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Back Pain, Foot Problems & Downtime

Rowan Kilmartin BVSc MCSc (Animal Chiropractic) Grad Dip Animal Chiropractic.

Back pain arising from hoof imbalances

Hundreds of thousands of riders all over the world are aware that the performance and often the behavior of the horse is affected by back pain and or hind quarter pain. In some cases a full veterinary examination may not produce a reason for such a deviation in performance or behavior. By pressing down on the back of the horse, or even by brushing the horse people find that the animal moves away from the challenge even to the extent of laying the ears back and turning to bite. In some cases this pain can be attributed to the tack or a badly fitting saddle. In some situations back pain and associated changes in performance, behavior or even debilitation can at times be attributed to hoof imbalances.

To determine the source of the pain requires a thorough examination. A chiropractic examination will identify sites of spinal problems and pain as well as musculoskeletal problems in the appendages. It is the aim of chiropractic not only to find and treat these problems but to identify the primary or underlying cause. This is called the primary lesion. Areas of secondary dysfunction arise due to compensation. Compensation refers to the horse loading other parts of its body to favor the areas which are sore and causing pain during normal locomotion. Compensation is a characteristic of quadruped (four legged animals) biomechanics. All types of lameness will result in a degree of compensation. The demand these days is to find and treat these problems before the horse becomes lame.

If the primary cause is hoof imbalance then chiropractic will only manage the condition until the hoof imbalance is corrected. When trimming is carried out to resolve degenerative and pathological conditions of the hoof in many instances a return to health, function and performance is a long and painstaking process.This process can be aided by the use of chiropractic. Chiropractic has been found to be effective in relieving musculoskeletal pain between trims. Each time the hoof shape is altered the horse goes through a phase of altering its body position to accommodated the forces through its upper limbs and its trunk. There are some simple efective techniques for helping to control back pain that have arisen from the study of equine chiropractic in recent years. Many of these techniques, which are safe and effective are being compiled onto disc and will be available to interested people. These simple but scientifically based exercises are not chiropractic techniques by any means, however the horse owners and trainers who have learned some of them have very little need of seeing their horse chiropractor.

These types of exercises would be invaluable for barefoot trimmers as well as serious competitors who find their horses are suffering downtime due to continuing minor injuries. The main thing to remember is that at some stage you should have your horse checked for total orthopaedic balance by a person competent and experienced in resolving both structural and functional problems of the upper body and the feet.

Complaint… “My horse won’t take the left lead”

Low Heel Hi Heel Syndrome

This commonly observed condition where the heel of one front foot is higher than the other has been previously reported by Kerry Ridgway. Ridgway has noted that this is more common on the front feet and results in muscle imbalances and changes in posture. The horse tends to lean towards the shoulder of the lower heel limb. The animal can be easily pushed off balance in that direction. The majority of these horses have restrictions or hypomobility in the lower cervical and upper thoracic vertebral joints. In some instances the lack of lateral flexion in the neck is severe and it is necessary to use several chiropractic techniques to free these areas over a series of treatments. These include thoracic inlet opening, forelimb stretching and activator technique on the tendons of the forelimb and adjustments of the lower cervical vertebrae. It is futile doing these treatments if the hoof balance is not addressed at the same time. The cause of this problem is not clear however the consequences can be disastrous if the problem is not rectified.

Complaint… “My horse resists shoulder in”

Medial Lateral Imbalance Syndrome

In these horses greater load is taken on the medial side of the hoof. The lateral aspect flares out. There is a tendency for the hoof to rotate slightly as it strikes and takes the weight. This rotation is resisted and stabilized by the muscles of the shoulder girdle in the forelimbs. In the hind limbs it is stabilized by the muscles of adduction as well as the muscles acting through the lumbar region. Different muscle groups are involved and suffer stress patterns and trigger points if the imbalance is lateral to medial.

Rectifying the forelimb imbalance muscle and vertebral problems is similar to rectifying the Low Heel Hi Heel Syndrome problems. In the hind limb a full limb adduction stretch may also prove helpful. This would tend to indicate that the accumulated effects of rotation are being absorbed by the adductor muscles of the hind limb. In chronic situations fibrosis can be found in the greater adductor and associated myofascia. All of these associated but related problems must be addressed. Careful attention must be given to the foot structure. To repair the foot requires knowledge of functional anatomy, so that the areas under stress are relieved and the foot can repair with good blood supply. Placing a shoe to support the heel on the low side does not appear to help. The trim is the important procedure.