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Picture

Correcting equine facial asymmetry using cranial bone releases

2/28/2019

2 Comments

 
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Cranial Anatomy

The cranium of the horse is made of flat bones that articulate with each other through joints called sutures. These sutures allow the bones to move slightly leading to a slight expansion and contraction as the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is pumped through the cranium. The movement of these bones is the basis for craniosacral therapy. 

Cranial Bone Misalignments

The cranial bones can become "jammed" due to trauma/injury or the process of traveling through the birth canal when the horse is born. When the bones shift and become "stuck" in this position, it will lead to decreased movement of the bones as the CSF is pumped through the cranium. This can ultimately lead to symptoms such as head aches, difficulty concentrating, runny eyes or nose, head shaking and other behaviors. Visually, it can be noted as asymmetry in the face. 
Re-aligning the Bones

The cranial bones can be brought back in to proper alignment using specific craniosacral techniques to release the bones. Chronic misalignments will often take multiple sessions to resolve fully. Most horses will begin to show a decrease in symptoms following the first session.
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Looking for Asymmetries 
A good way to check for asymmetries is to take a picture of the horse's head when standing directly in front of them. You can then draw a line vertically from the mid section of the top of their head (by the poll) to the middle of their upper lip/nose. Next draw horizontal lines connecting the top of each eye and the top of each nostril. An additional horizontal line at the bottom of the lips can also be drawn. If the lines are all perpendicular to each other (create 90 degree angles) then the horse's skull is symmetrical. If 90 degree angles are not found, then asymmetry due to shifting of the cranial bones is present. 

Checking for Changes

After releasing the appropriate cranial bones, you should then take another picture of the horse's head and re-draw the lines to determine if improvement has been made. 
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This picture above, which was taken immediately after the first session, shows little improvement. Due to the chronicity of the symptoms and the small improvement, kinesiology tape was applied over the parietal and frontal bones and nasal sutures. The picture below shows the amount of asymmetry present following 24 hours of wearing the tape. 
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Cranial Bone Releases - 2nd Session

​The kinesiology tape was left on another 24 hours (48 hours total) and then was removed before the second craniosacral session. During the second session, a sacral and tail release was performed before releasing the cranial bones. The picture below shows the results after the cranial bone releases were performed. Note a drastic improvement in the nasal and lip lines.
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Follow up

This horse is experiencing a decrease in symptoms and an improvement in attitude. She will continue with monthly craniosacral sessions at this time to further improve facial symmetry, reduce the reoccurrence of symptoms and improve proper function.
Special thanks to Mary Beth Nunes on her assistance in performing the primary CST session!

Want to learn more about CST and the cranial bone releases?

Click Here
2 Comments
Victoria Cullins link
3/2/2019 12:27:11 am

I am wondering what this horses symptoms were. "Due to the chronicity of the symptoms" is mentioned, can state what those were? thanks.
Tori

Reply
Dr. Angel
3/2/2019 07:43:28 am

Hi Tori,

This horse was a professional barrel racer and had multiple injuries (including hitting her head) which contributed to her facial asymmetries. A tendon injury in her right hind leg led to her retirement a couple years ago and compensation due to that injury has also contributed. Symptom wise she has intermittent lameness in that hind leg and is often grumpy (possibly from head aches). The cranial releases (and full craniosacral therapies) have helped with both her lameness and her grumpiness.

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    Author

    Dr. Angelique Barbara is the founder of Angel's Animals LLC, a company that has developed online animal bodywork courses for both owners and professionals.  Dr. Barbara's unique teaching style along with the dynamic layout of the courses allows people of different educational backgrounds from all over the world to benefit from her knowledge.

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