Everything's Connected Blog by Emily Catford
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is where the intervertebral discs wear down and cause pain. Degeneration can be caused by…
Age where the discs that have high water content start to dry out and thin
Through tears in the disc from activity
Through an injury.
Intervertebral discs have a very small blood supply so regeneration of the disc material is minimal after injury so they tend to continue to deteriorate over time. DDD causes an increase in chondrocytes in the annulus fibrosus that surrounds the nucleus pulposus. Continue reading here...
The Hyoid Apparatus
“Every muscle in the horses body eventually connects to the hyoid bone”
The hyoid apparatus is made up of several paired bones and is located in the lower jaw area.
It has attachments to the tongue, the poll and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Its main function is to support the tongue and it helps with swallowing, breathing, hearing, balance, steering and making noises. The fascial network that attaches it to the cervical (neck) spine helps maintain the position of the head.... continue reading here
Do my Stirrups Look Even?
Apart from the obvious that they may not be the same length, we can either point blame at the cause being rider asymmetry, the saddle, horse asymmetry or a combination of these.
Rider Asymmetry - Hips are they in, out or out out?
I’m not sure how many times someone has told me that they’ve been told their hips are out or they were born with one leg longer than the other but it's a lot! And they’ve usually been told this from someone who is going to benefit every 6 weeks to readjust them back into place. Joints are either ‘in’ or dislocated, however they way the joint moves can become dysfunctional and its ability to move normally decreases. It is rare that a leg length difference is caused by the structure of the bones... the usual cause is a muscle imbalance. Muscle imbalances can cause the pelvis to tilt and restrict movement in the hip and back. We need to correct them as over time restricted movement will cause pain and further dysfunction. Continue reading here...
Peace & Love & Do No Harm – New Early Management Guidelines of Soft Tissue Injuries
Over the years the acronyms ‘ICE’, ‘RICE’, ‘PRICE’ & ‘POLICE’ have been used to help treat the early stages of an injury. However there has been limited evidence for their effectiveness, research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine has developed a new acronym using up to date research to help optimize recovery in both the immediate care (PEACE) and the subsequent management (LOVE). Continue reading here
