body keep moving—through creating muskoskeletal compensatory patterns. That’s why addressing the entire body, not just one area, is essential.
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Each session is a thoughtful blend of techniques such as deep tissue sports massage, soft-tissue mobilization, acupressure, myofascial release, trigger-point work, gentle stretching, and range-of-motion joint mobilization.
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True wellness depends on the whole system flowing freely. Circulation must move effortlessly throughout the body, nerves need space to communicate clearly with the brain, and joints should glide comfortably through their natural range of motion.
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Bodywork offers a truly unique and uplifting approach to animal health—so much more than “just massage”! By integrating multiple modalities, I’m able to feel, guide, and release the soft tissue and fascia back into balance, helping each animal move comfortably, freely, and to their absolute best ability.
**Bodyworks is NOT a replacement for Veterinary Care. and instead should be used to compliment regular health checks and proper diagnosis**
Functional Osteopathy
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Functional Osteopathy is drug free, manual therapy that aims to improve the mobility and function of the horse’s skeleton, muscles, ligaments, joints and organs, – collectively known as the musculoskeletal system. It involves an understanding of the problem and its causes. An in-depth knowledge enables us to find the imbalances and/or restrictions that influence the correct functioning of the joints, muscles, ligaments, spine and organs and using specific targeted movements we are then able to bring the body back into proper function - Homeostasis. All parts of the horses' life is taken into consideration from living conditions, feed, training, herd management, tack and the environment in which it lives in on a day to day basis. All of these have the ability to create an overload on the horses' system eventually causing dysfunction somewhere in the body. Allostatic load.​
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​Accupressure Points
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Acupressure is a preventive tool against illness and disorder in horses. It can reveal pain and discomfort in your horse before symptoms manifest. It is a gentle hands-on method that relaxes the horse and increases circulation of the qi energy of the body. This influence supports overall health, including the functions of the internal organs, muscles, and joints. It often improves movement ability and performance, eases emotional upset, and calms unwanted behavior.
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Myofascial Release
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This is a topic so large that it needs its own page, but in short. Myofascial release is a hands-on, whole body technique. It applies gentle sustained pressure on the myofascial connective tissue to follow and release barriers of restriction. It takes 90 to 120 seconds to release into the first barrier of restriction, and a minimum of five minutes for a full release in one area. Only then will the tissue begin to change. Mirrored dysfunction is often seen. A horse and rider influence each other through the imbalances in their bodies. If your seat bones are uneven in the saddle, you’re causing your pelvis and spine to tilt. The difference in pressure will ask your horse to bend and lift his back asymmetrically, creating torsion in his body. Over time, his fascia will restrict and lead to the horse’s structural alignment being altered by fascial restrictions. This can lead to difficulties maintaining a gait, a loss of power, or lack of flexibility. Fascial restrictions also commonly create lameness, pain, behavioral changes and fatigue. MFR can help prevent and treat all these issues, while regular treatments can help your horse stay healthier and recover from injury faster.
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Rehabilitation & Scar Tissue
A muscle or tendon which has suffered a trauma usually builds scar tissue, which when left untreated can cause long term problems, restricting not only the function of the muscle itself but also the 'team members' around it.
Equine Body Work during recovery helps to both prevent scar tissue from forming by keeping the area flexible as well as helps to break up and re-align existing scar tissue. A stall-rested horse starts losing muscle tone and mobility very quickly. It is therefore vital to maintain those aspects through bodywork massage and range of motion/physio exercises for recovery.
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RED LIGHT THERAPY
https://equinelighttherapy.com/why-light-therapy
"LED & Infrared light therapy is really a way to help the body heal itself. We use specific wavelengths of light that are absorbed by a photo acceptor, cytochrome c oxidase within the mitochondria of the cell. The energy (photons) from the lights increases the energy within the cell and that speeds up the healing process. The lights must be specific wavelengths and must be delivered at a specific dosage. We use two wavelengths in our light therapy pads, a visible red and a near infrared wavelength. Using both red and near infrared lights is beneficial because the wavelengths are absorbed by different depths of tissue.
The combination of the two work in concert to provide benefits for soft tissue injuries, inflammation, ligament soreness, tendon problems, sore backs, splints, strains, stifle issues, sprains, swelling, shoulder pain, hip pain, sore backs, sore necks, salivary gland problems, wounds, cuts, scrapes, arthritis pain and for trigger points and acupuncture points.
Visible red light (660nm) is absorbed by skin layers very efficiently and is best for uses such as stimulating trigger and acupuncture points and for treating wounds and infections. Near infrared light (880nm) penetrates to a deeper level has been used to treat concerns of tendons, ligaments, bones, joints and muscle.
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**Collagen is the most common protein found in the body and the essential protein used to repair damaged tissue and to replace old tissue. Studies cite that LEDs stimulate the production of collagen. It has been reported that by increasing collagen production, less scar tissue is formed at the damaged site.
**LED/Infrared Red light therapy is reported to stimulate the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the major carrier of energy to all cells and provides the chemical energy that drives the chemical reaction of the cell. Increases in ATP allow cells to use nutrients faster and get rid of waste products faster by increasing the energy level in the cell.
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**Increases lymphatic system activity. Edema has two basic components, liquid and protein. Research has shown that the lymph vessel diameter and the flow of the lymph system can be doubled with the use of light therapy. This means that both parts of edema can be eliminated at a much faster rate to relieve swelling.
**Reduces the excitability of nervous tissue. The light energy stimulates the release of endorphins which are the body's own long term pain fighting chemicals.
**May improve peripheral neuropathies by stimulating nitric oxide production.
**Increases RNA and DNA synthesis which helps damaged cells to be replaced more quickly.
**Increases the process of scavenging for and ingesting dead or degenerated cells by phagocyte cells for the purpose of clean up. This is an important part of the infection fighting process. Destruction of the infection and clean up must occur before the healing process can take place.
**Stimulates fibroblastic activity that aids in the repair process. Fibroblasts are present in connective tissue and are capable of forming collagen fibers.*
**Stimulates tissue granulation and connective tissue projections, part of the healing process.
**Stimulates trigger and acupuncture points.
**Helps relax muscles.
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Kinesiology Taping
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Helps to decrease muscle soreness, decrease swelling and inflammation, decrease recovery time. It helps increase lymphatic flow, and increase your horse’s soundness potential. It also has no side affects and can be used while training.
- Increase oxygen supply and circulation to an area.
- Reduce fatigue.
- Aid in shortening the healing time.
- Decrease recovery time.
- Decrease inflammation, swelling and the associated pain.
- Decrease toxin and metabolism by-product build-up to help muscles and joints work more efficiently.
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SureFoot Stability Physiotherapy Pads
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SURE FOOT Pads vary in density from Hard to Soft, providing a wide range of pattern variation for your horse to experience. The SURE FOOT Pads challenge your horse’s balance, activate proprioception, work the small postural muscles, and creates awareness. The degree of difficulty depends on the Pad density and number of hooves placed on Pads. Once the horse is familiar with SURE FOOT the pattern can be varied on any given day depending on the horse’s condition, medical history, and desired effect.
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Canine Massage
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Canine massage may sound like something for pampered dogs, but it’s not just a day at the spa. A dog massage is an effective way of dealing with pain, aiding recovery from injuries or surgery, increasing circulation, restoring mobility and strength and providing psychological relief from stress or anxiety. Massage is an underutilized but valuable tool to maintain or restore function in your canine companion. Many behavioral issues are often a dog’s way of communicating pain to their owner. When a dog is in pain, their mental state is affected, often manifesting in changes in behavior alongside physical symptoms. Massage can provide relief for the type of pain that typically arises from muscular injuries, arthirits, and other orthopedic conditions. Like any other complimentary modalities, massage is only one tool in ensuring your pets bodyhealth, The benefits are enhanced when it is combined with other techniques such as stretching, strengthening, and balance work.
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