Headshaking
Every potential cause of head shaking, nodding and tossing needs to
be thoroughly assessed. It is therefore likely that a number of
practitioners (as well as the owner) will need to be involved,
and to work together to come up with the best possible plan for
overcoming the problem. There is little to be gained if a ‘headshaker’ undergoes
a program of behavioral re-training without first having its mouth
examined from a dental perspective, assessment to rule out the
possibility of an injury to the skull and the fit of its gear checked.
Then, of course, executing the remedial plan for a headshaking case
is likely to require time, patience and persistence on everyone’s
part as, in the majority of cases, there is no ‘quick fix’.
In fact, the longer a horse has been exhibiting abnormal head movements,
the more likely it is to have developed a multi-faceted problem.
The types of dental problems that contribute to head shaking or head
tossing may relate to the horse’s age, in that younger horses
(1-6 years) are still erupting adult teeth and, during this process,
may show signs associated with pain. Usually, in this age group,
any pain being experienced is due either to the shedding of teeth,
an impacted tooth or sharp slivers of tooth roots left in the gum
after teeth have been shed. Horses of all ages may exhibit head tossing
behavior due to presence of upper wolf teeth, although this will
usually be associated with a bit being in the mouth, or can suffer
from fractures to the facial bones- most particularly, the jaw. Also,
as mentioned in Part One of this article, equine teeth are innervated
by (obtain their nerve supply from) the trigeminal nerve, which branches
to supply the upper and lower teeth and the area around them - meaning
that pain causing head tossing or shaking may be able to be traced
back to this source.
Another potential cause of head shaking is tack - more specifically,
the bit and bridle -as few owners take the time to properly assess
the fit of these items.
Hope for headshakers, by Maureen Rogers.
In order to understand head shaking and its
causes, it is important to realize that a horse’s skull (or
cranium) is constantly exposed to more pressures than is any other
part of the body. These pressures are predominantly applied by items
such as bits, bridles and nosebands - often
not fitted properly - or may arise from invasive procedures on the
head, such as dental
work or trauma, such as a head injury. As a result, there are compressive ‘flow-on’ effects
to the individual bones of the skull, the surrounding soft tissue
or muscles and the cranial nerves, which may ultimately contribute
to the formation of a head shaking response.
Craniosacral therapy, a gentle and noninvasive technique
using extremely light finger pressure, aims to feel and address imbalances
in the body
of the muscular skeletal system by acting on what is known as the craniosacral
system - that is, the head, tailbone, spinal cord and spinal dura (the
protective sheath surrounding the spinal cord).
When performed on horses that ‘headshake’, craniosacral
therapy focuses on ‘opening up’ structures in the head
that are being 'tightened' by excessive practices creating abnormal
compressive forces. An example of this type of force is pressure being
applied to the jaw by bit pressure or the muzzle area by a tight noseband,
which will usually cause a horse to constantly try to open its mouth.
This action tends to lead to increased muscle tension, a change in
mastication (chewing) patterns and, ultimately, interference with the
normal function of the temporomandibular (TMJ) joint.
As time goes on in the ‘noseband’ and bit scenario, the
tight muscles associated with the TMJ joint and the bones of the cranium
begin to put direct pressures on the temporal bone, where the trigeminal
nerve is housed. Irritation to the trigeminal nerve is considered by
some to be one of the major causative factors in the whole clinical
picture of headshaking).
Craniosacral therapists believe that, if the degree of pressure on
the temporal bone becomes high enough, trigeminal nerve can become ‘pinched’ due
to tightening of the surrounding tissue - creating a ‘burning’ type
of pain or intermittent ‘shooting’ of sharp pain in the
head. This situation closely equates with how a migraine headache develops
and feels in a human but, unfortunately, it isn’t easy for a
horse to ‘pop a pill’ or race off to the physio when it
feels one coming on! Headshaking, it seems, may simply be one way a
horse tries to find relief.
De schedel van het paard is een puzzel van 26 botten die aan elkaar
gehecht zijn. De hechtingen zijn net als kleine gewrichten die zijn
ontworpen om de energie die bij hoofdletsel vrijkomt op te vangen en
te verspreiden. Al het bot is doorbloed en heeft vetweefsel waardoor
het heel buigzaam is.
De schedel van een veulen bestaat uit nog meer botten waarvan een aantal fuseren
tot op de leeftijd van 5 a 6 jaar. Trauma of druk van buiten af op de schedel
van een jong paard heeft enorme gevolgen. Door letsel en andere oorzaken raken de botten van de schedel uit balans
ten opzichte van elkaar. De tussenliggende schakels kunnen beklemd
raken en zenuwen, sinussen, balans, functie van het kaakgewricht, gangen,
houding van het hoofd, buiging van de nek en algehele beweging aantasten.
Ryan
This case is a good example of the fact that living bone is very
pliable tissue. Ryan, a 7-year-old gelding, started headshaking
in 2008.
One and a half year before that he had knocked his head really
hard to the point his skin had come off. Looking back that head
trauma was probably the main cause of the headshaking. Because
of the compression to the skull nerves and tissue got impinged.
The owner tried different therapies, which helped to lessen the
symptoms, however he still tossed his head now and again.
Ryan before treatment
When I saw Ryan for the first time I noticed that there was a
lot of tension on his head, he frowned and had his ears pinned back.
Also he had a huge curve to his nasal bone, it looked thicker than
what it should be. See the pictures below.
After 6 teratments the tension has gone and facial bones have remodelled.
Ryan has cheared up and is a happy horse. Craniosacral treatment
has changed his posture. Frontlegs are straight
under the
shoulder and hind are bearing weight properly. The back is rounder
and shorter. Ryan stopped headshaking.
Ryan after 6 treatments
Before treatment, notice the curving nasal
bone.
After 3 teratments, nasal bone has straightened,
eyes are softer.
