Spinal Manipulation and Seizure Management – Can Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Be used As An Adjunct Therapy for Managing Domestic Animals Experiencing Seizures?

Abstract

Seizures and epilepsy are commonly observed in veterinary patients and are the direct result of many different causes, including but not limited to congenital disease, metabolic derangements, and traumatic injury. Treatment protocols in human medicine vary from standard treatments such as avoiding known triggers, anticonvulsant medications, vagal nerve stimulation, and surgical resection of seizure foci to more holistic approaches including acupuncture, dietary adjustment, nutritional supplements, and reflexology. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), or chiropractic adjustments, has also been suggested as possible adjunctive treatment for seizures in refractory human epileptics. To the authors' knowledge, there are no published reports of SMT as a therapy for seizures in domestic animals. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of SMT as an adjunctive treatment for seizures in humans and to open the consideration of its use as a potential additional therapy for seizures in domestic animals.