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Veterinary

Veterinary physiotherapy for back pain in the horse

02 July 2022
Clinical
16 mins read
02 July 2022
Volume 6 · Issue 4
Figure 1. Two horses diagnosed with over-riding dorsal spinous processes, demonstrating antalgic posture and imbalanced muscle patterns.
Figure 1. Two horses diagnosed with over-riding dorsal spinous processes, demonstrating antalgic posture and imbalanced muscle patterns.

Abstract

This review presents the veterinary physiotherapist's approach to assessment and treatment of back pain in horses, while supporting veterinary care as part of the multidisciplinary team. Veterinary physiotherapists aim to restore painless optimal function using their scope of physiotherapy treatments, which are individualised to the patient, including manual therapy, the use of electro-physical and specific therapeutic exercises, as well as the prescription of a rehabilitation plan. The combination of pain relief and acquisition or maintenance of the required range of motion, along with ensuring postural stability and muscle activity, are the initial principles of treatment. A chartered physiotherapist can also assess the rider and their ability to function optimally, potentially providing interventions to ensure riders do not negatively influence their horse. Following clinically reasoned use of manual and electro-physical therapies for the horse with back pain, re-education of positive movement patterns and subsequent muscle strengthening is required. Successful physiotherapy will ensure that a horse is comfortable and capable of carrying a rider, and is thus able to perform the functional tasks required.

The treatment of equine back pain comprises a significant part of a veterinary physiotherapist's caseload. The presence of back pain is very common in the ridden horse and has a detrimental effect on performance, as well as being a welfare concern. Behaviours in horses with back pain can be extreme, although some horses with significant spinal pathologies never display signs of pain (Zimmerman et al, 2012). It is recommended that all ridden horses should be considered at risk of having back pain, irrespective of the scale of the presenting clinical signs.

The aim of physiotherapists, alongside veterinary management, is to restore optimal function as painlessly as possible (McGowan et al, 2007). The scope of physiotherapy treatments includes manual therapy, the use of electro-physical therapies and specific therapeutic exercises, as well as the prescription of a rehabilitation plan. In the context of musculoskeletal conditions, rehabilitation is focused on building capacity in tissues, using gradual overload, progressing intensity and complexity of movement or physical activity (Cook and Docking, 2015). The application of treatments and rehabilitation techniques by a qualified veterinary physiotherapy professional should be evidence based, using the critical application of knowledge gained from an increasing number of equine-specific studies, and from research in human physiotherapy. For further reading regarding the science underlying the application of physiotherapy to horses, McGowan et al's (2007) paper provides a thorough comparative review.

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horse
back pain
physiotherapy
rehabilitation