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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / A Preliminary Study of the Influence of High Intensity Laser...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(5); doi: 10.3390/ani13050794

A Preliminary Study of the Influence of High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Longissimus Dorsi Muscle Tone Changes in Thoroughbred Racehorses with Back Pain.

Abstract: The reason for undertaking this study was to investigate soft tissue response to high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) by measuring changes in skin surface temperature and longissimus dorsi muscle tone in the thoracolumbar back area in Thoroughbreds with back pain and diagnosed with and without Kissing Spines Syndrome (KSS). Thoroughbreds aged 3-4 years with clinically presented back pain underwent a radiological examination (to assess a lack or presence of KSS) and longissimus dorsi muscle palpation (to assess muscle tone and pain degree). The subjects were divided into two groups, those with KSS (n = 10) and those without KSS (n = 10). A single HILT treatment on the longissimus dorsi muscle, on the left side, was performed. Thermographic examination and palpation were repeated before and after HILT to assess changes in skin surface temperature and muscle pain response. In both groups, HILT caused a significant increase in skin surface temperature of 2.5 °C on average and a palpation score reduction of 1.5 degrees on average (p = 0.005 for both measurements), without differences in any outcome measures between the groups. Furthermore, the correlation between changes in the average skin surface temperature and the average palpation scores in horses with and without KSS were negative (rho = 0.071 and r = -0.180, respectively; p > 0.05). The results of the present study are encouraging, but further studies with larger samples, a longer follow-up period and comparisons with placebo control groups are needed to draw a more valid conclusion.
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Publication Date: 2023-02-22 PubMed ID: 36899651PubMed Central: PMC10000047DOI: 10.3390/ani13050794Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the impact of high-intensitylaser therapy (HILT) on the muscle tone and skin surface temperature in Thoroughbred racehorses with back pain and potential Kissing Spines Syndrome (KSS).

Objective and Methodology of the Study

  • The motive for conducting this research was to analyze the reactivity of soft tissues to high-intensity laser therapy (HILT). The researchers monitored alterations in the temperature of the skin surface and the tone of the longissimus dorsi muscle in Thoroughbred horses suffering from back pain. Furthermore, these horses were checked for the presence or absence of Kissing Spines Syndrome (KSS).
  • The subjects under observation were Thoroughbreds between the ages of 3-4 years, inclined toward clinically evident back pain. Each horse went through a radiological examination to check for KSS, and palpation of the longissimus dorsi muscle was carried out to determine muscle tension and quantify pain.
  • The horses were divided into two groups – those diagnosed with KSS and those without KSS, with each group containing 10 horses. Afterwards, each of them received a single high-intensity laser therapy treatment on the left side of the longissimus dorsi muscle.

Measurements and Outcomes

  • The scientists conducted thermographic examinations and palpations before and after the HILT treatment to assess modifications in skin surface temperature and muscle pain response.
  • The study outcomes showed that in both groups, HILT was associated with a substantial rise in skin surface temperature (on average, by 2.5°C). Moreover, the palpation score reflecting pain decreased by an average of 1.5 degrees. The outcomes did not differ between the group diagnosed with KSS and the group without KSS diagnosis.
  • The correlation between changes in the average skin surface temperature and the average palpation scores in horses with and without KSS, interestingly, was negative.

Conclusions and Future Directions

  • The outcomes of the preliminary study are promising, suggesting that HILT could potentially help to manage back pain in Thoroughbred horses.
  • Nevertheless, the researchers recommend further investigations with expanded sample sizes, longer follow-up periods, and comparisons with placebo control groups. This will allow the drawing of more robust conclusions about the effectiveness and specificity of HILT for this application.

Cite This Article

APA
Zielińska P, Soroko-Dubrovina M, Dudek K, Ruzhanova-Gospodinova IS. (2023). A Preliminary Study of the Influence of High Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Longissimus Dorsi Muscle Tone Changes in Thoroughbred Racehorses with Back Pain. Animals (Basel), 13(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050794

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 5

Researcher Affiliations

Zielińska, Paulina
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Plac Grunwaldzki 51, 50-366 Wrocław, Poland.
Soroko-Dubrovina, Maria
  • Institute of Animal Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chelmonskiego 38C, 51-630 Wrocław, Poland.
Dudek, Krzysztof
  • Center for Statistical Analysis, Wroclaw Medical University, Marcinkowskiego 2-6, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland.
Ruzhanova-Gospodinova, Iliana Stefanova
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Animal Sciences, University of Forestry, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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