Neurorehabilitation

Chiropractic Treatment Based on Functional Neurological Examination

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Chiropractic treatment combined with neuro-rehabilitation (neurological retraining) focuses on rehabilitating the nervous system and everything it controls. Neuro-rehabilitation differs from conventional rehabilitation — both in its initial phase and the subsequent process — in several ways:

• The goal of treatment is to address the entire patient, not just a single diagnosis.
• Neuro-rehabilitation is particularly relevant for patients who have not regained full functionality after traditional chiropractic care, or where the owner feels that the animal is still not performing optimally.
  In most such cases, there is an underlying neurological dysfunction that remains unrecognized unless specifically examined for.

Muscles and Receptors

Muscles throughout the body act as engines that create movement, all of which are activated and controlled by the brain — a process called motor output.

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Muscles have different roles:

• Flexor muscles bend joints,
• Extensor muscles straighten them, and
• Antigravity muscles help maintain posture and make the body strong yet light.

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Other muscles perform vital internal functions, such as:

• Eye muscles for movement,
• Muscles in the throat and digestive system for swallowing and processing food, and
• The heart muscle for pumping blood and distributing oxygen throughout the body.

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Everything occurring within the body is detected by receptors found in all tissues. These receptors send information via nerves to the spinal cord and on to the brain, where sensory input is processed.

The Connection Between Brain and Movement

Every sensory activation in the brain results in a motor response. For example:

• When you burn yourself, pain receptors activate the brain, which sends a motor signal causing muscles to react — moving the body part away from the heat source.
• When you trip, joint receptors signal the brain about the awkward limb position, and the brain activates muscles to restore balance.

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After processing sensory input, the frontal part of the brain activates, controlling all muscles and adjusting movement accordingly.

For instance, when walking on a steep or uneven surface, the brain interprets sensory feedback from receptors (vision, muscles, etc.) and increases activation in certain muscle groups to maintain balance.
The same applies to a dog moving on soft or hard ground.

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When dysfunction occurs in this neuro-muscular communication, injuries can develop — such as joint pain, tendon strain, or back stiffness.

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By understanding and influencing this communication through specific sensory stimulation, it becomes possible to affect muscle activity and function directly.

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Neuro-Rehabilitation in Practice

This is where it becomes complex. It requires profound neurological knowledge to evaluate an animal’s neurological function and to interpret its response to treatment and stimuli.

This continuous assessment allows the practitioner to adapt and fine-tune subsequent treatment and retraining techniques.

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No two individuals are alike — and no two respond in the same way.

For example, a dog that has always been well-functioning, agile, and flexible but suddenly slips and develops an acute back fixation (“locked back”) will often respond well to treatment. However, a dog with a longer history of symptoms or repeated injuries will rarely recover fully without neuro-rehabilitation.

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Neuro-rehabilitation is therefore essential for breaking long-term compensation patterns and rebuilding the animal’s strength and coordination.