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Acupressure for Arthritis and Aging 4
CASE STUDY: TITAN By Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis
Titan is a 27 year old AQH gelding, 15.1 hands, and even at his age he has a rich, lustrous, chestnut winter coat. In his younger days he was a full-bodied, powerful horse and his family’s star barrel racer. Both teenage daughters enjoyed the sport and Titan was just as eager to run and win as they were. He had the energy and spirit of a Titan, which is how he got his name.
At 27, Titan’s eye is still bright, yet he has slowed considerably. His muscle tone has obviously become more flaccid with age. His spine is more visible along his topline. Titan’s gait appears to be shorter than in the past and he often trips. His foreleg and hind leg joints periodically swell after any exercise. He is willing to head out for a trail ride, but he is less willing to trot or canter. Now Titan is more content to be turned out with his mates on the family’s ranch.
Assessment Process
The key assessment tool in Chinese medicine is the Four Examinations using all of the practitioner’s keen senses. The Four Examinations entails:
• Observing the horse’s attitude, general appearance, movement, conformation, abnormal discharges, swellings, hooves, etc.
• Listening for unusual vocalization and gut sounds while also smelling any abnormal or strong odors being emitted from the horse’s body.
• Inquiring about the horse’s sport, veterinary care, complementary therapies, diet, supplements, routine, etc.
• Performing Physical Palpation, starting with an overall physical followed by specific assessment acupressure points that may yield further indicators of the horse’s condition.
Once all the information about Titan’s condition derived from the Four Examinations has been collected and assessed, the acupressure practitioner will develop a Session Plan for Titan based on the following indicators.
Titan’s Clinical Signs:
Session Plan & Acupoint Selection for A Cold, Age-Related Arthritis Condition
Given Titan’s clinical signs of arthritis and other aging issues, the acupressure practitioner is able to determine a Session Plan and select acupressure points, also called “acupoints,” to help manage and support is overall health. His condition is considered “cold” because his body is not receiving enough warming chi energy and nourishing vital substances. As Titan ages, his metabolism has slowed, which has led to arthritic joints and lack of adequate nutrient-rich, warming blood circulating throughout his body.
The intent in developing an acupressure session for Titan is to relieve pain associated with his arthritic joints, minimize the edema surrounding his joints, plus nourish and enhance blood circulation to his bones, muscles, and internal organs. This is a lot to address at one time, but we have to start here and see how Titan responds to the acupoints selected. In subsequent sessions there’s the opportunity to “fine-tune” the acupoint selection as need be to improve Titan’s level of comfort as much as possible.
Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are the authors of
ACU-HORSE: A Guide to Equine Acupressure, ACU-DOG: A Guide to Canine Acupressure and ACU-CAT: A Guide to Feline Acupressure.
They founded Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Resources offering books, manuals, DVDs, apps, meridian charts. and consulting services. Contact: 303-681-3030,
Visit: www.animalacupressure.com,
Email: tallgrass@animalacupressure.com
