Swedish massage: Known for its gentle, flowing strokes, Swedish massage is a popular choice for horses as it promotes relaxation and improves circulation. Swedish massage is not only soothing but also helps in reducing stress and tension, benefiting both the physical and mental well-being of the horse.

Deep tissue massage: For horses with chronic tension or muscle tightness, deep tissue massage is often recommended. This technique focuses on reaching the deeper layers of muscle tissue to release tension and alleviate discomfort. By applying firm pressure and slow strokes, deep tissue massage helps to break down adhesions, alleviate discomfort and restore mobility to stiff muscles, unveiling newfound freedom of movement.

Bowen Therapy: Named after its creator, Tom Bowen, this gentle and non-invasive technique involves precise rolling movements over muscles, tendons, and ligaments to stimulate the body’s innate healing response. Bowen therapy can help relieve muscular tension, improve range of motion, and promote overall balance and well-being in horses.

Equine Touch: Developed by Jock and Ivana Ruddock, Equine Touch is a hands-on bodywork technique that focuses on balancing the horse’s energy system, muscles, and soft tissues. By applying specific sequences of moves, Equine Touch practitioners aim to release tension, improve circulation, and support the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

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Stretching is when you take a muscle or set of muscle beyond its resting length, make it longer or wider without tearing or breaking and free of pain. Involuntary stretching of your muscles is called pandiculation. It’s a behavior seen in most types of animals to relieve muscle tension and relax.

Stretching is important component of horse “fitness”:  improves balance and frees up movements, without risking premature effort from muscles which are in an inappropriate state of tonus. Stretching improves mobility, posture, muscle coordination, reduces the risk of injuries and muscle soreness,  increases Range of Motion, improves mechanical efficiency and overall functional performance, helps reduce or manage stress, reduces muscular tension and enhances muscular relaxation, promotes circulation, helps relieve pain and leads to a better overall “shape”!

There are 7 best types of Stretching: Static, Dynamic, Ballistic, Myofascial Release, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and Functional Stretching. All of which can be helpful at certain time.

The most important general principle is that movements should be done slowly and smoothly and never stretches to the point of discomfort. After each stretch the body must be returned to the neutral or relaxed position before another repetition. A series of 3 repetitions is generally sufficient.

When to stretch?

• Daily – prevention and maintenance
• Before exercise, after warm-up
• After exercise/during cool down
• 2-3 times per day as part of rehabilitation plan
• After trigger point therapy and friction therapy
• Within general massage routine

Where to stretch?

• Horse has good footing
• Ground is not slippery or uneven
• In the stall
• The aisle (with mats), arena or outside on grass

How to stretch?

– Horse is warmed (lunging, warm hydrotherapy, walking, massaging). In cross ties (keep lead on hand for specific stretches) OR with a handler holding horse

– NO Contraindications, horse is in appropriate and relaxed mood

– Horse is standing square, get his balance

– Protect the joint: keep the joints in proper anatomical alignment to avoid putting stress on joint and joint structures

– NEVER grab or squeeze the tendons

– Stretches should be held 15-30 seconds or until horse “gives”

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In order to optimize function and reduce any existing disability in horses Equine Bodywork Therapist uses a variety of techniques, including cold and heat therapy.

Typically, this therapy works on a 1:3 cold to heat ratio. First, apply cold for one minute, then heat for three minutes, for a duration of 20 minutes.

In the previous post we talked about cold treatment, now let’s have a look at superficial heat.

SUPERFICIAL HEAT

Heat treatment promotes blood flow and helps muscles relax. Use for chronic pain. Typical recommendations for heat therapy are to delay application until at least 48 hrs after injury.

EFFECTS: Increases tissue temperature up to 3cm of depth. Increase metabolism of target tissues. Increases blood flow to the area, improving oxygenation and toxin removal. Increases tissue extensibility, thus decreasing joint stiffness and facilitating elongation of tendons if applied during stretching exercises. Tissue extensibility can be improved because of local heating; heat is an excellent precursor to stretching. The thermal effect of superficial heat reaches a depth of up to 3cm. If heating of tissues deeper than 3cm is indicated, therapeutic ultrasound should be considered, as it can affect tissues up to a 5 cm depth.

INDICATIONS: Subacute and chronic phases of healing, moist heat can improve circulation thereby increasing local metabolism, resulting in improved oxygenation and toxin removal. Decreases pain sensation. An increase in cutaneous blood flow will promote wound healing.

CONSIDERATIONS: Typical treatment time is 20 min. When stretching is the treatment goal, stretching should begin during or immediately after heating as the effect is short lived. Depending on the heat source, one or several towels are placed between the hot pack and skin to prevent burning. When using any heating modality, it is important to understand the depth of penetration of the heat produced. Superficial heating agents should be combined with exercise to provide a deep heating effect. Only ultrasound penetrates through the skin to the deeper structures such as joints, bursa, tendons, and muscles.

C/I: Decreased sensation; over an area of compromised circulation.

MODALITIES TO USE:

HYDROCOLLATOR HOT PACKS: these packs can become very hot 50-60°C, heavy toweling should be used between these packs and horse and another layer should be used to cover the pack to delay its cooling. Dry heat can raise surface temperatures to a greater degree, but moist heat can penetrate to a slightly deeper level of tissue.

NYLON-COVERED GEL WRAP: The wrap was heated to 40°C and applied circumferentially to the metacarpal region and was left in place for 30 min. The heat-treated leg will be 5°C warmer. The heat application also increasing the hoof temperature by 1.7°C.

SINGLE LEG WHIRLPOOLS: The water temperature should be between 40-45°C. If a tank is used, it must be plastic or rubber, never metal, to avoid shock hazard. The motor should be grounded and protected with a ground fault interrupter at the wall plug. For muscle soreness add 2 cups of EPSOM Salts to a bucked of warm water. Soak towels in the water, wring them out and place them on the sore area. The magnesium in EPSOM salts is an excellent muscle relaxant and sedative for the nervous system. An iodine concentrate added to the water will reduce the possibility of transmitting infections and aid in cleansing abraded skin.

MICROWAVEABLE HOT PACKS.

INSTANT HEATING PACKS.

ULTRASOUND FOR DEEP HEATING: Therapeutic ultrasound can be used to increase tissue temperature at depths ranging from 3-5 cm, without overheating the skin and superficial tissues. Sound waves create rapid oscillations that disrupt collagenous fibers and increase cell metabolism. Ultrasound combined with stretching exercises can elongate contracted fascia and reduce the restrictive effects of scar tissue.

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Equine Bodywork Practitioner uses a variety of techniques for equine rehabilitation, including cold and heat therapy. It helps to optimize function and reduce any existing disability.

Typically, this therapy works on a 1:3 cold to heat ratio. First, apply cold for one minute, then heat for three minutes, for a duration of 20 minutes. This causes the vessels to alternately constrict then dilate, creating a vascular pump.

COLD TREATMENT

Cold treatment reduces inflammation by decreasing blood flow. Apply within 48 hours after an injury.

General EFFECT: Vasoconstriction, Hypo metabolism, Decreased nerve conduction velocity, Anti-inflammatory effect + analgesia, Influences swelling, Cold decreases muscle-spindle sensitivity to stretch thereby reducing muscle spasm, Increased collagen stiffness.

INDICATIONS: Musculoskeletal trauma, Pre/post operatively, Pain secondary to muscle spasm, Limitations to motion secondary to pain and edema.

C/I: Cold hypersensitivity; Decreased sensation; the animal with this condition may be at risk of tissue damage as it may be unable to sense discomfort; Previous frost bite to the tissues; Over an area of compromised circulation.

CONSIDERATIONS:

TIME OF APPLICATION: begin the initial application as soon as possible. The first 24-48 hrs are key.

LENGTH OF APPLICATION: Optimum duration is from 20 to 30 min. Repeat cold therapy every 4-6 hrs within the first day. Apply ice for approximately 15-30 min at a time until heat, swelling and pain are reduced. Cold application for more than 30 min can have detrimental effects, including neuronal and cellular damage.

ANATOMICAL SITE: the skin cools first, followed by the subcutaneous tissue. Joints cool more slowly than muscles.

CONDITION OF THE TISSUE: Not drop the core temperature of the tissues below 15°C.

COMPRESSION: may be combined with cold to enhance its effectiveness. Compression should be applied in a distal to proximal direction. Pressure increases the efficiency of cold delivery.

EFFECTS:

LOCAL VASOCONSTRICTION: Cryotherapy causes small blood vessels on the body surface to constrict, it may help reduce haemorrhage and edema. Controls bleeding and reduces the release of chemical mediators.

LOCAL VASODILATATION: If cold treatment cools local tissues to 18°C for long enough to interfere with sympathetic nerve conduction, vasodilatation may occur. When tissue temperature falls below 18°C, the initial reduction of blood flow is followed by a compensatory increase in blood flow (due to dilation of muscle blood vessels). Reflex vasodilatation was not recognized after 30 min of cold therapy at 4°C, when applied to the equine metacarpus. The “Hunting” reaction occurs at intramuscular temperatures of 7 to 10°C.

HYPOMETABOLISM: The decrease in inflammatory response due to decreased tissue metabolism, which limits secondary tissue damage due to hypoxia.

DECREASED NERVE CONDUCTION VELOCITY: Cold impairs the conduction of afferent sensory input resulting in pain reduction.

PAIN-ANALGESIA: 3 min duration of analgesia after ice massage. Analgesia occurs at surface temperatures of 10 to 15°C.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS: cold reduces inflammation by inhibiting histamine, neutrophil activation, collagenase activity and synovial leucocytes.

EDEMA: The application of cold therapy is followed by a compression wrap, to eliminate further edema formation.

REDUCED MUSCLE SPASM: Cold decreases activity of the muscle spindle, which in turn decreases muscle spasticity.

MODALITIES TO USE: Cold Water Hose; Tub, whirlpool, turbulated boot; Commercial cold packs; Iced towel, gel wraps; Ice massage; Home made ice packs. Ice which is applied at a temperature of 0°C, has the potential to injure tissue. Use a damp cloth or sheet cotton as a buffer, between the ice pack and the horse’s skin, to protect the tissue and dissipate the cold.

CONTINOUS COLD THERAPY: Continuous cold application offers the additional advantage of controlling the vasoconstriction/ vasodilatation cycle. Continuous cold therapy from 7 to 10°C reduces pain, decreases analgesic intake, and decreases swelling.

The post Cold & Heat Therapy for Horses – Part I first appeared on EquiHelp.