Canine Chiropractic and Measurable Results

Dr. Clara Medalen joins host Laura Reeves to talk about gait analysis and chiropractic treatment of our dogs. She addresses what we can and can’t objectively measure in our animals after chiropractic treatment.

“In human chiropractic, we have a lot of objective measures we can use,” Medalen nited. “We can use X rays, we can use temperature scans, stuff like that. None of those work very well in dog chiropractic.

“What I wanted to find was an objective measure that people could take something home with them. (That) we could really watch (the pet’s) progress through care. (That) we had exact numbers for people, rather than just going on my word alone. I want people to feel empowered in their own dogs care.

“Gait analysis is a big part of animal chiropractic. It’s normally a visual thing. Some people take videos, which is great. But I wanted real, hard data. So I found a gait analysis system that worked really well. I use Tekscan because they have more pressure sensors per square centimeter than a lot of the other options out there. They also provide a nice print out for people, so it gives the average of every foot step and the pressure on each paw; it gives exactly how much time they’re spending standing on each foot; how long they’re swinging through; how far they’re swinging through; the acceleration; tons of information.”

If people are interested in having Dr. Medalen or another Chiropractor treat their dog, they may need a referral from their veterinarian. Each state is a little bit different.

“In Oregon, we have the vet referral. Which is fabulous because I’ve had some great conversations with vets. It’s a really good way to learn about each others’ professions. I am not treating any disease process. I am just simply fixing misalignments and helping to regulate the nervous system.”

For more information about animal chiropractic:

American Veterinary Chiropractic Association www.animalchiropractic.org

International Veterinary Chiropractic Association  https://ivca.de