The Benefits of MYO-Massage Therapy & vertebral realignment

Although limited studies have examined the benefits of equine massage, this noninvasive therapy continues to grow in popularity among horse owners, competitors, and rehabilitation facility owners. Here’s why.

• Pain relief: It is well known that massage therapy reduces and relieves muscle tension in humans, and it can do the same for horses. And with muscle tension relief comes pain relief. Areas of scar tissue can also benefit from massage. Massage loosens scar tissue gradually, helping the horse move more freely and reducing the associated pain. Massage and stretching can help restore a horse’s mobility after an injury by reducing tension as collagen fibers heal and realign themselves post trauma.

• Improved locomotor function: Massage can be a valuable addition to a rehabilitation program. By loosening tightened connective tissue, massage helps improve a horse’s overall locomotor function. The results are easy to see and are often visible immediately after a session. In a study at The Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, massage of the caudal muscles of the equine hind limb significantly increased passive and active hind limb protraction.

• Improved circulation: The compression and release pattern of equine massage can help promote circulation in the superficial areas of the limbs. It’s particularly useful for stallbound horses that develop lower leg edema by promoting blood and lymph circulation.

• Relaxation: Many horses visibly relax during a massage session by dropping their head, licking or chewing, cocking a hind leg, swaying with the massage therapist’s movements, and even going to sleep. A 2016 study on the effect of massage on the heart rate of Arabian racehorses supported anecdotal evidence regarding the relaxing benefits of massage. The study, performed on 72 racehorses, measured the heart rate and variability of horses during race season as evidence of the horses’ emotional state. Each group trained 6 days per week, and the experimental group also received massages 3 days per week. Changes in heart rate parameters in the experimental group suggested that “massage may be effectively used to make the racehorses more relaxed and calm.”

• Trust: A massage session also offers important trust-building elements. Owners who learn basic massage techniques can use massage to help a horse associate their touch with a pleasant experience. I have used massage on several horses with impressive results. One riding school pony was very skeptical and really held out too receiving.  After a 50-minute massage session, he approached me as I left the stall, turned himself to the side, and allowed me to continue massaging him as he closed his eyes and lowered his head which was a vast improvement of the ears pinned, swishing tail and threatening back legs.  

VERTEBRAL REALIGNMENT 

The principles of equine chiropractic are the same as they are for humans. “Chiropractic is concerned with, and especially capable of, solving neuromuscular biomechanical lesions – places where the joints of the spine are abnormally restricted, not moving through their normal range of motion. It looks normal and, to some extent, may feel normal, but it’s not moving as it should,” 

The horse’s spinal (or vertebral) column is comprised of five groups of vertebrae (joints). The cervical or neck area has seven vertebrae, the back or thoracic region has 18, the lumbar area has five or six, the sacrum consists of five vertebrae and between 15 and 20 make up the coccygeal region into the horse’s tail. The vertebrae surround and protect the spinal cord through which the nerves of the central nervous system travel from the brain to control bodily functions below the horse’s head. (The second type of nerve – cranial nerves – come straight out of the brain and control the face, head and mouth.)

Sometimes lesions or restrictions interfere with the continual flow of information through the central nervous system, resulting in pain, inflammation in surrounding tissue and even neurologic consequences.

Although it is never meant to replace conventional veterinary medicine, horse owners might want to consider discussing chiropractic with their vet (although a lot of vets are not trained in vertebral realignment) when their horse is experiencing:

• unexplained lameness
• stiffness
• problems with collection
• changes in posture
• disobediences
• gait changes
• reduced flexion
• a cold-back
• girthiness
• reduced muscle tone
• behavioural changes
• sensitivity to touch
• transitions