TREATING FOALS BORN WITH ANGULAR LIMB DEFORMITY WITH “THE TOUCH AND TORCH METHOD OF NATURAL HEALING
The Touch and Torch Method of Natural Healing (TTM) was developed to treat foals born with angular limb deformity (ALD), also known as contracted tendons in foals. It has since proven to be successful in many tendon, ligament, and joint conditions. TTM is a combination of photonic and massage therapy applied as a direct treatment. I would like to share the stories of two foals that had ALD in common, and their very different outcomes.
CLOUD
Cloud at 3 days old was born on May 8, 2007 with ALD and received her first TTM treatment on May 9th, at one day old. Her treatment was unremarkable in the world of TTM because the treatment was optimum in every respect. The treatments were given at one, three, and five days old, and results were seen with each treatment. The owner was conscientious about conjunctive care, and at five days old Cloud was completely healed and was able to grow naturally throughout her entire life to the strong and sound two year old she is today.
On the other hand, this treatment was truly remarkable in the world of traditional medicine for the fact that no drugs, wraps, casts, hoof extensions, surgery, or any other form of treatment was used, and the healing process was complete within the first week of birth, naturally!
See the photos below — Cloud at 3 days and Cloud at 5 months.
SNOOKS
Snooks – January 2010 in photo below…
Snooks was born on April 9, 2008 with ALD. Her owners were not aware of TTM and turned to traditional medicine for care. Snooks was given drugs and wore wraps and casts her entire foal-hood without success until she was 7 months old. At 7 months old surgery was recommended, a tenotomy on both forelegs, and a superior check desmotomy on the right foreleg was performed to correct the deformity. After the surgery was performed her condition worsened, and continued to deteriorate worse than before the surgery, to the point that the only option left was to put her down. Or was it? I was called in as a last resort even though the owners, as well has Snooks, had given up all hope at this point. When I first saw her I knew that the only humane thing that could be done for her was to end her suffering, one way or another. Of course I had to try to save her!
Snooks received her first TTM treatment on Jan.6, 2010, at 8 months old, one month after her surgery. When she was born she was forward at the knee in both legs. Her owner said that her legs looked like a “C” from a lateral view. Over the months as the tendons and ligaments continued to contract and pull the joints out of alignment, her legs had to compensate for each other, and the deformity became different in each leg. After just three weeks the body accepts a condition as permanent and “builds scaffolding” for support in the best way it can. If one leg is going to the left, the other will have to go to the right to try and balance, and so forth.
The conditions from the original deformity and the surgeries were vast and severe. All tendons and ligaments in the forelegs were severely contracted, and all the joints in her forelegs were under constant stress, and pulled out of alignment. The forearm muscles in the left leg were completely atrophied, and the right leg muscles were rigid and excessive. Scar tissue had formed on the cannon bones, both legs, front and back from the casts, and were also chapped and bleeding from the rubbing. The issues to be dealt with from the surgeries were cut and severed tendons and ligaments, massive scar tissue, and severe inflammation. Because she had never been able to extend and straighten her forelegs and stand up straight for eight months, her entire musculoskeletal system was involved. Her chest had narrowed to approximately 2 inches, with atrophied pectoral muscles, and she was standing up on her toes on both hind legs. Since the day she was born she had only been able to walk (not well), no trotting or cantering, running, bucking, rearing, or playing. Her entire musculoskeletal system was not able to strengthen and grow normally and naturally. Her mental health had also deteriorated from eight months of pain and she had finally given up all hope as well. Life in pain everyday of your life for eight months is a lot to endure for anyone, especially a baby.
Treating conditions that are this severe must be treated in layers. The first thing that was needed was to reduce and remove the inflammation. Her forelegs were so swollen that they were hard to the touch. With the first TTM treatment I concentrated on the inflammation, which was the first layer. I could not see or feel the tendons, ligaments or joints until the inflammation was reduced and removed. With the second treatment, two days later, the inflammation was removed on approximately 80% of both legs, and reduced in the areas that incurred the most trauma, the joints and surgery sites. The next layer is to lengthen the contracted tendons and ligaments. The legs cannot extend, and the joints cannot align until the pressure is taken off by the too short tendons and ligaments. The first six treatments were painful for her, at and around the surgery sites, decreasing a little at a time after the second treatment.
In the beginning treatments were done two times per week for 3 months, and then reduced to one time per week. As the tendons and ligaments began to lengthen, the swelling on the joints reduced and they re-aligned, even better than I had anticipated due to the severity and length of severity. Once the tendons and ligaments no longer had to support the legs, the muscles were able to begin to support their load, and began conditioning. When her legs were able to straighten, her chest started to widen, her back leveled out, she came down off her toes in the rear legs, and she started to tone up in the correct areas.
[See photo below of Snooks - March 2010]
Snooks – March 2010
On February 1, 2010, one month after beginning treatment, 9 months after birth, Snooks cantered for the first time in her life. It was only 4 strides, but it was the most beautiful 4 strides I had ever seen. I am treating her 2 to 4 times per month now, lots of conditioning going on, building and strengthening. We are still working on the left suspensory tendon that was so severely damaged due to the club foot on that leg and the scarring from the casts. This too, is still continuing to progress as she rehabilitates.
[Snooks - April 2010 below]
Snooks – April 2010
She was kept in a small corral initially because she couldn’t walk, and also to restrict movement until the tendons and ligaments were lengthened.
In April she started getting turn-out in a small grazing area, after a few weeks, the arena, and now a large pasture. She has been a real trooper with her own rehabilitation, and seems to know what she needs and can endure. I passively stretch her front legs for her, but ever since she has been able to straighten her legs, several times a day she rocks back and stretches her legs out in front of her. I think it still amazes her that she can straighten them, and it must feel SO good. The past month she has progressed to galloping and playing around the arena, fast bursts of speed, bucks, and roll-backs even.
[Snooks - May 2010 below]
Snooks – May 2010
This is the first six months of her photonic journey; I hope the next six months are as remarkable. She has a big heart, a lot of try, and an owner that loves her. She has already done things that were not supposed to be able to be done according to the current available information. What she and I can do together is to educate all equine owners and professionals about healing ALD foals and other joint and tendon conditions with The Touch and Torch Method of Natural Healing, so that other horses do not have to suffer needlessly like Snooks.
To learn more about healing with photonic therapy and The Touch and Torch Method of Natural Healing please visit my website at www.naturalhorsepower.net
Janet is a natural horsewoman, Certified Equine Massage Therapist, Certified Equine Photonic Therapist, McLaren USA Head Certification Trainer, and creator of “The Touch and Torch Method of Natural Healing”. TTM is a direct treatment combining photonic therapy and massage therapy proving to be effective in the treatment of most equine conditions, including, but not limited to, joints, tendons, ligaments, arthritis, wounds, and pain management.
The purpose and goals of Natural Horse Power, LLC. are:
*Take the trauma out of the treatment
*End needless suffering of equines by educating equine owners and professionals
*Natural prevention and wellness
*Provide natural alternatives in equine medical care
“The Best Medicine is the Medicine that works the Best”
Knowledge is Power!
Janet Crow
(970)590-3875
www.Naturalhorsepower.net
janet@naturalhorsepower.net
