Body Lameness

I want to preface this by saying, I do truly believe that horse care professionals do the best they can for your horses with the knowledge they have. Sometimes there is a need for new eyes that view your horse from a different lens and identify new ways to help them while collaborating with other professionals on the Wellness Team.
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Unfortunately, a lot of clients come to me as a last resort to find answers and get results. I recently had a performance horse client bring me a horse who has consistently had a decline in performance and attitude. Their trusted veterinarian recommended injecting the left stifle (which they did a few times), but alas no improvement. So what was the problem? Was this some weird mystery lameness? Did this horse need more diagnostic imaging like an MRI? No, he needed new eyes to identify what I call a Body Lameness.

A body lameness you ask? Yes. There are more systems in the body that can cause lameness other than joints. Let me say that again. There are more systems in the body that can cause lameness other than joints. With approximately 700 muscles, 31 pairs of spinal nerves, and more fascia connecting everything to everything than we can even quantify, it seems rather odd to stop at joints when looking for answers.
Back to our performance horse…

Upon assessing him, I noticed several asymmetries in his body and compensation patterns in his movement. His body had figured out a way to keep working, and it had created layers of dysfunction throughout his body. The lameness he was experiencing was a Body Lameness. It involved fascial, nerve, muscular, and ligament restrictions. During his session we (the horse and I) worked through unwinding the restrictions and re-integrating the newly discovered ranges of motion. The shifts in his posture and movement were immediately noticeable. This session was profound for him, and he processed in his stall for several hours afterwards. After a few days rest, he began going back to work. His owner reported fantastic improvements and those went on to be increasing scores in the show pen and eventually an Reserve World Championship. *Note- not all body lameness resolve this quickly! Some need months of rehabilitation exercises and regular body work and supporting modalities.

I don’t share this to brag about the results of his session. I share this to encourage and inform you to look from a different lens. I advocate working with a Wellness Team to keep your horse as healthy as possible. It takes multiple perspectives and areas of expertise to do the best we can for our amazing four-legged partners!

Could your horse be experiencing a Body Lameness that is not being addressed? Do you need to find someone to help you view things from a different lens? I am happy to support you either with an in-person visit or a remote consultation.

Blessings,
Amy