Focus on your own health, too
Jun 9, 2008 11:56 AM
By Kindra Gordon
As cattle producers, many of us get so caught up in ranch work and caring for our livestock, that our own health gets put on the back burner. But, as the airplane analogy goes – you need to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help others. Put another way, in order to truly be your best – for your spouse, your family, your business, or your ranch – you need to feel your best.
To that end, chiropractic care and massage therapy can offer a valuable – non-medicated – tool in your health and wellness needs. The two have existed and evolved for centuries and are recognized as a source of healing and health. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, in the 5th century B.C., advised, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”
Likewise, of massage he said… “rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”
Today, chiropractic and massage therapy are often sought for healing of back and neck pain or as a means of stress relief and muscle relaxation. Basic chiropractic care addresses the nerve system based on the function or dysfunction (sublaxation) of the vertebral joints and the spine. Massage therapy addresses the soft tissues – the muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments.
Healing Benefits
Dr. Roy Trotter, a chiropractor at the Black Hills Chiropractic Clinic in Rapid City, acknowledges that chiropractic adjustments offer many alternatives for people who spend much of their time in the saddle. Trotter himself was raised riding horses and had a chiropractor practice in Montana for several years where many of his clients had ranch and horse backgrounds.
He says, “One of the things I’ve found is that it’s not if, but when, people who ride horses experience small injuries.” Trotter explains that there are lots of little things that can occur which may lead to nerve and joint dysfunction – whether the horse bolts, or you take a spill. “The pelvis takes a lot of abuse and, over time, that transfers all the way up the spine to the neck,” says Trotter.
Dr. Sarah Strain, a Rapid City-based chiropractor concurs that repetitive farm and ranch labor as well as riding can over time lead to spinal sublaxation. And, she says that when the spine or joints are not functioning properly it puts more pressure on nerves and can contribute to arthritis, reflux and other stomach conditions, and even being sick with a cold. “Chiropractic care is good overall for total health,” says Strain.
As another example of how ranch work and riding can cause joint dysfunction, Trotter points out that many people always mount their horse (or get on a tractor) on the same side. Much of that torque is impacting the pelvis repeatedly in the same place which can lead to a misalignment with the pelvis and over time that may lead to leg length change and subluxations with the lower vertebrae which equate to pain, Trotter explains.
But he says there is no need to live with pain. “Pain is a symptom. The traditional medical community leans toward treating that symptom with medication rather than treating the source of the pain. Through chiropractic adjustments we aim to address the source of pain,” Trotter says.
As an analogy to this, he shares the example of a steering wheel that is shaky. He poses the question: “Would you go out and bulk up so you can hang on to that steering wheel better [i.e. treat the symptom], or would you fix the wheel alignment on that vehicle so that the steering wheel no longer shakes [i.e. fix the problem]?”
Trotter says a key to minimizing spinal and joint dysfunction among horse riders is to make certain that your horse fits you. It is just like a piece of furniture – it has to fit comfortably.
“If people who do a lot of riding sit on horse that has an odd gait, or sit in a saddle that fits improperly, or ride a horse that is too broad across the top to sit comfortably all of those factors can affect the pelvis and spine. The body adapts to that ill fit and eventually the person’s back and neck can begin to feel that in their joints and nerves,” Trotter says.
He continues, “A horse and saddle needs to fit each individual person. Knowing how to get on a horse properly and how to sit in the saddle is very critical.”
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