What is VSMT?

Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy (VSMT), also described as animal chiropractic, is a manual therapy that is used to optimize animal health through restoration of proper movement and function of the spine. It is used in conjunction with traditional veterinary medicine to relieve pain and improve quality of life.

What are the benefits of VSMT?

There are a multitude of benefits to spinal adjustments, including:

  • restoring healthy joint motion
  • inhibiting pain
  • breaking up adhesions
  • relaxing muscle spasm

Benefits you may notice in your pet include:

  • an improved attitude
  • more energy
  • pain relief
  • ability to perform athletically at a higher level

How do I know if my animal needs VSMT?

All animals can benefit from adjustments. Signs that may indicate your dog or horse needs to be evaluated include:

  • Behavioral changes (suddenly irritable, depressed, or just “not themselves”)
  • Lameness
  • Back or neck soreness or stiffness
  • Inability to perform at a previous level
  • Reluctance or refusal to perform certain tasks
  • Abnormal gait
  • Jaw or TMJ issues, or difficulty eating

Canine-specific indications:

  • Behavioral change
  • Decreased mobility following rough play or injury
  • Difficulty navigating stairs or jumping into car/couch
  • Mobility problems secondary to arthritis
  • Recent surgery
  • Back or neck pain
  • Muscle loss or muscle spasm
  • Abnormal posture (i.e. hunched back)
  • Reluctance or hesitance to play or perform normal activities
  • Difficulty getting up
  • Performance decline in performance dogs (agility, hunting, show)
  • Weakness or splaying of limbs
  • Geriatric dogs
  • Growing puppies

Equine-specific indications:

  • Decline in performance
  • Vague lameness
  • Bunny hopping or switching leads in canter
  • Back or neck pain and stiffness
  • Poor fitting saddle
  • Decrease in muscle tone or muscle spasm over back
  • Abnormal head or tail carriage
  • Sensitivity while grooming
  • Difficulty or refusal to lift leg
  • Uneven bending on either side
  • Reduced mobility or pain secondary to osteoarthritis
  • Injuries
  • Following a slip or fall
  • Geriatric horses
  • Post-partum mares

Where are you located?

Back in Motion is based in Orchard Park. Dr. Jess will travel to your farm to provide treatment for horses. Dogs will be seen at the office in Orchard Park. Special accomodations can be made for dogs with mobility restrictions.

How does VSMT work?

The spinal column is made up of bones (vertebrae), the spinal cord, and surrounding support structures. When functioning properly, the joints and surrounding structures move in a pain-free, unrestricted way that allows for uninhibited communication between the nervous system and the body. Any injury or chronic condition that leads to impaired joint movement will lead to joint and neural dysfunction.

A practitioner trained in VSMT uses manipulations akin to chiropractic adjustments to restore full and pain free range of motion to joints. Manipulations consist of a fast, controlled thrust applied with the hands to a specific anatomic location. This will correct the subluxation and restore movement to that structure.

What is a subluxation?

A subluxation is any misalignment of one or more joints in the spine that causes altered function, impaired movement, and neuronal disturbance. It is not a “bone out of place” or a joint that has gone “out." It is a joint that has abnormal movement, resulting in pain and dysfunction.

Which animals do you treat with VSMT?

VSMT can be used on any species; however, Back in Motion focuses on dog and horse patients at this time.

How often will my pet need to be adjusted?

Treatment is variable for every patient depending on the type and severity of the problem. We highly encourage you to commit to at least three treatments before deciding whether VSMT will help your dog or horse. It is difficult to assess progress after just one treatment.

Many times in an animal that requires an adjustment due to a long standing issue, there are chronic changes to the muscles and connective tissues surrounding the subluxations. Once subluxations are corrected and movement restored, the chronic changes existing in the animal’s body take time to resolve. Until they do, the animal will tend to return to its former movement patterns, which may lead you to believe that the adjustment did not help. Chronic changes develop over a long time, and thus they will take time to resolve fully.

Following an initial set of treatments, frequency of follow-up appointments is variable. Some animals need monthly adjustments to maintain their comfort and performance level, particularly in seasons where they are more active, while others will do well with adjustments spaced further apart. We will work with you and decide on the necessary frequency on an individual basis.

What if my animal has a medical condition?

Often animals that are presented for VSMT have other medical issues as well. At the first appointment, a full medical history as well as a physical and neurological examination will be performed by Dr. Jess. It is important that all pertinent medical history be shared, as some conditions need to be treated medically by your primary veterinarian before VSMT is done.

If abnormalities on the physical or neurologic examination are detected, Dr. Jess will discuss possible diagnoses and may recommend that you return to your primary care veterinarian for diagnostics and treatment before VSMT is initiated.

For example, if your dog suddenly has severe neck pain, he or she may need x-rays or other diagnostics to rule out more serious conditions prior to being adjusted. Similarly, if an equine patient presents with an undiagnosed lameness, diagnosis of the lameness by your primary veterinarian may be recommended before continuing. Our goal is to provide the best possible outcome for your dog or horse. Often this requires both VSMT and more traditional techniques from your primary veterinarian.

What can I expect following a VSMT session?

If this is the first time your animal is being adjusted, you may notice some soreness in them for the first 1 to 2 days. Breaking up adhesions and reworking movement patterns can be uncomfortable. In general, it is recommended for equine clients that they not be ridden for 1 to 2 days following the first adjustment and that canine clients not run excessively the day of the adjustment. Between 1 to 3 days following the first appointment is usually when improvement is most noticeable.

After follow-up appointments, the recovery time is much shorter and improvement can be seen much sooner. It is common for dogs to sleep more the day of an adjustment.

How do I make an appointment?

Please refer to our Scheduling page.