VOM with Teton Holistic Veterinary Care
VOM = Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation
Activator (TM) Tool
Chiropractic (literally “hand practice”) was developed by Daniel Palmer (1845-1913) who used his hands to palpate misaligned vertebrae, and then deliver a forceful thrust to reduce them back into place using their bony prominences as levers for repositioning. (This would eventually be termed a short-lever adjustment; long-lever techniques use contact points distant from the vertebral joint in question, thereby manipulating a series of vertebrae.) Palmer believed that vertebral displacements cause disease by pinching nerves as they exit the spinal cord, thus impeding normal nerve flow to tissues and organs.
However, in the absence of disc herniation or bony remodeling, direct anatomic compression of nerve roots by misaligned bones has not been confirmed as the key factor in subluxation-induced disease. Nor is it known whether stress to local blood vessels, either by bony displacement or altered joint mobility, is sufficient to cause significant nerve damage. This anatomic model, called the non-impulse-based model, has been challenged in recent years by a functional impulse-based model. In this model, nerve impulses carrying information to and from the spinal cord play the central role.
Research suggests that information from nociceptive afferents (pain sensors) is toned down in the spinal cord by information from the faster-signaling mechanoreceptive afferents (motion sensors). Normal joint mobility thus allows regulatory inhibition of pain signals. In joint hypomobility (due to muscle tension, connective tissue fibrosis, cartilage damage, or bony remodeling) appropriate mechanoreceptor stimulation is missing because the joint isn’t moving normally. Aberrant neural patterns created by joint fixation and repetition of the same afferent signals results in long-lasting alterations in how the spinal cord responds to all future signals (reflex entrainment). This process does not rely on actual bony displacement, and the chiropractor's modern definition of a SUBLUXATION includes *any joint dysfunction*, including anatomic, dynamic, or physiologic abnormalities.
The therapeutic adjustment – defined as any High-Velocity Low-Amplitude (HVLA) thrust delivered with controlled force, direction, and depth – is thought to restore normal neural processing by stimulating the appropriate mechanoreceptors whose afferent signals interrupt abnormal reflex patterns. Thrusts that cause joint separation and stretching (either along or at right angles to the articular plane) provide better stimulation than thrusts that cause joint compression. The result is reflex inhibition of pain, reflex muscle relaxation, and the correction of abnormal movement patterns. Simple joint mobilization involving non-thrust motion does not provide equal effects.
The HVLA thrust may be delivered by hand (as in traditional chiropractic) or by instrument (as in VOM). The advantage of instrument adjusting, using a tool like the Activator (TM) which is also used in humans, is that the joint remains in its resting (neutral) position. Adjusting by hand takes the joint beyond its elastic limits, and while it may be better at breaking up fibrous adhesions, it does present a risk of tissue damage for small animals. Studies suggest that the higher-speed lower-force targeted thrusts provided by instrument adjusting are quite sufficient to restore the joint’s normal neuromuscular homeostatic mechanisms, and subsequent self-healing of tissues, without stressing the joint.
Can any animal receive VOM?
- Almost. Because it is more gentle than chiropractic, it is suitable for a much wider range of animals.
- Areas of severe inflammation, malignancy, or fracture are commonly avoided.
What conditions are commonly treated with VOM?
- Musculoskeletal ailments like arthritis, muscle spasms, and intervertebral disc disease are the most common.
- VOM can also benefit internal organs served by a subluxated spinal segment, and has helped patients with a wide array of ailments.
VOM is effectively combined with Acupuncture for added benefit!